Bacon question
earlnabby
Posts: 8,171 Member
Are the calories given for bacon for cooked or raw? I ask this because the last couple of mornings I have had a breakfast of 2 slices of bacon and 3 oz of hashbrowns, cooked in some of the fat from the bacon. If the bacon calories are raw, I don't have to log extra fat in my diary because it is already in the bacon count. If it is cooked, I will need to add about 2 tsp of fat.
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Replies
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Raw. You are right. You do not have to log the second time.0
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A lot of the liquid that comes out of the rasher when you cook it is water. I wouldn't add extra calories unless you added additional oil to the pan before cooking. Maybe check the pack of bacon against the MFP calories to compare.0
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Are the calories given for bacon for cooked or raw? I ask this because the last couple of mornings I have had a breakfast of 2 slices of bacon and 3 oz of hashbrowns, cooked in some of the fat from the bacon. If the bacon calories are raw, I don't have to log extra fat in my diary because it is already in the bacon count. If it is cooked, I will need to add about 2 tsp of fat.
Depends, if you are using the USDA entry, it is raw.
Unless you're using the cooked entry.
Then all the added ones? It's a crap shoot.0 -
Are the calories given for bacon for cooked or raw? I ask this because the last couple of mornings I have had a breakfast of 2 slices of bacon and 3 oz of hashbrowns, cooked in some of the fat from the bacon. If the bacon calories are raw, I don't have to log extra fat in my diary because it is already in the bacon count. If it is cooked, I will need to add about 2 tsp of fat.
Depends, if you are using the USDA entry, it is raw.
Unless you're using the cooked entry.
Then all the added ones? It's a crap shoot.
I am using the info off the back of the package, which someone else entered into the MFP database since it is a larger (maybe even national) brand.
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On my package of Hormel Black Label Bacon, it shows 90cals for two slices of pan fried bacon.0
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Then it depends on the label.Are the calories given for bacon for cooked or raw? I ask this because the last couple of mornings I have had a breakfast of 2 slices of bacon and 3 oz of hashbrowns, cooked in some of the fat from the bacon. If the bacon calories are raw, I don't have to log extra fat in my diary because it is already in the bacon count. If it is cooked, I will need to add about 2 tsp of fat.
Depends, if you are using the USDA entry, it is raw.
Unless you're using the cooked entry.
Then all the added ones? It's a crap shoot.
I am using the info off the back of the package, which someone else entered into the MFP database since it is a larger (maybe even national) brand.
I've seen some state raw, some state cooked. If cooked, the label will state cooked explicitly, otherwise assume it's raw.
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Here's a great tip I got from a wise MFP'er if you like to use bacon grease for cooking:
Use the "Pork - cured, bacon, raw" database entry (obviously you'll need to weigh raw). Now the bacon grease is automatically logged and you can save and use it "calorie free" for future cooking, as the calories are "pre-accounted".
I mean, don't go nuts and save up a pint of it and eat it with a spoon (ha!). But feel free to then use your drippings for the rest of your meals for the next day or so--your calories are covered.0 -
Boo. I checked the package and it is 80 calories pan fried for 2 slices so I need to add in a little fat. Going forward, I will do the raw one even though the calories are more than double.0
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All of the bacon packages I ever see say the calories are for "pan fried slices".0
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mmmmm BACON. I love to put two crumbled strips of bacon on my salad. It adds so much flavor and is so satisfying. I know it's high fat, but it is a regular part of my diet that works for me.0
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pattyjoshockley wrote: »mmmmm BACON. I love to put two crumbled strips of bacon on my salad. It adds so much flavor and is so satisfying. I know it's high fat, but it is a regular part of my diet that works for me.
^^Well worth the calories, IMHO. Gave turkey bacon a try............once..........not enough of a saving to make the change. The real thing is so much better so I just make it fit into my daily calorie total.
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snowflake930 wrote: »pattyjoshockley wrote: »mmmmm BACON. I love to put two crumbled strips of bacon on my salad. It adds so much flavor and is so satisfying. I know it's high fat, but it is a regular part of my diet that works for me.
^^Well worth the calories, IMHO. Gave turkey bacon a try............once..........not enough of a saving to make the change. The real thing is so much better so I just make it fit into my daily calorie total.
Eww. Turkey "bacon" is nothing of the sort. It really tastes bad. Chemically. Hard to describe. Just eat real bacon and enjoy it.0 -
Bacon tends to be demonized, but if you are able to buy the nitrate-free kind then it's really not bad for you. I actually have a ceramic crock in my fridge that I keep all my bacon fat in so I can make refried beans with it, or add it to homemade gravy for flavor, etc. It's got a stainless steel mesh filter under the lid, so I just drain the pan right into it every time. I got it off of amazon. Highly recommend it!0
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lamb neck bacon is pretty good, but you have to make it yourself.0
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Found this thread trying to figure this out for myself... though this still doesn't really answer the question!
The bacon I use is lower sodium and also claims 'lower' calories. The serving says 60 calories for 2 slices (weight which I can't recall atm) - pan fried. I weighed them raw after cutting them in half and one half slice weighed more than the serving size, so I weighed the whole package and divided it by how many servings it said it had and worked out to exactly two slices per serving according to the raw weight of the one... so I assumed the 'pan fried' part was correct.
I then baked two slices. Weighed the finished product... half the weight of a serving size pan fried weight. So then are the serving sizes assuming pan-frying will take out a certain amount of fat? When I bake them I swear it seems more fat is retained (I just cook them in a flat pan and don't drain off the fat, and they're much more soft and chewy than pan fried), but it weighs less than what the box says a serving size weighs.
So I still have no idea how many calories I actually get eating bacon this way, though I just put it in as one serving.
Same vein: when making breakfast muffins, I cut one slice in half and line the muffin tin with it by making a 'cross' with the two half slices, then put in the egg and bake it. So NO fat is drained off: all of it ends up cooking into the egg -- so is that one slice of bacon more calories than advertised?
Yes I know it sounds obsessive, but I'm just super curious about that, and don't want to be eating too *little* since I eat pretty close to the minimum most days (not worried about it being too much for the same reason -- just really really curious!)
(also actually love turkey bacon, so long as it's not the pre-cooked stuff. Totally different from pig bacon but just as good IMHO. So I have two totally different kinds of bacon cravings)0 -
spoonyspork wrote: »Found this thread trying to figure this out for myself... though this still doesn't really answer the question!
The bacon I use is lower sodium and also claims 'lower' calories. The serving says 60 calories for 2 slices (weight which I can't recall atm) - pan fried. I weighed them raw after cutting them in half and one half slice weighed more than the serving size, so I weighed the whole package and divided it by how many servings it said it had and worked out to exactly two slices per serving according to the raw weight of the one... so I assumed the 'pan fried' part was correct.
I then baked two slices. Weighed the finished product... half the weight of a serving size pan fried weight. So then are the serving sizes assuming pan-frying will take out a certain amount of fat? When I bake them I swear it seems more fat is retained (I just cook them in a flat pan and don't drain off the fat, and they're much more soft and chewy than pan fried), but it weighs less than what the box says a serving size weighs.
So I still have no idea how many calories I actually get eating bacon this way, though I just put it in as one serving.
Same vein: when making breakfast muffins, I cut one slice in half and line the muffin tin with it by making a 'cross' with the two half slices, then put in the egg and bake it. So NO fat is drained off: all of it ends up cooking into the egg -- so is that one slice of bacon more calories than advertised?
Yes I know it sounds obsessive, but I'm just super curious about that, and don't want to be eating too *little* since I eat pretty close to the minimum most days (not worried about it being too much for the same reason -- just really really curious!)
(also actually love turkey bacon, so long as it's not the pre-cooked stuff. Totally different from pig bacon but just as good IMHO. So I have two totally different kinds of bacon cravings)
basically yes, when the serving says "pan fried" they are assuming a certain amount of fat and water is being cooked off. No, this will not be exact because different people like their bacon more crispy than others. The crispier it is, the fewer calories.
If the entire slice is being used with no fat being drained off, look up the "raw" entry in the database and use that. It will be a little more than double the calories of the pan fried entry.
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Mine always says pan fried on it... Plus, the entry for Wright bacon says pan fried too. But just to be safe, I usually add an entry for 1 tbsp of "Animal Fat - Bacon".0
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^right, that's what I assume too... except, when I bake it, it's not at all crispy, yet still weighs WAY less than the box says two pan fried slices should!
I guess I could fry up two slices and find out. Darn: more bacon to eat!
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spoonyspork wrote: »^right, that's what I assume too... except, when I bake it, it's not at all crispy, yet still weighs WAY less than the box says two pan fried slices should!
I guess I could fry up two slices and find out. Darn: more bacon to eat!
I would weigh the bacon before cooking and look up the calories using the database. Look for "Pork - Cured, bacon, raw". There is an entry for 100 g which will let you calculate what you started with. Then weigh it after and see how much weight was lost.
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Mine says pan fried too, which is a major PITA, so I just log the number of slices without weighing it, which I hate doing.0
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Hrm... well in this case, it has lower sodium and is also a 'lean' cut of bacon, so I'd guess it has less calories raw to begin with? There doesn't seem to be an entry (checked usda) for 'lean' bacon though.
(there IS a 'low sodium' one, which is 2g less in weight per slice and therefor slightly fewer calories raw)
Going to have to read some more labels and see what different kinds list as weight for a serving of 'pan-fried' bacon, it seems!
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Only if one does not like lamb, or cured meats.0
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