Bacon: Do the cals include the fat?

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gringuitica
gringuitica Posts: 168 Member
in Food and Nutrition
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.
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Replies

  • bugaha1
    bugaha1 Posts: 602 Member
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    Meat should be weighed raw unless otherwise stated (as is often the case with bacon).
  • CapeCodSheila
    CapeCodSheila Posts: 40 Member
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    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
    gringuitica Posts: 168 Member
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    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
    stillnot2late Posts: 385 Member
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    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
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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    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
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    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
    brraanndi Posts: 325 Member
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    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
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    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
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    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
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    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
    gringuitica Posts: 168 Member
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    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
    stillnot2late Posts: 385 Member
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    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!! :wink:
  • snookumss
    snookumss Posts: 1,451 Member
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    if it says raw, it includes the fat.
  • SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish
    SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish Posts: 831 Member
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    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
    lainie644 Posts: 19 Member
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    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
    SapiensPisces Posts: 992 Member
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    The USDA database indicates the calorie intake is for raw uncooked pork:

    http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2649
  • ksuh999
    ksuh999 Posts: 543 Member
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    I know it's sorta heresy but this is why I buy precooked bacon.
  • jayrudq
    jayrudq Posts: 475 Member
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    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
    gringuitica Posts: 168 Member
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    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
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    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!! :wink:

    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.

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