Today: What’s shakin’, bacon? Plus …
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| Ruthie Darling/NYT Wirecutter |
“Bacon does indeed make everything better,” says kitchen writer Kathleen Squires, who recently taste-tested 22 brands for our brand-new guide. It adds a delightful crunch to salads and an indulgent richness when paired with eggs. And especially during peak summer produce season: Those crispy, fatty strips are simply perfect when tucked in a BLT.
We gleefully fried up a lot of bacon to find the best options hidden in the grocery store — including a pleasingly salty-sweet pack that was a hit with our testers and chewy, hardwood-smoked slabs with brilliant flavor.
For one-third of the perfect BLT→
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Plus: Get yourself a really good bread knife |
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| Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter |
Our favorite serrated knife cuts through thick-crusted sourdough and ripe heirloom tomatoes with ease. It’s sharp, durable, and blessedly affordable. “I use it for all kinds of produce,” says newsletters editor Erin Neil. “It’s become one of my most used kitchen items this summer.”
A very, very good serrated knife→
Gift of the week: A quirky, cute, and colorful bag |
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| Ölend |
For heading back to the office (or anywhere, really): This fun padded tote is water-resistant, weighs just over a pound, and has a dedicated laptop sleeve. Plus, its squishy, cartoonish vibe is a playful alternative to traditional work bags.
An RTO wardrobe upgrade→
Some recipe inspo from NYT Cooking |
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| Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Brett Regot. |
One last thing: Don’t throw away your bacon grease |
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| Ruthie Darling/NYT Wirecutter |
There are countless culinary uses for bacon fat, from frying eggs to sautéing vegetables. Beyond that, bacon grease can help maintain the seasoning on a cast iron pan, or, if you’re feeling really adventurous, you can even use it to fat-wash a cocktail.
All the things you can (and absolutely cannot) do with bacon grease→
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One more summery recipe for you: fuss-free tomato and cheddar toast. Yum.
You can reach the Wirecutter Newsletters team at newsletters@wirecutter.com. We can’t always respond, but we do love to hear from you.
