Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I know next to nothing about cooking, I just try to get the most calories/nutrition for as little cost and time effort as possible (within a paleo framework obviously)

I like to cook bacon in the oven, with a layer of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet. Then I put plantains in the bacon grease and bake them.I put the layer of aluminum foil because of potential chemical issues with the cookie sheet getting in the food and also they can be hard to clean of bacon/plantain mess. Although it doesn't seem so hard compared to scrubbing my crockpot....But now I'm worried about metals from the aluminum foil.

Thoughts on the best way to cook this? Maybe like some kind of cast iron deal seasoned with the bacon grease?

Are the aluminum foil concerns legit?

flag	asked Oct 20 at 1:15 Kyle 1,639●3●15

I've wondered the same thing... – judybot Oct 20 at 1:45

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you are doing it right; this is really the easiest (and best) way to cook bacon. – bj Oct 20 at 21:34

PinkPika · Answer 1 · 2012-10-20 03:04:50Z UTC

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I LOVE cooking bacon in the oven! No greasy smell all over my clothing. No splattering mess. But I use a rimmed baking stone. It is ideal for cooking bacon, and it is also the ideal way to season the baking stone. The rimmed baking stones (called "stoneware bar pans") are a must for keeping in the fat, which would otherwise drip off of a stone without a rim (like a pizza stone, that is flat) and cause a fire. And after cooking the bacon, it is easy to pour the drippings into a jar straight from the pan.

Stoneware is totally safe to use. I cook almost exclusively with stoneware and cast iron.

answered Oct 20 at 3:04

PinkPika
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Nice, didn't know about this cooking utensil either. How many pieces can you fit on? I have a tendency to cook about 8 slices at once. – Kyle Oct 20 at 12:53

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I buy really thick, applewood smoked bacon (meaning, there are less in the package). I fit 14 pieces side by side, alternating direction to make them fit better. I also just measured the stoneware bar pan for you, and it is 9"x12", with a nother half inch on the two sides as handles. – PinkPika Oct 20 at 17:18

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If that is too big for your needs, the stoneware bar pans come in two smaller sizes, as well. – PinkPika Oct 20 at 17:19

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Super easy to clean! I checked out your potential one on Amazon, it looks good. That is what they look like brand new. They start getting more brown with each use, and after a year or so of consistent use, it will be almost black, with a smooth patina, and the fats will have polymerized into basically a nonstick coating. To clean/wash, treat it exactly like cast iron. Use a plastic scraper to get off the big stuff, then rinse it out and (with stoneware at least) you can let it air dry. I just put it straight back into the oven. I store my pizza stone on the bottom rack in the oven, and... – PinkPika Oct 21 at 15:01

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Thanks! Got one on the way – Kyle Oct 22 at 23:22

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Christopher Gagnon · Answer 2 · 2012-10-20 12:29:19Z UTC

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I like the oven method best because it requires no attention, and I never burn it. I also like how the bacon browns evenly and doesn't curl up the way it can in a pan on the stove. Finally, the bacon grease always seems cleaner, lighter, and more free of very darkly browned particles.

But I like baking parchment better than foil. Nothing sticks to it, and cleanup seems just as easy. You find it in the same aisle as foil. I'm not sure if parchment has any hazards of its own, but haven't found any persuasive arguments against it (so far).

answered Oct 20 at 12:29

Christopher Gagnon
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Never tried the parchment, if its a safer alternative I definitely will! Don't even know what it is TBH. I suck at cooking. – Kyle Oct 20 at 12:52

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You'll get better with experience, just like all of us! Parchment is paper impregnated with silicone (and who knows what else) so nothing sticks to it, and it doesn't burn in the oven. As I said, I'm not sure if there are hazards lurking, but I haven't found any evidence yet. It's supposed to be heat-safe up to something like 450 degrees, which is generally hotter than most things you put in the oven. And the shit is amazing--I mean, literally, NOTHING sticks to it. It's slippery to handle, it won't even stick to your wet or oily skin. Give it a try. – Christopher Gagnon Oct 21 at 23:55

It's on the list for my next trip to the store, thanks! – Kyle Oct 22 at 23:23

Priscilla · Answer 3 · 2012-10-20 01:37:18Z UTC

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I cook bacon and vegetables in a shallow glass pyrex. I don't really have an issue with cleaning them - soaking the pyrex overnight is the most it takes.

answered Oct 20 at 1:37

Priscilla
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See I don't even know what pyrex is. Thanks for the tip. Upon googling it looks like some kind of glass? Does seem like that would be easy to clean, I guess its safe to cook with as far as chemicals in food and oven safe... Great idea. I'd have to get a really large one to fit all the bacon I can on a pan I guess – Kyle Oct 20 at 1:48

Yes, it's glass. – Priscilla Oct 20 at 14:20

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Glass is great to bake with as well, as it browns nicely and evenly (not that we do much baking on Paleo anymore). Another advantage to glass is that it goes easily from fridge to microwave to oven to dishwasher. – PinkPika Oct 20 at 17:28

JayJay · Answer 4 · 2012-10-20 02:57:18Z UTC

I have a large griddle. I literally leave all the grease from the bacon and such that I cook on the thing for whatever I'm cooking next (eggs, veggies, hashbrowns...whatever). Yes I do this for days on end. I do the same with my burger fat too. Saves a ton on the butter bill ;). Never clean the thing either except to scrape the protein off once in a while. I use my griddle for darn near everything. Between that, crock pot, and my grill thats all I need. Can't even remember the last time I used the oven.

JeJ · Answer 5 · 2012-10-20 20:53:51Z UTC

For a long term solution for other cookie-sheet items, I love silicon cookie sheet liners, or sil-pat liners. They are totally non-toxic and non-stick. I've had mine for a few years, and use them for everything. When cooking bacon for a crowd, I do it in the oven. Afterwards, I collect the bacon fat and then let the sheet cool. I take a little scraping tool, or any flat object with an edge, and scrape down the sheets. Soak them in a bit of soapy water while you do the dishes, and done.

margarets · Answer 6 · 2012-10-20 01:33:21Z UTC

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I cook bacon in a cast iron skillet all the time, including tonight! It's my understanding that cast iron pots and pans are fine, at most you might get some iron in your food, but a safe healthy amount. It would probably be less hassle than doing bacon and plantains in the oven, since it much easier to clean splatters off a stovetop than from inside an oven. (I recommend getting a splatter screen anyway.)

answered Oct 20 at 1:33

margarets
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I'm about to save you days of your life: Try cooking bacon in the oven and see how much easier it is! If aluminum foil safe it's so much easier to layer up a cookie sheet and bake it. No flipping, no splatters on you, no cooking only a few pieces at a time. Bacon Heaven. Cooks really well and evenly too – Kyle Oct 20 at 1:46

But it's a lot harder to clean the oven. Also, why are you now recommending the aluminium foil when you started by asking if it is safe? – margarets Oct 20 at 3:03

The bacon leaves no mess in the oven, though. I just chills on the sheet and sizzles quietly in its own grease; no splattering, therefore no oven cleaning. :) – Sami Oct 20 at 3:44

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Totally agree with Sami and Kyle - there is NO splattering in the oven, it just gently cooks away without popping or splattering. AND THE MOST IMPORTANT PART THAT I LOVE: the bacon stays FLAT! It does not curl up around the edges, it is nice and flat. – PinkPika Oct 20 at 17:30

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I'm sure that its possible/probable that some grease at some point in time gets off the pan. It just doesn't happen in any sort of large quantities like it does in the skillet. Still waiting to notice some sort of accumulation in my oven... there is nothing happening that would necessitate non-regular cleaning. – Kyle Oct 21 at 3:03

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CD · Answer 7 · 2012-10-20 19:58:02Z UTC

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Drop the cookie sheets and aluminum foil. You will never need to use them.

Get yourself a high quality cast iron skillet (or two. Pay for a decent one, it will last you forever). Season it appropriately -- http://nomnompaleo.com/post/24798115724/how-to-season-care-for-cast-iron-skillets. And you are good for your bacon baking!

Other options are: a good set of ceramic/porcelain casseroles; Glass casseroles (cheaper, but I personally don't like)

Kind of off topic, but in my opinion, buy good quality cook and bake ware. They seem opposing at first, but they will last forever. In fact I have my grandmother's cast iron skillets which are over 50 years old, and they are still in pristine condition.

answered Oct 20 at 19:58

CD
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	Not trying to be a jerk, but we already discussed why a skillet sucks! Too time consuming too much work the oven is way easier to cook bacon IMO. Cooking it in a skillet ignores the time/effort part of the equation. Why are glass worse than porceliain/ceramic? Just curious, never used any of those in the oven. – Kyle Oct 21 at 2:59
	Let me explain this real slow so you will get it. Cast iron skillets can be put in the oven. You can bake a cast iron skillet in the oven. You can put bacon on a cast iron skillet, and then place the skillet into an oven to bake. – CD Oct 21 at 13:06
	Ceramic and porcelain have better heat retention – CD Oct 21 at 13:07
	And how many pieces of bacon does your cast iron skillet hold? I've got a 10 inch and can fit half as much as I can fit on a pan. And pans fit in the oven and go in and out of the oven way easier. – Kyle Oct 22 at 23:29
	Also there's no reason to act like a jerk and insinuate that I am stupid. 99%+ of the time a skillet is used it is used on the stovetop. Combine that with the logic that it seems silly (not to mention is inefficient) to put something like that in the oven for bacon, and I certainly did not give off stupidity to assume you meant the stovetop. Especially since you did not specifically mention putting it in the oven which is an unusual use for a skillet (for most people today). – Kyle Oct 22 at 23:37

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