INGREDIENTS 4

• Bacon

Pronounce it : bay-kon

Bacon is pork that has been cured one of two ways: dry or wet. It can be bought as both rashers and larger cuts. A dry-cure (in which the meat is rubbed with salt and flavourings) is the superior method of curing. A wet cure involves steeping the meat in a brine of salt and water. It's common for manufacturers to inject the brine into the meat too, in order to increase the weight and volume; bacon that's been cured in this way will shrink and release a cloudy, yellow liquid when it's cooked, and won't be as crisp as dry cured.

Bacon is sold as both smoked or unsmoked - the latter is termed 'green', and is paler and milder than the smoked variety. There are three types of rasher: back (from the loin, the leanest and most expensive), streaky (from the belly, it's the fattiest and often tastiest cut) and middle (back and streaky bacon in one cut). Bacon joints include collar (from the shoulder), hock (from the front leg of the pig) and gammon (from the hind leg). Never eat raw bacon.

Availability

All year round.

Choose the best

Fresh bacon should look pink and damp - avoid anything that's discoloured or dry. The fat should be white or creamy coloured, not yellow or greasy, and the rind should be thin and elastic. Avoid bacon that is wet, slimy or smells unpleasant.

As with other meat, you might want to read more about organic and free range availability, and what these terms mean, before buying your meat.

Prepare it

Joints of bacon can be boiled and/or roasted. To boil, allow 20 minutes per 500g plus 20 minutes. To roast, allow 30 minutes per 500g plus 30 minutes. Rest them for 15-20 minutes before serving. Rashers should be grilled or fried for 2-3 minutes per side (longer for a crispier result).

Store it

Keep all bacon in the fridge, away from any food that's eaten raw. Never exceed the consume-by date printed on the package. Open the original pack only when you're going to use it, and then keep the bacon wrapped in clingfilm or in a sealed plastic container.

Good quality loose bacon should be wrapped in greaseproof paper; unsmoked will keep for 7 days, smoked for 10. Bacon joints will keep for 3 days. Only vacuum packed bacon freezes well, for up to 2 months.

Cook it

Fry back bacon rashers for a classic English breakfast. Use fried streaky rashers for a BLT sarnie, to wrap around lean meat or fish (try turkey, pork, chicken and monkfish) before roasting or crumble into a creamy pasta sauce to make spaghetti carbonara. Add shredded or diced hock to split pea soup or casseroles; fry gammon steaks and serve with fried eggs; boil a bacon joint and serve with boiled potatoes, broad beans and parsley sauce.

Alternatives

Try pancetta or ham.

• Baking Powder

Pronounce it : bay-king pow-dah

Baking powder is a raising agent that is commonly used in cake-making. It is made from an alkali, bicarbonate of soda, and an acid, cream of tartar, plus a filler like cornflour or rice flour which absorbs moisture.

The powder is activated when liquid is added, producing carbon dioxide and forming bubbles that cause the mixture to expand. For this reason, it is important to get your cake mixture into the oven quickly once the 'wet' ingredients have been added to the 'dry' ingredients.

Self-raising flour is made from plain flour combined with a small amount of baking powder.

Prepare it

To make baking powder, combine half a teaspoon of cream of tartar and quarter of a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. This provides the equivalent of one teaspoon of baking powder.

To make self-raising flour add one teaspoon (or equivalent homemade) to 110g of plain flour.

• Balsamic Vinegar

Pronounce it : bal-sam-ick vin-ee-gah

True Balsamic vinegar is an artisan product from Modena, in Emilia Romagna, Italy, and is made with grape must (juice) that is simmered to make a concentrate, allowed to ferment, then, for a minimum of 12 years, matured in barrels of progressively decreasing size, made from different woods in order to impart different flavours. The result is dark, rich and syrupy and to be used very sparingly.

The real thing will be marked with 'tradizionale' and/or DOC and will be expensive. You can also buy the more afforable, industrially made 'aceto balsamico di Modena', which uses vinegar as well as grape must; as it's not aged for so long, the flavours won't be as strong.

Availability

All year round.

Choose the best

For the real deal, always look for the trems tradizionale/DOC or aceto balsamico di Modena. Very cheap balsamic vinegars are just masquerading as either of the above and will have been coloured and flavoured with caramel - although they're fine for salad dressings and glazes, they won't have the authentic intensity of flavour.

Store it

In a cool, dark cupboard.

Cook it

Add just a few drops (connoisseurs use a pipette) of tradizionale to ripe strawberries, slices of well-aged parmesan cheese or very good quality vanilla ice cream. Brush aceto balsamico di Modena over roasting chicken or duck breasts, shake some over grilled tuna steaks, drizzle over tomato salads or stir a little into a roast vegetable pasta sauce.

Alternatives

Try sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar.

Source :

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/bacon

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/baking-powder

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/balsamic-vinegar