This Week in Bacon
Marco Pierre White’s revelation of the secret behind his renowned bacon sandwiches has caused a backlash worthy of Carla Bruni’s new album. White, the eminent restaurateur and chef who has had a hand in the careers of chefs like Gordon Ramsay and is revered by guys like Batali and Bourdain, says the key to a great bacon butty is… the microwave.
He demonstrates his technique in the latest episode of his ITV1 show, Marco’s Great British Feast.
Not only does it taste good, but it saves on washing up, according to White, who claims to have employed the technique for the past 15 years.
“Why do I want to wash a grill tray? Why do I want to make a mess? When I cook my bacon I have only one plate to wash up. It tastes better and it’s practical. Every household needs one,” he proclaims in the show.
Food writer Tim Hawyard takes White to task at the Guardian’s Word of Mouth.
As I watched last night’s edition of Marco’s Great British Feast, with hot, salty tears in my eyes, Marco Pierre White sat in a cabman’s hut and ordered his bacon microwaved.
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Why would it be necessary for a man with MPW’s towering talent and stunning technical ability to go so insanely off-piste? Microwaving bacon, if my interpretation of McGee is correct, would sort of steam it from within. There’s no crispiness, no caremelisation, just a hot floppy cured product.
I must come to White’s defense (defence?) here. I know from crispy. I appreciate microwaved bacon, not surprisingly, for its crispiness, and also for its lack of mess. But too often microwaved bacon is burnt, and (like most microwaved food) is unevenly cooked. And, frankly, there’s still usually a grease splatter and a hot-ass plate to deal with as well. So it’s not perfect. But it’s hardly deplorable, right?
How about you, dear reader. How do you prefer your bacon?
Note: I found the foreign bacon controversy more interesting than the domestic one.
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