Bought chunky bacon with high expectations, but they turned pale after cooking?
You are not alone. Anyone while cooking faces such problems.
Contents
Now, how much weight does bacon lose when cooked?
Different pieces of bacon have different weight loss. Generally, one pound of bacon loses three-fourths of its weight once cooked. Bacon loses water and fat while cooking. Which results in the size shrinkage of bacon, also the mass. Adding to that, some calories are also lost.
Well, this was just an overview. To find the exact value, there are a lot of other factors that need consideration. In our article, we’ll go through it.
So ready the pan, spill some oil. Time to fry some bacon without any loss.
How Much Bacon Am I Losing
No matter how you try, there will always be some weight loss. The number can differ based on the type of Bacon you are selecting. So let’s have a look at the loss of weight depending on different types.
Type 1: Streaky Chop
There are many cuts of bacon you may use.
The first one is the streaky bacon slice.
Normally, one regular chop of bacon weighs approximately 16 grams. This reduces to somewhat 5 grams after cooking.
Not only the mass reduction of bacon but also the calorie decreases to some extent. Bacon mostly consists of fat. Once cooked, fat gets cut. So does the calorie.
Type 2: Chop Bacon
It’s possible that you might want to use a chunky piece of bacon instead of a thin slice.
A curvy portion of back bacon consists of a bit more meat than fat. Because of this, the weight loss for back chop bacon comes out to be smaller, around 13 grams of bacon stays out of 32 grams of bacon.
Since weight loss reduces, the calorie also decreases a little.
Type 3: Bulky Piece
Enough slices, let’s speak on pounds.
Generally, if you cook one pound of bacon, only one-fourth of the bacon is what you will have to eat.
This means a calculated value of 0.25 pounds of bacon you can serve to the dish.
Qualities Lost While Loss of Weight in Bacon
After cooking, not only the weight of the bacon is lost. There are other things lost as well. With the loss of weight, bacon loses its length and calories as well.
You might have to use extra cooking cream for your bacon delight. It’s because a piece of pale bacon might lack the appeal needed.
If you are running a restaurant, you might lose customers.
Shrinkage in Size
Does bacon just lose weight? No. Your bacon will lose its size as well. After cooking, a basic slice of bacon loses approximately 57% of its precooked version.
This shrinks out your bacon.
Loss of Fat
Bacon is rich in fat and fat is the power source of bacon. Most of the calories of bacon arrive from fat.
Once you drop the bacon pieces on the pan, the fat starts to melt and gets dissolved. Also, the oil gets extracted as well.
Because of this, many fats get lost from the bacon after cooking. So you’ll find a lesser amount of calories than the package might show you.
Loss of Appeal
Now you bought juicy bacon and you get pale bacon after cooking. That would be pretty disappointing, right?
That’s how the appeal for bacon fades.
Phew! One weight loss led to a lot of loss.
Why Does Bacon Lose Weight?
Now bacon does not lose weight for no reason. There are many faces behind the mask responsible.
Bringing them to justice is a must. If you want to know the reason for weight loss of your food.
Due to Liquids Injected
The first and prime suspect you can consider is water. Mostly bacon gets injected with water. This makes the bacon look fresh, juicy, and appealing.
So, when you fry the bacon, the water dries out. So, the weight you get first is basically, the weight including water.
Truth be told, it’s a business strategy. Normally shops add water with the bacon to add up the mass. This enhances the appearance of the food.
Due to the Fat Present
The fat is also responsible for the shrinkage of bacon. Bacon is filled with fat mostly. This animal fat stays stored in the raw bacon.
Once you fry the bacon, it melts to liquid. In other words, fats get dissolved. As a result, the bacon loses weight and shrinks in size.
Plus the liquid fat might make your pan slip off. More trouble, right?
Due to Overcooking
In the case of weight, overcooking is not an option. If you overcook bacon, it will lose more water as well as fat.
This not only results in weight loss. But also the fat loss results in loss of calories.
Therefore, try to avoid overcooking the bacon.
So, if you see the weight of bacon is fishy, give a look into any of these factors. Keep an eye out for the suspects. To catch them red-handed of course!
4 Ways to Minimize Weight Loss
Losing the weight of bacon is not a good thing. If you don’t want healthy bacon, then it’s high time you took steps.
Although losing weight of bacon is not an easy thing, you can reduce it.
These are some key factors you can rely on.
Use Salt and Water
The best way to cure the weight loss of bacon is to use salt and water. Normally, you can use brine in two ways basically.
Wet Brine
The main concept is, using water with salt. In liquid treatment or curing, the percentage of water is greater than that of salt. Just increase the water level. That’s it!
Dry Brine
It’s kind of the opposite of the liquid one. In dry curing, just increase the amount of salt instead of water. If you want, you can make salt shakers on your own.
Dry brine is a traditional method. Here the salt sucks out the water off the bacon. So, when you fry the bacon, you won’t find much mass difference.
Pick More Meat Than Fat
While choosing the cut for bacon, try to choose the ones that have more meat composition than fat.
So when you fry bacon, the fat loss will decrease, and your bacon will be as heavy as before!
You can use the following bacon if you want. They contain a small amount of fat.
- Bacon of the thick curve
- Bacon cut of butchers
- Bacon medallions
These bacon cuts mostly have meats.
Try Baking
So if you really want to ignore the shrinkage of bacon, the best option is baking bacon in the oven.
Clean the bacon with cold water. Then put it in the oven. Set the temperature, say, about 365 degrees of Fahrenheit. Bake for almost 10 minutes.
Your bacon will be crisp ready without shrinking.
Speaking of oven, check out these oven sellers:
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They are best-sellers right now. Give them a try without spray and pray!
Buy From A Trustworthy Market
Last but not least, choose the right market to buy. Normally markets add water to increase the weight of bacon.
Now you don’t want to fall for this trap, would you?
So, watch out for the shops. Buy from the trusted shops. Check your product while buying. Only then you’ll be able to avoid inferior booby traps.
Ultimately, keep these things in mind. Then you will be able to actually get healthy bacon.
FAQs
Should I clean bacon?
Always clean bacon with water. If possible use water cold as ice. Soak the bacon for around 5 minutes and then dry it with a paper towel. Your bacon will be ready to fry.
Is Bacon and egg healthy if eaten together?
Yes. Eggs are full of protein. Then comes minerals and anti-oxidants. So, an egg is a better option for any breakfast. You can easily eat bacon with egg.
Is bacon available without pork?
You can make bacon without using pork as well. Basically, bacon is a meat feature. So, you can use any type of meat.
Do bacon lose calories if smoked?
Basically the calorie loss is the same as that of cooking bacon. However, if you add spices like maple, salt, or sugar. An increase in calories can be found as well.
Conclusion
That’s it, soldier. Hold your fire. Now you know, how much weight does bacon loses when cooked
Still, if you are confused, have a chat with your butcher.
So, drop your weapon and pack up your things.
It’s time to go home.