Make Better Bacon With These 2 Common Ingredients From Your Fridge And Pantry

Millions of people start their day off with a plate of perfectly crispy bacon and eggs, and as far as they're concerned, breakfast doesn't get any better. Actually, it can, with a little help from two ingredients sitting in your pantry and fridge. Honey and soy sauce are a magical combination that can create a glaze for many meats, including chicken and salmon, but when they're paired with bacon, the blend of sweet, salty, and deeply savory umami flavors is a feast for the tastebuds.

A tablespoon each of these two ingredients will make a dark, sticky glaze that can be generously daubed or brushed onto your morning bacon, but you've got to get your timing right (not to mention the temp at which you cook the bacon). Glaze your bacon too early, and the honey will burn, leaving you with little else but ashes and regret. Glaze your bacon too late, and the sugar in the honey won't have time to caramelize, and the flavors won't meld properly. Instead, add the honey-soy mixture when the bacon is almost done, then pop it back on the heat. Some people bake theirs in the oven, while others finish their glazed bacon off in a pan. Our advice? Play around with different methods – though keep these bacon cooking tips in mind — to see what works best for you.

We have the nephew of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud to thank for making bacon as popular as it is nowadays. PR legend Edward Bernays used a bold strategy to give the meat a healthy spin in the 1920s, leading to skyrocketing sales. Bacon producers — and everyone who loves their bacon — haven't looked back since.

If you want to amp up the flavor of your bacon in more subtle ways, shop around for different kinds of all three ingredients. There are many different types of honey, for instance, all with unique characteristics that can be paired with various kinds of soy sauce, from light or thick to full-bodied and even white soy sauce. Changing up the sort of bacon can also turn a delicious breakfast item into something completely legendary. Think varieties like Canadian bacon, meatier back bacon, turkey varieties, and even Italian cured varieties like pancetta.

A honey soy glaze also makes a mouthwatering marinade for home-made bacon, assuming you're willing to put in extra effort and time. Warm the liquids in a pan with a pinch of salt, then combine them with apple juice, a little lemon, and seasoning, and immerse the meat for at least 12 hours. Follow your favorite recipe for further prepping the cut and turning it into flavor-infused bacon.