Carvers Choice Bacon

My overall rating

Some seriously harsh reviews. I picked a 1kg pack of this bacon up at a local grocery last week. It was on sale, in a separate cooler, so I suspect it was a special purchase. It's not a premium bacon but it's also half the price of most normal...   +

Some seriously harsh reviews. I picked a 1kg pack of this bacon up at a local grocery last week. It was on sale, in a separate cooler, so I suspect it was a special purchase. It's not a premium bacon but it's also half the price of most normal bacon, never mind premium brands like Michell's Heritage thick slice, my normal go to for thick slice bacon.

Now that said, this bacon fries up fine. There's no gristle or anything hard like a rind so the texture is fine. And it tastes fine - maybe not quite as good as apple-smoked or mapled bacons, but the taste is all bacon. The quality is very similar to a thick-slice store brand bacon like from Walmart. Yes it's fattier than premium bacons. So are most store brands. Expect the same. It takes a bit more patience to separate the slices, especially if it got a bit twisted in packaging. Use a screen lid to minimize the spits and splatter frying it on stove top. I've also fried it up on a browning pan in the microwave and found it to spit a bit more than my normal bacon so putting a paper towel on top helps keep the oven clean if you're using the microwave to cook this bacon. Expect it to shrink more than premium bacons because it is fattier. And use some paper towel to absorb the fat off the bacon before serving to your family. Bacon has never been a heart-smart food. For all bacon I put several layers of paper towel under the bacon as I take it out of the pan, and then use more paper towel on top to pat the fat off.

Now, as for this bacon, if I see it again, I'll buy it again and with any cheaper bacons, I'll be selective and look for the leaner packages before putting it in my cart.    -