Bacon Basket Meals and Other Atherosclerotic Entrees

Developer: Some Genius

Marketed By: As Seen On TV Market.net

Nerd Rating: 5 out of 10 (Yes, it’s a BOWL made out of BACON!!! But you can do the same thing with a muffin pan for a lot less money)

By Malefico

After seeing the Perfect Bacon Bowl advertised on TV over the past several months, I decided this was a product worth investigating. True, it has nothing to do with video games, but it does feature the word “bacon” prominently within the product name, and around here we do loves our bacon…

So, I bought the product to test for you, our devoted readers. Why? Because I care. We’re here asking the tough questions and testing the crucial hardware for you 24/7, even in the kitchen. I’ve scattered some pics throughout, showing several outstanding bacon creations and extremely appetizing pairings. So, without further ado..

The Perfect Bacon Bowl

The Basics

When you buy this product, you are given a Buy One, Get One “Free” deal. Economics 101 teaches us that nothing is free, and indeed, considering the size and weight of product and packaging, the S&H cost for one set ($7.95) vs. the S&H cost for the additional set ($4.95), I was suspicious. Total for both sets out the door is $22.90, or $10 for each set plus the $2.90 it actually costs to ship something this size/weight when you have a bulk account with a shipper.

These folks are making money hand over fist, bless them.

In addition to the total of four PBBs, I received the “Everything Is Better In a Bacon Basket Cookbook.” I take issue with this title because I believe that, for instance, raw sewage would taste no better in a bacon basket, and would in fact represent a waste of the bacon. Whatever, the cookbook is full of numerous bacon-centric recipes that did give me some ideas for decadent bacon-y treats, so overall I’m OK with it.

The products themselves are light, thin, aluminum molds with non-stick coating, and thus are not of terrible quality. One nice thing about them is they have an area to trap grease at the bottom. If you end up using a muffin pan, just turn the finished bacon bowls over so they make little bacon domes and sit them on a paper towel.

The Bottom Line

Although the products work as advertised, I can’t get past the fact that I could have bought at least four good muffin pans for the same price, and made 32 bowls instead of four. Although the cookbook was a nice addition, and I’m sure I’ll make some of the stuff, really you can get all kinds of great bacon recipes online.

You should definitely use good-quality, thick-cut bacon when you try this. The thinner stuff will end up self-destructing when you try to fill the bowl. It’s still good (it’s bacon after all) but the bowl concept goes by the wayside if your bowl shatters during assembly.

I’m big on breakfast at lunch or dinner time, so I made some bowls and filled them with scrambled egg, melted cheddar, and homemade home fries with some sauteed onion and green pepper. Add good, hearty whole-grain toast on the side…let me tell you, it was GOOD.

The main problem I have with this product, aside from its cost, is that it produces a petite-sized bacon bowl. When I go after the bacon, I want a healthy (maybe not the right word) portion. These little bowls can be likened to dessert or fruit cups. I’m more interested in a bacon bowl that, if it could hold liquid, would be of at least a quart capacity, maybe a half-gallon.

I’ll give you step-by-step instructions below on how to construct such a wonder. No, sorry, not the blonde…

The Verdict

The Perfect Bacon Bowl, while it works OK, is not a great value. With a little ingenuity and some pans you probably already have ( I know a lot of you guys are young, so you’re probably thinking, “Fuggin’ muffin pans WTF?”…), one can absolutely make tasty bacon bowls without this specialty product.

As such, I can only give this item 5 out of 10. If they ever get realistic on the price, the rating would go up.

Other Bacon Treats

Here’s the recipe for a Nerd-Sized Bacon Bowl…

What you’ll need:

One bundt pan

Some parchment paper (look for it in the same aisle that has tin foil and plastic wrap)

One cookie sheet

2 lbs. Thick-cut bacon

Very little concern for your cardiovascular system

1. Take the bundt pan and turn it upside down.
2. Make some relief cuts in the parchment paper so it will fit over the bundt pan without bulging, and wrap the paper over and around the pan, tucking the corners in underneath
3. Start laying the bacon strips across the top, alternating 90 degrees with each strip and slowly, lovingly weaving them together in a lattice. (Optional: You can certainly sprinkle some black pepper and brown sugar on your bowl before baking, especially if the bacon tends to be salty when cooked. These ingredients will add a nice glaze and a little peppery bite to contrast the sugar.)
4. Once you have the bacon braided, preheat your oven to 350º.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bacon is crispy. Check that all the portions within the lattice have firmed up, otherwise your bowl will implode when you try to use it.
6. When the bowl is nice, golden-brown, and crispy, take it out and allow it to cool partially.
7. Remove it from the bundt pan, making sure the parchment paper does not come off with it.
8. Place the bowl over several paper towels so the remaining grease can drip off.

I ended up making a salad out of mine. Fresh romaine, tomato wedges, some red onion, sliced cucumber, sliced hard-boiled egg, and cubed, smoked turkey breast with a honey mustard dressing. Croutons and some shredded Monterey Jack cheese are optional but friggin tasty. Using the bowl as the basis for a salad allowed me to maintain the illusion that the meal was sort of healthy… I really should have cut the bowl in half and made a wedge salad type deal out of it…

Maxx evinced no interest in the greens but did pester me until I gave him a little turkey and a small piece of bacon.

Thanks for reading.