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Precooked no way to bring home bacon

By KATHY SAUNDERS
Published October 12, 2005

When my son wouldn't eat any meat, he would eat bacon. That is, if it was served at a restaurant.

Apparently, watching mom cook the bacon in an ancient cast-iron pan and then clean up the grease killed his appetite.

When we spotted fully cooked bacon in the supermarket, it seemed like the ideal solution: no grease, no messy pans and ready in an instant.

Unfortunately, precooked bacon wouldn't satisfy my son or Taster's Choice panelists. We sampled seven varieties and decided they went from bad to worse.

Taster's Choice cooked each brand in the microwave, according to the package directions. We found that some required more cooking before they were ready to eat.

Only one sample, Sam's Choice from Wal-Mart ($2.24), received praise from the panelists, earning 55 of 80 points.

The Wal-Mart brand had a satisfying crunch and it wasn't too chewy. Some brands were more like jerky.

"This one has really good flavor and it tastes like it's pan fried," said one judge. "It made me miss the eggs."

All four panelists said they would buy Sam's Choice.

One panelist thought the ridges in the strips made them look home cooked. Others detected a hint of smoke in the flavor.

Hormel ($3.39) was the second choice with 51 points. The brand was noted for its color and smoky smell. It also was very crispy.

One judge said he would not buy Hormel because it was tough.

Most of the judges said they would buy the top three choices, but probably to put in sandwiches or on salads rather than alongside eggs. Several brands were stringy or leathery. Some samples looked like the fake bacon in a toddler's play kitchen.

Also sampled were Publix ($4.09), Eckrich ($4.09), Jimmy Dean ($3.09) and Tyson ($3.29).

Panelists were: Monique Massaro of Pepin Restaurant; Gary Kawalec, chef-owner of Supper Club, a make-and-take meal assembly business soon to open in Safety Harbor; personal chef Julie Overton; and Bob Devin Jones, artistic director of Studioat620 in St. Petersburg. All products were tasted blind.

- Send suggestions for product testing to Taste section, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail them to krieta@sptimes.com Please put TEST SUGGESTION in the subject line. To read past Taster's Choice columns, go to www.sptimes.com/food

No. 1: Sam's Choice, Wal-Mart.

No. 2: Hormel.

No. 3: Oscar Mayer.

[Last modified October 11, 2005, 09:36:05]