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Results so far:
| Regular | 77% | 396 votes | Total: 514 votes | |
| Turkey | 23% | 118 votes |
Regular
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Add to FavoritesMove over turkey bacon; let's chew the fat. Although turkey bacon was an ingenious idea for health conscious dieters, someone forgot to think about flavor. Without a doubt, regular pork bacon tastes a thousand times better than turkey bacon. Let's explore the reasons why.
Turkey bacon looks odd in its package. Instead of a normal bacon color, turkey bacon has a grayish brown color with a hint of pink around the edges. The color is unappetizing and looks like an over processed meat.
Real pork bacon, on the other hand, is a deep red color with flavorful streaks of fat throughout the package. Bacon comes in flavors like hickory smoked or brown sugar. Regular bacon boasts of a juicy, nutty flavor that is so familiar to meat lovers.
Turkey bacon is made from thigh meat which has been processed and ground into strips. Turkey bacon must be fried; it doesn't cook well in the microwave.
Turkey bacon can be baked on parchment paper on a cookie sheet in the oven. Bake at 350 to 375 degrees for ten minutes. The turkey bacon comes out a bit chewy, but otherwise acceptable. Some brands of turkey bacon taste and look better than others. One observer stated that turkey bacon reminded him of a dog treat. I rest my case.
Real pork bacon can be fried or cooked in the microwave. Real bacon retains its meaty juiciness after cooking. Real pork bacon is crisp and satisfying. Microwave the pork bacon between a couple of layers of paper towels to remove some of the grease.
Another practical option for cooking pork bacon is to bake it at 350 to 400 degrees for about eight to ten minutes. This is the easiest way to cook the regular bacon, because you don't have to keep checking it constantly. Try topping casseroles or salads with crumbled up, crispy regular pork bacon. Delicious!
Both turkey bacon and regular pork bacon have nitrates, phosphates and other preservatives. Turkey bacon is bit higher in sodium than real bacon. The total number of ingredients on the label of the turkey bacon is longer; which is a bit of a concern. Fat is the biggest issue for the healthy turkey bacon supporters, but actually some brands of turkey bacon have the same amount of fat as regular bacon.
Regular pork bacon definitely tastes better than turkey bacon. Turkey bacon is a poor substitute for regular pork bacon. The facts seem clear enough in this debate. Most people prefer regular pork bacon to turkey bacon.
Learn more about this author, Jennifer Mae.
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Turkey
First of all let me state that I am not a big bacon lover. I have enjoyed it on a pizza and the occasional burger but I could easily eliminate it from my diet. In my home, my family members are bacon lovers so recently when we all decided to adapt a healthier way of eating, bacon was one of the first things to go. Not wanting them to suffer I decided to try turkey bacon and see if they could live with a healthier bacon.
I purchased some Butterball turkey bacon and one morning I cooked it on my indoor grill. I normally cook bacon on the indoor grill because I find it an easier way to cook it as the grease drips into a pan and the bacon doesn't sit in all that fat. It was definitely quicker to cook and a little harder to crisp up but turning it often helped to cook it evenly. Cooking it in a non-stick frying pan would probably work well also.
I served it and waited for the complaints. My husband who I thought would give me a hard time, actually liked the turkey bacon. He said he knew that it wasn't "real" bacon but it was not bad. My daughter, who could eat bacon on anything, was equally pleased. Success!
Personally I liked the flavor and the clean-up was much easier. With less fat there was more bacon to go around also. The price was similar to regular bacon but it probably is a better value. For those people who are trying to eat healthier without totally giving up taste, I recommend turkey bacon. In the past I tried lower sodium bacon and there still was so much fat that it didn't really seem healthier.
Of course there are always going to be the die-hard bacon lovers who will never give up the taste they love no matter what. This debate over which tastes better is really about the bacon lovers versus the people like me who aren't that crazy about bacon. Today we have all kinds of substitutes that are available to give us healthier choices for the foods that are "bad" for us. Ultimately if you only have regular bacon every now and again what is the harm? If you eat massive quantities of regular bacon every day then it will probably effect your health in a negative way. For those of us who like a crispy meat and do not like the often "smoky" taste of regular bacon, turkey bacon is a great choice. It doesn't taste too turkey like but has a unique flavor. Regular bacon eaters should give it a try. You might be swayed to the other side and become a turkey bacon fan.
Learn more about this author, Priscilla Benfield.
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