While I like bacon with my eggs, I don't like having to start with raw bacon each time. While I do now is to buy a large pack of the leanest bacon I can find (local meat processor sells wonderful bacon). I then cook it mostly done in batches on aluminum foil-lined cookie sheets in the oven at about 350 degrees, turning once. Once mostly cooked, the bacon is put between sections of newspaper to press out most of the grease and the grease from the sheets drained into a container. After all has been done, it is put into a zip-lock bag for the freezer. When I need bacon, it is a simple matter to separate off some slices and heat it up at the same time the eggs cook.

The grease collected is allowed to solidify and is then mixed with bird seed for suet.

This may not save energy, but it sure saves on cooking time.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), March 04, 2001

Answers

If you have trouble separating the slices after frozen, lay them out on a cookie sheet and freeze individually before putting them in the zip lock bag. You can freeze lots of things this way.

-- Cindy (SE In) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), March 04, 2001.

Great idea, Ken!! I wouldn't use our local newspapers though cause the ink seems greasy. I'm going to do this though as my husband loves likes a good breakfast, but we rarely have the time in the morning. The birs outside will love the suet too.

-- Ardie from Wi (a6203@hotmail.com), March 04, 2001.

Thanks, I'll tell Lynn.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), March 04, 2001.

I should have said to put plastic wrap or waxed paper on the cookie sheet first.

-- Cindy (SE In) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), March 04, 2001.

The last time I went to the state fair, I stopped to watch one of those cooking demos that sell kitchen stuff and they were "pressure frying" with one of those fancy pressure cookers that you can whip the lid off of safely at any time. Anyway, when it came time to drain the food, the demo lady made a point of saying that they were not allowed, BY STATE LAW, to drain on paper towels, because they are treated with all kinds of things (she said something like over 100 chemicals) such as formeldahyde (for absorbancy) that were icky, if not downright poisonous. She used paper napkins, which, although similar looking, are designed for "mouth contact and food contact" usage and don't have all that gunk in them. Just a thought to keep you up at night!

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), March 04, 2001.

I know this may not be healthy, but we always save the bacon grease for frying eggs in and to use as the fat in gingerbread or cornbread. During BLT season, we save up enough grease to last several months, which is good, because we eat fried eggs much more often than we have bacon.

-- glynnis in KY (gabbycab@msn.com), March 05, 2001.

That sounds like an energy saver to me, cooking one large batch instead of several small ones. I save my bacon grease for cooking with too. Can't make a pan of cornbread without my bacon drippings.

-- Granny (grannytoo_az@yahoo.ca), March 08, 2001.