More Adventures in Cooking.

[rabidsamfan]

Decided to try baking bacon, ala the cookingforengineers method of a very low (200F) slow oven, and couldn't see having the oven on for just that, so I threw in some unpeeled corn on the cob, potatoes, and an apple. All just about noon. Just had one of the ears of corn and it was very nice. Going to give it another fifteen and try a second one, because it could have been a bit hotter, but the taste was marvelous, and unlike corn in the microwave, I didn't burn myself trying to de-husk or de-string the cob. The potatoes are still hard and the apple is not quite soft enough yet...

But the corn, very nice after an hour and fifteen.

ETA: Corn even nicer after 2 and half hours, if you like it more soft than crunchy. I can see the low slow oven technique being useful in a big family gathering when you want to keep a lot of things warming in the oven and still have a few corners to spare.

Comments

[shirebound]

I've never even thought of microwaving corn on the cob!

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

It's a pretty fast way to get hot corn. But it's very hot! I just make sure it's moist and stick it in the oven and then zap it for 2 to 4 minutes. And unpeeled, although I've seen recipes that do peel it first.

[semyaza.livejournal.com]

I husk it, rinse it off, and bung it in the microwave for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. I was surprised that it would work unhusked, but it does.

[semyaza.livejournal.com]

I guess that should be de-husked.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Un-husked, de-husked, husky, whatever... It's the moisture that works in the microwave, right?

I'll have to try it without a wrapper next time I try it.

[semyaza.livejournal.com]

I assume it's the moisture. We used to wrap it in cling film (bad), which keeps the moisture in, although I always rinsed it first. When I started to cook it naked, I rinsed it to give it a little extra help. It works perfectly and it cools down faster than when it's wrapped.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

AFAIK microwaves work by boiling bits of water inside food. Plastic wrap isn't bad per-se (at least not if it's labelled microwave safe so there are no dioxins) but I'm trying to cut my plastic use/consumption/trash so I don't bother. When you've got it in the husk you can either go straight in the microwave or run water over it first, or if you prefer, peel down the sides and de-string it, then pull the sides back up while the cob cooks.

I like keeping it in the husk, and these days I don't bother to cut off the stem either. Husk and stem together make a nice handle for eating.

[semyaza.livejournal.com]

I use microwave-safe film, but they say that no film should be in direct contact with food. I've stopped using plastic wrap anyway because it's not necessary.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I have a little dome thingy I put over the plate in the microwave and that keeps the walls clean. I was never happy about putting plastic wrap or paper in there anyway.

[shirebound]

peel down the sides and de-string it, then pull the sides back up while the cob cooks

That's a great tip.

[shirebound]

Hi, RSF. I seem to have... written a 400-word Harry Potter h/c ficlet. Would you possibly be willing to look it over before I post it anywhere so I don't completely humiliate myself with a dozen canon mistakes? Please say "no" if you'd rather not. I'm a bit stunned by this development, as you can well imagine, and am walking around in a daze...

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

Yum! That sounds tasty, especially the apple! ;-)

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

It was very nice. I should have been more aggressive about coring before I started, because going around the seed core with my spoon was a nuisance, but the apple was very tasty, even without cinnamon.

I love it when experiments work!

[surgicalsteel.livejournal.com]

That all sounds really tasty!

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

It wasn't half bad, actually.

[dreamflower]

So, how long did the *bacon* take, and how was it? I've cooked bacon in the oven before, but either a very hot baking temp--like say 450, or under the broiler--never thought about a slow oven! Is is more/less greasy that way?

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I let the bacon go for three hours, and I think I didn't get the technique exactly right, because I had it on a broiling pan and he said a rack. So it didn't all get as crispy as I like it, and it didn't brown as much. On the upside, the flavor was very subtly nicer than usual. The paper towel didn't get as greasy as usual, but I did use one. I can't compare it to a hot oven because I haven't tried that yet.

I'd say that if I were doing some slow roasting, I'd be happy to have a pan of bacon on the bottom rack like this again. The bacon did come out nice and flat, which is really nice for sandwiches, and I must've liked it, because there wasn't any left to save for tomorrow!

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Err... I didn't use a paper towel in the oven, just afterward when I was taking the bacon out.

[dreamflower]

*grin* I did understand, but it's as well to clarify--there *are* those who might not! LOL!

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I tried a slightly warmer oven (250) and a rack instead of a broiling pan, and could deal with the grease from half a pound of bacon with a single paper towel -- without the paper towel getting soaked at all! So a lot less grease if you use a rack. The bacon was nice and crisp too, as well as flat.

And no spattering!

[slipperieslope.livejournal.com]

*am perplexed*

Does it save money to bake that long and low like driving 55? My Mom despised it when a caregiver we had for my grandmother baked the bacon because it made such a mess in the oven. Is added taste the benefit for cooking that long?

LOL

You have stirred the scientist in me!

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Well, I didn't notice any mess in the oven -- no spattering, and all the grease went into the bottom of the broiling pan. If I'd used a rack, I'd have used a deep enough pan under it to catch the grease, and I've seen folks say line it with aluminum foil and there's no mess. But I haven't tried that.

I wanted to cook something low and slow because the apartment was cold and I haven't turned the heat on yet this year, I had some bacon, and I'd read the thing at cookingforengineers a while back and was intrigued. And yes, it did affect the flavor, but I have no idea of whether or not it would save money. It does give me more faith in the idea of using some kind of solar cookery over the course of a day, though, because even with fairly low temps I got good results.

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/3/Bacon-Part-I
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/110/Bacon-Part-II

Slow baking is the last link.