To Add Or To Not Add Bacon
We know how much people love bacon, but just because you love something doesn't mean it belongs on every dish. Because believe it or not, adding this salty, smoky, and meaty ingredient can sometimes ruin certain foods instead of improve it! If you don't believe us, here are 10 examples where bacon can make a dish worse, and 10 that you absolutely need it for.
1. Grilled Cheese
Grilled cheese might sound like an obvious place for bacon to belong, but the truth is, it makes the sandwich less satisfying. With the combination of cheese and butter already providing so much richness in every bite, the addition of bacon can tip it into overly greasy and salty territory. Sometimes, adding more to a simple food just makes it less cohesive.
2. Chicken Noodle Soup
A dish that's all about being gentle and easy on the stomach, adding in bacon can break that balance in a heartbeat. This salty ingredient will instantly make the broth taste less clean, taking away from the whole point of the dish. You can't even call it chicken noodle soup anymore if all it tastes of is bacon!
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3. Macaroni and Cheese
We know many of you might disagree with us here, but hear us out! A good mac and cheese already has so much richness, salt, and plenty of comfort built into it. When you toss in bacon, the dish becomes heavier without adding much that the cheese sauce wasn't already doing. It just makes it hard to chow down on an entire bowl!
4. Tuna Salad
We all already know just how strong of a flavor tuna is, so why pair it with another ingredient that's equally strong, like bacon? Now everything is just clashing against each other, with the bacon turning the tuna salad into a dish that's far too excessive. It doesn't make it better by adding more depth, it actually does the opposite.
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5. Tomato Soup
Some soups benefit from the smokiness that bacon brings, but for one that's focused on balancing acidity with sweetness, adding it would only be a hindrance. Bacon can muddy the flavor of tomato soup, dulling the bright tomato flavor with all the heavy and greasy fat.
6. Risotto
For a dish that's meant to be creamy and carefully delicate, risotto only works when all the flavors come together from start to finish. And unfortunately for bacon, that smoky sharpness would only compete with the rice, stock, and cheese.
7. Peanut Butter Sandwiches
When you already have a rich, sticky, and assertive flavor like peanut butter to work with, bacon fights against it to make the sandwich even more dense and salty. It's almost overwhelming the way the two ingredients fail to meld together! We'd just stick with the jam.
8. Donuts
Sweet and savory is a fun combination that delights the senses, but it doesn't mean all pairings work well. Take donuts and bacon for example; one's sweet and one's savory, but the overpowering nature of bacon turns this pillowy treat into something heavy and awkwardly smoky. The flavors just don't work well together!
9. Caesar Salad
Salads are meant to be refreshing, bright, and zesty, and unfortunately, bacon can overshadow those delightful flavor tones when added in. And for a salad like Caesar salad, that has strong personality already from the dressing, Parmesan, and garlic, bacon is simply an unnecessary addition.
10. Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are beloved because of their smooth texture that just melts in your mouth. Throw in bacon, and suddenly you've got crunchy or chewy bits that might taste comforting, but interrupt the texture in an unsatisfying way.
1. Baked Potatoes
On the flip side, throw on all the bacon you want in a baked potato! Baked potatoes need a big flavor boost, and what ingredient is better than bacon to bring a salty, smoky, and meaty taste to the plate. It also perfectly complements other popular toppings like sour cream, chives, and cheese.
2. BLT Sandwiches
With bacon literally in the name, you can't go without it in a BLT. This popular sandwich has lettuce and tomatoes in it too, but they're really just the supporting cast. Their goal is to lift up the bacon, not compete with it! The entire sandwich is built so you can enjoy the flavor profile of that delicious bacon.
3. Carbonara
To put it bluntly, carbonara is a pasta dish that needs pork. So much of the dish's identity comes from that salty, meaty essence! The sauce also needs that fatty element to help tie the egg, cheese, and black pepper together in a way that feels rich and complete.
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4. Deviled Eggs
To prevent deviled eggs from being too soft or one-note in flavor, a bit of bacon can really help elevate the dish. Not only does the bacon add a nice textural component to this otherwise soft food, it also has a savory edge that cuts through the heavily creamy filling.
5. Cheeseburgers
A bacon cheeseburger works because the bacon adds structure as much as flavor. The beef and cheese are rich already, but the crispness and taste of the bacon improves every component already present. It brings a smoky, salty bite that helps the burger stand out from a regular cheeseburger.
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6. Brussels Sprouts
How do you improve the taste of one of the most hated vegetables in America? You add bacon to it of course! In that sense, Brussels sprouts and bacon have a very practical relationship; the sprouts bring a slight bitterness and earthiness, while the bacon gives it salt and rendered fat that balance out the edges.
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7. Breakfast Burritos
Breakfast foods and bacon just go perfectly hand-in-hand with one another. Case in point? Breakfast burritos! Giving the soft ingredients, like egg, potatoes, and cheese, a nice crispy and punchy element, bacon ties everything together well to make the whole meal more satisfying and filling.
8. Corn Chowder
Corn chowder gets a real lift from bacon because the sweetness of the corn needs something savory to ensure it doesn't go overboard. Bacon also works well with the creamy base, giving the soup more depth without making it feel fussy. A small amount goes a long way, which is usually the sign of a strong ingredient match.
9. Club Sandwiches
Bacon is a necessary component for club sandwiches in order to differentiate itself from the ordinary turkey sandwich. Turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mayo are all fine, but bacon adds the snap and salt that make the layers feel worth stacking so high. It makes every bite so much more memorable.
10. Green Beans
A vegetable as simple and boring as green beans needs a strong ingredient like bacon to help level it up. The crisp and freshness of the beans pairs perfectly with the richness of the bacon, turning these two into a worthy side dish that belongs on any holiday dinner table.
