To Boil Bacon
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Soak the bacon in cold water for 1 hour.
Scrape and wash the bacon well.
Boil
Cover the bacon with cold water in a pot.
Heat the water slowly until it boils.
Remove any scum that forms on the surface.
Cook until a fork easily penetrates the bacon.
Finish
Lift the bacon out, remove the skin, and top with bread crumbs or grated toasted crust.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Bacon
- Highly salted and dried, it is the main flavour and is softened by boiling to reduce its saltiness.
- Bread crumbs or toasted hard crust
- Adds a dry, toasted crumb texture that contrasts with the soft, moist meat.
The step that matters
Heat the water slowly until it boils. Gentle heating lets scum rise to the surface where it can be removed, and a slow start helps keep the meat tender rather than tough and stringy.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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