Bacon: Do the cals include the fat?

gringuitica

Does anyone know if bacon cals include the fat that cooks off? In other words, if the database indicates that 100g of bacon has 300 calories (I get mine from a butcher, so no package info) can I cook the bacon, remove from pan, and then cook something in the remaining grease for 300 cals (+ the something); or do the 300 cals only cover my bacon and the grease should be logged separately? Thanks.

bugaha1

Meat should be weighed raw unless otherwise stated (as is often the case with bacon).

CapeCodSheila

I apologize for being the bearer of bad news, but the calories in bacon are per slice. Bacon fat is definitely not a freebie. I just looked it up and it's 39 cals for one teaspoon.

gringuitica

Hmm, not sure if I made myself clear. I'm weighing uncooked raw bacon. Just looked it up, and the USDA calculates 417 cals per 100g. That does include the fat, right? Because the nutrition facts are for 100 uncooked grams, which clearly include the fat... Or no?

stillnot2late

Its funny I was thinking of this just yesterday. I always count the dripping as half a teaspoon of fat if I use it to cook my eggs. seems like I am counting the fat twice.

billsica

bacon fat and bacon meat are two separate things.

You would need to cut the lean bacon meat off of the fat per-cooking. Weigh both separately and solve for x, were x is calories.

Or just kinda go with weight bacon pre-cook and don't count the grease.

cwolfman13

Most packages of bacon I've ever seen say something like, "serving size 15 grams (2 cooked slices)"...usually around 70 calories. I have no idea if the usda means cooked or uncooked, but 100 grams of bacon is a lot of bacon...when can I be over?

And yes...bacon has a lot of fat, so that fat would have to be taken into account when giving an accurate estimate of calories in 100 grams of bacon.

brraanndi

No, USDA lists the grease seperately under "Pork Bacon, Rendered Fat"

You are just counting the bacon and fat would be a seperate calorie add.

SuffolkSally

There are entries in the database for different fat levels, like lean, extra trimmed, etc. If you use one reflecting the fat present in your raw bacon, then if you reuse it I wouldn't count it again.

cwolfman13

Its funny I was thinking of this just yesterday. I always count the dripping as half a teaspoon of fat if I use it to cook my eggs. seems like I am counting the fat twice.

look at the back of your bacon package...it will usually say "cooked"...which means some allowance is made for drippings that will inevitably be cooked off.

susannamarie

In raw bacon I can't see how they'd list the grease separately.

I mean yes, there's an entry for the rendered-off fat, but that doesn't mean the entry doesn't include the fat -- just like the fact that there's an entry for skim milk doesn't mean that the entry for whole milk doesn't include the cream.

ETA: Of course if you are using an entry for cooked bacon you would not include it, but the OP said using entry for raw.

gringuitica

Thanks, all. I buy from a butcher, so no package to get my nutrition facts. 100 g of this bacon us four slices; I generally eat two though. 100g is just how it shows up in the database.

stillnot2late

Its funny I was thinking of this just yesterday. I always count the dripping as half a teaspoon of fat if I use it to cook my eggs. seems like I am counting the fat twice.

look at the back of your bacon package...it will usually say "cooked"...which means some allowance is made for drippings that will inevitably be cooked off.

thanks. I hate it when packages mean "raw" cause we don't eat raw meat!!

snookumss

if it says raw, it includes the fat.

SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish

It should include the fat, yes, so if you cook with bacon grease that *ONLY YOU* ate, you dont have to add anything else. I wouldnt subtract any calories for the bacon fat coming off when eating the bacon in any case because well...tell me exactly the weight of the fat that came off??? No way are most people ever going to weigh this greasy mess on a scale, plus its time consuming.

lainie644

To my knowledge the calories in meat are measured for uncooked meat. The fat calories are included in the total calorie count. Therefore, the calories will be reduced when the fat is drained off. To what extent, it is hard to calculate.

SapiensPisces

The USDA database indicates the calorie intake is for raw uncooked pork:

http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2649

ksuh999

I know it's sorta heresy but this is why I buy precooked bacon.

jayrudq

Yep it includes the fat. Which most of us pour off and discard. No dis to those who use it...

I go by Kirkland Brand Cooked Sliced Bacon. It is 80 calories for two very average sized pieces of bacon. It is probably a bit less, because I really pat the crap out of it getting rid of the fat. I think you are going to need to guesstimate the real calorie count.

Edit re: ^^^ Heresy! No way, LOVE cooked bacon. What could be easier? I think it is great.

gringuitica

Thanks again. I've been googling, and it looks like the grease cals are included in the USDA's data, which equals out to about 100 total cals per raw slice.

cwolfman13

Its funny I was thinking of this just yesterday. I always count the dripping as half a teaspoon of fat if I use it to cook my eggs. seems like I am counting the fat twice.

look at the back of your bacon package...it will usually say "cooked"...which means some allowance is made for drippings that will inevitably be cooked off.

thanks. I hate it when packages mean "raw" cause we don't eat raw meat!!

Ah...but, most meats are raw weight. I think it's just that bacon is so fatty that they have to give you a cooked weight because so much fat is lost...I don't know, just spit balling here...pulling stuff out of my *kitten* basically...But with, chicken breast for example, you're primarily going to lose some water when you cook it which isn't going to make a substantial difference in calorie content...but if you weighed it after cooking you could easily be missing out on a couple ounces of awesome chicken with little to no impact on calorie content...

At any rate, it's all an estimate...just eat the bacons and don't over-think it.

astronomicals

Thanks again. I've been googling, and it looks like the grease cals are included in the USDA's data, which equals out to about 100 total cals per raw slice.

this seems more realistic

I save bacon grease for cooking and 10 slices of delicious nueskes bacon yields over half a cup of grease...

math time

8T=1/2C

1Tgrease=~126cals (14G*9cal)

126*8= ~1000calories

so the run off grease of my 10 slices of bacon is 1000 calories... Listed at 60 cals a slice (delicious thick Nueske's bacon) the bacon is supposedly only 600cals.. Not to mention there is still some fat on the bacon... It seems pretty obvious to me that the grease is NOT included.

Theres no arguing with that huge discrepancy in numbers... Any other opinion is wrong.

ETA: It should go without saying, that when I cook with this grease, i count the calories.

susannamarie

Thanks again. I've been googling, and it looks like the grease cals are included in the USDA's data, which equals out to about 100 total cals per raw slice.

this seems more realistic

I save bacon grease for cooking and 10 slices of delicious nueskes bacon yields over half a cup of grease...

math time

8T=1/2C

1Tgrease=~126cals (14G*9cal)

126*8= ~1000calories

so the run off grease of my 10 slices of bacon is 1000 calories... Listed at 60 cals a slice (delicious thick Nueske's bacon) the bacon is supposedly only 600cals.. Not to mention there is still some fat on the bacon... It seems pretty obvious to me that the grease is NOT included.

Theres no arguing with that huge discrepancy in numbers... Any other opinion is wrong.

ETA: It should go without saying, that when I cook with this grease, i count the calories.

Your math is pretty good. Here's the value I found for thick-sliced raw bacon -- you can see it's about 170 calories/slice.
http://www.fitwatch.com/phpscripts/viewfood.php?ndb_no=10123&descr=Pork, cured, bacon, raw

Your estimate of 100 cal/slice in rendered grease and 60 (from the package) post-cooking seems pretty close.

Obviously if you are using the 60 cal/slice from the package you should track the fat separately. However, I think the OP was asking about tracking using the number for raw bacon, which is *not* 60 cal/slice for thick sliced.

ksuh999

Yep it includes the fat. Which most of us pour off and discard. No dis to those who use it...

I go by Kirkland Brand Cooked Sliced Bacon. It is 80 calories for two very average sized pieces of bacon. It is probably a bit less, because I really pat the crap out of it getting rid of the fat. I think you are going to need to guesstimate the real calorie count.

Edit re: ^^^ Heresy! No way, LOVE cooked bacon. What could be easier? I think it is great.

I'm glad someone else besides me likes it I find it tastes just the same as cooking at home, so I figure why bother making a huge mess if I don't have to?

kapntoad

I know this is late, but I just found this:

Under the mandatory labeling requirements, nutrition
information, with few exceptions, must be presented on an
“as purchased or packaged” basis... The USDA has also
granted exceptions for bacon and fresh pork sausage which
allow these products to be labeled on an ”as consumed”as
opposed to an “as packaged” basis (based on a certain percent
shrinkage in the cooking process).

So the nutrition information on the package already excludes the fat and calories which render during cooking.

lynn_glenmont

gringuitica wrote: »

Hmm, not sure if I made myself clear. I'm weighing uncooked raw bacon. Just looked it up, and the USDA calculates 417 cals per 100g. That does include the fat, right? Because the nutrition facts are for 100 uncooked grams, which clearly include the fat... Or no?

Yes, that entry is for unprepared (i.e., uncooked) bacon, so it includes the fat. ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2632?manu=&fgcd=

Bookworm1860

If you dig through the database far enough you'll find entries for cooked & drained, calorie and fat counts will be significantly lower than the "plain" uncooked entries. It's still rather subjective since we all cook it to a different crispiness rendering different amounts of fat out. Ditto for sausage and ground meats/

ktekc

I know when I cooked a pound of bacon for a soup I was making I ended up with 4 oz when it was done I used the cooked entry and 4oz. instead of raw and 1 pound.

judydixon98

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/pork-products/2208/2
Pork, cured, bacon, raw
1 oz 28 grams
Calorie Information
Amounts Per Selected Serving%DV
Calories128(536 kJ)6%
From Carbohydrate0.6(2.5 kJ)
From Fat114(477 kJ)
From Protein13.9(58.2 kJ)
From Alcohol0.0(0.0 kJ)


Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/pork-products/2208/2#ixzz4h9FNvt19