Our recent economic uncertainty and the tightening credit market is forcing a nationwide liquidation of both paper and physical assets. For people with a little cash to burn, this can translate into some serious bargains. For example, a few weeks ago I went yard sale shopping when I came across a family that had recently closed their Crestwood coffee shop, yet another victim of the Starbucks empire. For me, buying the equipment of a failed business is a mixed bag. On one hand, I'm helping them recoup their losses. On the other hand, I feel as though I'm taking advantage of their misfortunes while buying their equipment at 10-20% of retail price.

Setting aside any lingering guilt, I reckoned that a yard sale is no place for sentimentality, so I picked up a few kitchen gadgets. I first spotted what's marketed as a 3-Cup French press for $1. It the perfect size for a single cup, it makes about ten ounces of coffee, which I suppose might be considered three cups in some parts of Europe, but here in America that's a "small" cup. Continuing on to the checkout table, I saw the Krups 372-75 food slicer for $10. Some might call it another useless kitchen gadget, but I knew it was coming home.

Some initial squeaking in the blade assembly was silenced with a dab of olive oil. The first test for the slicer was a block of Kerrygold Dubliner cheese. While it achieved thin slices, the consistency of the slice thickness leaves something to be desired. The woman who sold me the slicer told me the safety was hard on her hands, and it's easy to see why. The slicer has a safety sliding switch that must be moved forward *while* pressing a button to control the blade. Maintaining this position with two fingers can lead to hand cramping during extended slicing sessions. But considering that I don't plan to open a deli anytime soon, I'm pretty sure I can tolerate it.

I have to admit though, slicing cheese for the sake of slicing cheese is not much fun. I didn't buy the slicer to plate wine tasting hors d'oeuvres. No, this was surely destined to be a meat slicer. And nothing is meatier than the mighty bacon: sheared from the belly of the beast, half fat, half muscle. The meek in stomach need not apply.

Now many topics on the Internet arouse an interest that one might consider unmerited. At the same time, one could also argue that the Internet provides the only suitable outlet for bacon news and the burgeoning bacon community. While I'm hardly the bacon evangelist, I'm a big fan of Penn's Salt-Cured Country Bacon. Now it would be hard to call bacon a health food, but this bacon is a bit better for you than most of the competition. The industrial bacon found at the supermarket is generally cured with Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Erythorbate, and/or Sodium Nitrite. Recent studies have linked sodium nitrite with inflammation of the respiratory system and pulmonary disease. Penn's Bacon avoids these additives by using only salt in the curing process. This does make the bacon a bit salty, so exercise some moderation!
Mastering the slicer will take some practice, especially in regards to slice thickness. The amount of pressure applied to the feeding side of the slicer plays a big role in this. Applying light pressure produces a thin slice, while more pressure will increase the slice thickness. The trick is to find a reasonable thickness setting and apply consistent pressure. Another minor complaint I have with the slicer is that the output side is easily 'jammed' when the food doesn't fall cleanly onto the tray. This is where a helper can speed up the process. Armed with a fork, your assistant can keep the output side clear. This also helps keep the buttons on your slicer sanitary, as you'll be less tempted to have wandering fingers. Once everything is sliced, you're ready to fry. My suggestion would be to use a cast iron skillet on medium heat, and cook until firm. Most people seem to like their bacon crispy, but I prefer a little bit of chewiness.



Depending on how much bacon you're frying, you might have quite a bit of grease left over. Don't throw it away! There are many uses for bacon grease. My personal favorite is taking a few potatoes, slicing them paper thin with a knife or a slicer, frying them for 30 seconds on each side, drain, cool, and then sprinkle a little salt on them... Home-sliced bacon and bacon-flavored potato chips? I think the slicer just paid for itself.