Random observations about food, gear, and other silliness by Tony Chor.
Now you can have bacon any time, even after the apocalypse. MREDepot.com has canned bacon -- 9 ounces of fully cooked bacon per can, ready to eat, and with a shelf-life of ten years. Certainly a must-have for any well-fed survivalist and fun for the whole family!
Thanks to my colleague, Frank Oliver, for the tip.
In Washington state, we have a screwed up system where the state has a monopoly on liquor via the state-owned liquor stores. The one interesting thing about having state-owned stores though is that they are more transparent about their markups and such. (OK, the other interesting thing is that they have the prices and stock of each store online. Too bad their selection is crappy.)
Here's a great page that shows how they price alcohol. I always thought the government took more than their fair share, but I was surprised to see that 75% of the price of a bottle of liquor in Washington goes to Federal and State taxes (50%) plus the Liquor Control Board (25%). The LCB's take is 70% operations and 30% taxes (yay, more taxes!)
In the example below, a $13.65 bottle of liquor only cost the state $3.48; the rest goes to The Man.
Why oh why does the government own liquor stores?!?! How about doing some governing instead...
I've provided copious documentation on this blog of my affection for bacon, to the point when friends and readers have started sending me pointers more baconware. Here are a few for your enjoyment:
Vosges Mo's Bacon Chocolate Bar
I admit, I've had a few of these but didn't blog about it because it's been written up everywhere. Still, enough people ask me about it that I figured I should write about this. The Bacon Chocolate Bar is exactly what it sounds like - a chocolate bar with bits of bacon in it. I'm a fan of salty-sweet combinations, so it's probably no surprise that I like this. Still, despite the bacon in the bar, it's not as good as Fran's Gray & Smoked Salt Caramels if you're looking for a salty/chocolately treat (and you should be.)
Bacon Salt
I have not yet had this product, which the maker describes as "a zero calorie, vegetarian, kosher certified seasoning salt that makes everything taste like real bacon." Why eat anything else that just tastes like bacon, if you can have real bacon? I'll get around to trying this thing sometime if I ever run out of bacon. On the other hand, the notion of bacon fries or bacon popcorn does sound pretty appealing.
Bacon Scented Bacon Print Tuxedo
Oh yes, for only $99, you can be the proud owner of this stylish tuxedo that will pleasure the ladies by both sight and smell. (No, that's not me or anyone I know in the photo. Really.)
Congrats to Taylor Shellfish! Their Totten Virginicas won the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association contest for the best-tasting oyster. I don't know the politics of oysters, but I'm guessing that a West Coast oyster winning in the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association contest is probably big upset. Of course, they can claim some solace. The Virginicas, as you might guess from the name, are originally an East Coast oyster, transplanted to Puget Sound. These Virginicas were grown in Totten Inlet at the southern end of Puget Sound and get much of their flavor from the water they were raised in.
I'm sure these would be lovely with one of the winners of the 2008 Oyster Wine Contest. Mmm...
Here's the press release for your enjoyment:
April 30, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jon Rowley 206-963-5959
“TOTTEN INLET VIRGINICA” FROM PUGET SOUND JUDGED BEST TASTING OYSTER AT EAST COAST SHELLFISH GROWER’S ASSN. FIRST ANNUAL INVITATIONAL OYSTER CHALLENGE IN R.I.
PROVIDENCE. R.I.: “Oyster growers are fiercely fiercely competitive and every grower is convinced their oyster is the best’, says Bob Rheault, President of the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association. To settle the issue of which East Coast oyster (Crasssostrea virginica) tastes best, the ECSGA and the National Shellfisheries Association asked growers to submit their finest to the First Annual Invitational Oyster Challenge, held in Provincetown, Rhode Island April 7 where 19 varieties from three coasts went head to head in a blind tasting judged by a celebrity panel of some of the country’s most discriminating oyster palates.
While the oysters were judged on a number of characteristics and the Island Creek from Duxbury, Massachusetts came in first overall, when it came to taste, it was an oyster from Washington state, the Totten Inlet Virginica, that prevailed. “Some of our customers have been telling us we have the best tasting oyster”, says Taylor Shellfish Farms President Bill Taylor, “but we are thrilled to have it verified like this by such an esteemed tasting panel.”
“I'd always known they were good, but tasting blind against so many others was really eye-opening’’ enthused Rowan Jacobsen, one of the Challenge celebrity judges and author of The Geography of Oysters. “You don't usually see all of that fruitiness and body in a virginica. To me, the superiority of the Totten’s flavor was stunning.”
“Plump and juicy, with a crisp flavor and a good amount of brine, it is a real oyster lover’s oyster”, says judge Sandy Ingber, Executive Chef of the New York’s legendary Grand Central Oyster Bar. “It is one of our top-selling oysters; I sell 2300 a week.”
Because flavor characteristics are derived from the waters they grow in, oysters on the half shell are traditionally marketed by the name of their growing location. Most restaurants serving oysters carry several varieties; some as many as 30. All of the oysters were sent to Brown University where they will be tested for salts, minerals and metals. “I’m really trying to understand why some oysters taste rich and full bodied while others have a thin finish dominated by salt”, says Rheault who also grows Moonstone oysters in Narragansett, RI.
Totten Inlet Virginicas get their start in Taylor’s Quilcene, WA hatchery from brood stock descended from Eastern oysters brought to Washington State from the East Coast by train nearly a century ago. When thumbnail-sized, they are placed in nutrient-rich Totten Inlet in South Puget Sound where it takes 2 to 4 years to reach Taylor’s 3 ¼ inch minimum size “when they just taste better”, says Taylor.
Detailed information on the oysters, the judges and the judging can be found at ECSGA.org or by contacting Bob Rheault 401-783-1360 [email protected]. For information on Taylor Shellfish Farms visit www.taylorshellfish.com.
THE OYSTERS (alphabetically):
13 Mile Brand – Apalachicola Bay, FL.
Camanada Bay Oysters – Camanada Bay, LA.
Cape May Salts – Delaware Bay, NJ.
Island Creek Oysters® – Duxbury Bay, MA.
Katama Bay Oysters – Martha's Vineyard, MA.
Matunuck Oysters – Potters Pond, Wakefield, RI.,
May River Select – Bluffton, SC.
Moonstone Oysters® – Narragansett, RI.
Mystic Oysters – Mystic CT.
New Point "Comforts"® – New Point, VA.
Ninigret Cups – Charlestown Pond, RI.
Pemaquid Oysters® – Damariscotta River, ME.
Rappahannock River OystersTM – Rappahannock River, VA.
Saddle Rocks® – Long Island Sound, NY.
Snow Hill Oysters – Chincoteague Bay, MD.
Sweet Petites – Katama Bay, Martha's Vineyard, MA.
Toby Island Bay Oysters – Chincoteague Bay, VA.
Totten Inlet Virgincas – Totten Inlet, WA.
Watch Hill Oyster® – Winnapaug Pond, RI.
THE JUDGES:
Mallory Bufford, Executive Chef, Black’s Bar & Kitchen, Bethesda, MD
David Carrier, Chef/Owner, Avenue Sea Restaurant, Apalachicola, FL.
Kurt Freisland, Buyer, J. J. McDonalds, Jessup, MD
Max Harvey, Seafood Buyer, Jasper White’s Summer Shack, Boston
Peter Hoffman, Chef/Owner, Savoy Restaurant and Back Forty, New York
Sandy Ingber, Executive Chef, Grand Central Oyster Bar, New York
Rowan Jacobsen, author, The Geography of Oysters
Rob Klink, Executive Chef, Oceanaire Seafood Room, Baltimore, MD
Maureen Pothier, College of the Culinary Arts, Johnson & Wales University
Bruce Sherman, Chef/Partner, North Pond Restaurant, Chicago
As I mentioned last year, every year, Taylor Shellfish sponsors the Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition to find the best wines to pair with oysters. Here are this year's winners:
* Prior Oyster Award Winner ** Multiple prior Oyster Awards
If my experience with the winners is any indication, these will all be relatively inexpensive and delicious with oysters. It's a bit late in the season for the best oysters, but if you hurry, you may be able to get some good ones still. I'm sure they'll still be lovely with these good wines (or whisky)
Thought this was funny, but of course, bacon increases my overall health...
We just had the Whole Foods branded Black Forest Bacon for breakfast this morning. Yum. It was meaty with just enough fat to be scrumptious and had a hint of sweet smoke.
You can find this treat in the meat case at Whole Foods. You'll probably see me in line at the Bellevue store getting more...
Oh, baby. I can't believe I hadn't thought of this before...
From Breakfast Blogger
Do-it-yourself instructions on Instructables
Regular readers know that I have a special part of my heart (and my waistline) reserved for bacon. I've written about the world's best way to cook bacon, linked to bacon humor, and even had my son aspire to bacon art.
However, I haven't written much about great bacons yet. My friend Chooky describes the best of something as "the bacon of xxx" (like his posts on the "bacon of yogurt" or the "bacon of pens".) This lead me to wonder what the "bacon of bacon" is.
Since I seem to inhale any bacon in front me too quickly for a thoughtful taste test, I turned to Cooks Illustrated, my favorite food magazine ever. They're the Consumer Reports of food. They'll test a hundred variations of a recipe to get it right; they also compare brands of foods and tools and give you the low-down. Their stuff is almost always gold. (They're also known as America's Test Kitchen on TV and in some cookbooks.)
Cooks Illustrated did two taste tests for bacons, one for supermarket brands and another for premium brands. (Note, CI requires a subscription to get to this content; they have a free 14-day trial offer though.) The winner of the supermarket brand is Farmland Hickory Smoked Bacon, topping stalwart brands like Boar's Head, Hormel Black Label (which I had yesterday morning and thought was lovely), Armour, and Oscar Mayer. Tasters described it as "meaty", "full-flavored", and "crispy, yet hearty".
On the premium side, Niman Ranch Dry Cured Center Cut Bacon won the day (I mentioned Niman Ranch in my post on cooking bacon.) Here's their description:
Niman Ranch Dry Cured Center Cut Bacon
Oakland, California
$8 for 12 ounces
Tasters found this bacon hearty, rich, balanced, and smoky. One taster said, "Yum . . . what bacon should be."
This is our "house bacon" whenever we can swing by Trader Joes.
One note for the organic, free-range, no-preservative crowd: CI observed in their reviews that nitrate-free bacons did not fare well. Turns out that people are used to the color and taste of nitrate in their bacon, so it doesn't taste right when the nitrates aren't there. This is consistent with a taste test we did between corned beefs a few St. Patricks' Days ago. We ordered a nitrate-free corned beef that was excellent except that everyone liked the regular supermarket one better. The nitrate-free corned beef was grey instead of the familiar red and missing the tang that we've come to associate with corned beef.
CI also noted that there is a visible variation in meat-to-fat ratio between different packages of bacon. This seems obvious since bacon is a natural product (well, it starts off natural anyway and then becomes ethereal). It's worth a few extra seconds in the store to pick your package of bacon carefully, just like you would pick out good apples.
So, go give these brands a whirl and let me know what you think. Of course, as CI notes, "Bad bacon is something of an oxymoron."
