Now Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig Can Both Be Happy

August 10, 2010 8:41 AM

Carrot Bacon. More or less exactly what it says. [Single Link Flicker Set]
posted by GenjiandProust (59 comments total)

"This is actually Step Zero; you should already have purchased a deep fryer."
posted by Kattullus at 8:42 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

Whoah, really looks like bacon.
posted by infinitywaltz at 8:44 AM on August 10, 2010

Does cooking actually destroy vitamin A?
posted by Burhanistan at 8:47 AM on August 10, 2010

This violates everything I believe about food.
posted by phunniemee at 8:47 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

This validates everything I believe about food.
posted by Aizkolari at 8:52 AM on August 10, 2010 [8 favorites]

I am so hungry and this is NOT HELPING.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:53 AM on August 10, 2010

No mention at all of how it tastes?
posted by vacapinta at 8:55 AM on August 10, 2010

This is great. Sort of straddles the line. Not bad for you, but nothing left good for you. The add salt step is the critical step.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:56 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

I do this with sweet potatoes. So I guess I'm making sweet potato bacon. Whatevs!

No mention at all of how it tastes?
I'll let you know later today, after I make a batch of these babies. I have two bags of carrots in the fridge, waiting to be faux baconized.

(I hate bacon)
posted by iconomy at 8:56 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

Does cooking actually destroy vitamin A?

Not sure. A little poking around gave me some articles that suggest that the heat of canning degrades Vitamin A at least somewhat in meat products, but I haven't found anything on plant-based Vitamin A (which is apparently somewhat different).
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:57 AM on August 10, 2010

> No mention at all of how it tastes?

Probably not unlike these. Salty and crunchy with a hint of starchy sweet.
posted by Burhanistan at 8:59 AM on August 10, 2010

I'm actually eating a regular carrot right now. So plain. So sad.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:59 AM on August 10, 2010 [3 favorites]

I make this sort of thing quite a lot. It also works with parsnip, sweet potato and beetroot. It's just crisps (potato chips) but with a more flavoured vegetable. Mrs Morte favours the beetroot ones. I like sweet potato.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 8:59 AM on August 10, 2010 [2 favorites]

Who the hell cares whether something looks like bacon? Bacon looks like shoeleather. All that matters is if it tastes like bacon.
posted by jefficator at 9:00 AM on August 10, 2010 [4 favorites]

> Not sure. A little poking around gave me some articles that suggest that the heat of canning degrades Vitamin A at least somewhat in meat products, but I haven't found anything on plant-based Vitamin A

Yeah, that's what I found with a bit of cursory searching as well. I only asked because of his comment about it destroying all vitamins and minerals. They're certainly not as healthy as raw carrots, but I'm sure there's still some residual nutritive value in them.
posted by Burhanistan at 9:01 AM on August 10, 2010

This is great and all, I imagine they taste something like sweet potato fries (and I'm all for that), but what I don't get is why this person thinks that large carrots are unsuitable for eating. Regular eating. She makes that point a couple times. Carrots that get big don't ... go bad, or anything. You just have more carrot.
posted by penduluum at 9:03 AM on August 10, 2010

(I hate bacon)

what
posted by infinitywaltz at 9:04 AM on August 10, 2010

It also works really well with eggplant skins. And no deep fryer necessary! Slice off the skins, throw on a baking pan, brush or spray on a bit of oil and broil. Salt and eat. The end result tastes more bacony than you would ever expect.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 9:05 AM on August 10, 2010

> but what I don't get is why this person thinks that large carrots are unsuitable for eating. Regular eating.

Maybe they're used to eating "baby carrots" and don't know that most things sold as "baby carrots" actually come from big ass regular carrots.
posted by Burhanistan at 9:05 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

My mom makes a dish that I love. Potatoes, carrots and onions with olive oil, baked in a 450 degree oven. Everything gets really caramelized. My favorite part is the little burnt carrot pieces on the bottom.

I am so deep frying carrot slices tonight.
posted by Splunge at 9:06 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

what I don't get is why this person thinks that large carrots are unsuitable for eating

Carrots go woody when they've been in the ground too long. They're basically inedible at that stage, unless you do something like thinly slicing them and deep-frying. It's quite possible to have a large, tasty, edible carrot, but leave it too long before harvesting and it's basically a tree root.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 9:08 AM on August 10, 2010 [4 favorites]

Just eat real bacon.
posted by Malice at 9:09 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

There will come a day when I stand up and shout "ENOUGH! I will not read another post about bacon!" This, however, is not that day.




Man, I love bacon.
posted by chrisamiller at 9:13 AM on August 10, 2010

The only way to make carrots into bacon is to feed them to a pig.
posted by sanko at 9:14 AM on August 10, 2010 [12 favorites]

get OUT! *shoves internet*
posted by DU at 9:14 AM on August 10, 2010 [2 favorites]

Carrots go woody when they've been in the ground too long ... It's quite possible to have a large, tasty, edible carrot

Gotcha. Maybe it's just me, then, or maybe the bacon-creator is just conflating size and length-of-time-in-ground, but the carrots I had out of my grandparent's garden as a kid were always big and thick and knobbly like these appear to be, and I loved them. Some of the especially big ones did taste a bit grassy, but all homegrown carrots taste grassy. I liked the slightly dry, fibrous texture. Storebought carrots, especially baby carrots, basically feel like and taste like water chestnuts. With carrots like these, you know you're eating something.
posted by penduluum at 9:18 AM on August 10, 2010

So, pigs are carrots? They're VEGETABLES?!?

CALL THE RABBI, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!!!
posted by yhbc at 9:19 AM on August 10, 2010 [2 favorites]

I bet these would taste even better if they were cooked in bacon fat.
posted by Muddler at 9:20 AM on August 10, 2010

Metafilter and bacon are meant for each other.
posted by blucevalo at 9:20 AM on August 10, 2010

I like where he said "snaffle."
posted by Mister_A at 9:24 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

Just eat real bacon.

Says the omnivore to the vegetarians.
posted by gman at 9:25 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

Guys. This doesn't taste like bacon. It tastes like carrots and salt and oil. If you want something that tastes like bacon, eat bacon. Bunch of morans carrots...
posted by iconomy at 9:25 AM on August 10, 2010

Just eat real bacon.

Says the omnivore to the vegetarians.
posted by gman at 9:25 AM on August 10 [1 favorite +] [!]

I was vegan for seven years. I know the ramifications of what I say. Shall I rephrase?

Vegetarians, since you're so special and need this spelled out for you: Just buy real "fake" bacon. It tastes damn close to real bacon and would taste better than this anyway.
posted by Malice at 9:45 AM on August 10, 2010

I'v never tried marinating carrots; would that work at all, if you give the carrots a soak in some other flavorful liquid before the frying? How well do carrots pick up marinades?
posted by Greg Nog at 9:48 AM on August 10, 2010

It would seem that he was just surprised at how much the fried carrot slices looked like bacon and decided to make a gimmick out of that. No bacony simulacrum-ness was implied beyond superficial appearance, really.
posted by Burhanistan at 9:49 AM on August 10, 2010

This is awesome. It may usher in the day when people are draping slices of carrots on Star Wars toy At-Ats and people send twitter messages like OMG Carrots!!! NOM NOM NOM MOAR CARROTS. Oh that day will come. Baby steps, vegetarians. Baby carrot steps.
posted by Auden at 9:56 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'v never tried marinating carrots; would that work at all, if you give the carrots a soak in some other flavorful liquid before the frying? How well do carrots pick up marinades?

They take sauces pretty well, and it is possible to pickle carrots. I think you could marinate them. However, you'd want to get them pretty dry before the frying to prevent... splattering incidents.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:57 AM on August 10, 2010

They're certainly not as healthy as raw carrots

My understanding is that carrots are about the only vegetable that is more nutritious cooked than raw, because some of the good stuff can't be metabolized without cooking it.

I am in a meeting right now, so I probably shouldn't search for a citation.
posted by Ella Fynoe at 10:02 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

> My understanding is that carrots are about the only vegetable that is more nutritious cooked than raw

Don't forget about potatoes. But, I was speaking specifically about these deep fried slices, not cooked carrots in general. According to this, cooking can help break the cell wall of carrots and make beta carotene more easily assimilable, however.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:06 AM on August 10, 2010

My understanding is that carrots are about the only vegetable that is more nutritious cooked than raw, because some of the good stuff can't be metabolized without cooking it.

As far as I know, most vegetables are more nutritious cooked. Spinach, for example, ties up most of its calcium and iron in indigestible compounds that break down under heat.
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:12 AM on August 10, 2010

... it is possible to pickle carrots ...

It's not only possible; it's delicious.

It's really easy, too: just make a brine — 20 parts water, 1 part salt — throw in a splash of vinegar (white wine, apple, rice… any milder vinegar), a few garlic cloves, maybe some red pepper flakes. Jar up some strips or cubes of carrot in the brine for a a week or so, and then omnomnomnomnom.
posted by jacobian at 10:13 AM on August 10, 2010 [4 favorites]

I like step 6-'To remove any vitamins, minerals, and/or lingering taste of carrot...'

BTW, How baby carrots are really made.
posted by MtDewd at 10:13 AM on August 10, 2010

Ah. Got it.
posted by Ella Fynoe at 10:14 AM on August 10, 2010

Just buy real "fake" bacon. It tastes damn close to real bacon

Sort of.

and would taste better than this anyway.

I humbly disagree.
posted by Splunge at 10:18 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]

sweet potato bacon

Hello, new sleepy morning sex gently whispered nickname!
posted by CynicalKnight at 10:40 AM on August 10, 2010 [5 favorites]

Not impressed until she cures (cider, molasses, salt) and smokes the carrots before cooking. Without curing and smoking, bacon is just fried pork.
posted by sourwookie at 11:29 AM on August 10, 2010

Y'all be careful with your bacon now, seems like the tipping point has been reached:

Ike's Place - the home of hearty, calorie-crammed sandwiches featured on national television - was given an eviction notice Wednesday by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Peter Busch.
...
As the popularity of Shehadeh's shop grew, neighbors became increasingly frustrated with the blocklong lines, noisy customers and persistent smell of fried bacon..

Then again, this is a good way to avoid bacon price-gouging.

posted by Ogre Lawless at 11:52 AM on August 10, 2010

Could this be done by baking or roasting the carrot slices on a silpat instead of frying?
posted by BZArcher at 12:13 PM on August 10, 2010

How about deep frying pickled carrots? Would you get a tangy vinegar "cured" flavor?
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 12:22 PM on August 10, 2010

Truffled salt, you say?

*eyes lunchtime bag of baby carrots with a certain speculative gleam*
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:35 PM on August 10, 2010

YES YES BY GOD YESS.

I bet if you make your carrot ribbons and store them in the refrigerator overnight, they'll start to curl a bit for additional baconicity. TBD
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:04 PM on August 10, 2010

What on earth is truffled salt?
posted by Tarumba at 1:09 PM on August 10, 2010

> What on earth is truffled salt?

It's regular table or sea salt with added ground up truffles (or purported truffle remnants anyway, depending on price).
posted by Burhanistan at 1:11 PM on August 10, 2010

Fake bacon is horrible. It's impossible to duplicate bacon without animal fat, no?

These carrots likely taste much better.

Having said that, I'm not sure what the big deal is here. I get a similar bacon (looking) effect when roasting sliced carrots with turmeric, cumin, coriander, rosemary salt, and oil. (yum!)

/vegetarian

Dietary Factors That Affect the Bioavailability of Carotenoids

Antioxidant Changes and Sensory Properties of Carrot Puree Processed with and without Periderm Tissue

and for motherlovin' moses' sake, DO NOT SLICE YOUR CARROTS BEFORE COOKING (oops)

Carrots cooked whole contain more anti-cancer compound

Carrots may help ward off cancer

but then ...

"Kirsten Brandt, head of the research department, explained that isolated cancer cells grow more slowly when exposed to falcarinol. This substance is a polyacethylen, however, so it is important not to cook the carrots." - The Cancer Cure Foundation

So who knows?

Ah, here you go: Fact or Fiction: Raw veggies are healthier than cooked ones

on preview: Could this be done by baking or roasting the carrot slices on a silpat instead of frying?

Definitely.
posted by mrgrimm at 2:38 PM on August 10, 2010

can someone else confirm that eggplant skin is tasty when roasted? i've always just peeled it off and thrown it out...
posted by janepanic at 5:00 PM on August 10, 2010

6) To remove any vitamins, minerals, and/or lingering taste of carrot, deep-fry in 375-degree canola oil for a minute and a half. Batch size: the thin-sliced flesh of one very large carrot.

*dead*
posted by liza at 5:09 PM on August 10, 2010

WTF Metafilter...carrot bacon??

Really?? WTF people....I remember when real bacon eaters roamed the blue unapologetically, proudly, handsomely, with bulging muscles and quick minds and wits, and single malts and other fine and strong spirits, pledging eternal death and comeuppance to all zombies....everywhere. And promising the perfect BLT to one and all, AS A BIRTHRIGHT, codified in the metafilter Bacon Protocols... and meticulously...passed down.... through the years..... from hand to hand....that old bacon lettuce tomato recipe... and a blowjob...would be the perfect... way to shuffle off... this mortal coil....Maybe also a Brompton's cocktail........Carrot bacon eh?? Pffftt......
posted by Skygazer at 7:15 PM on August 10, 2010

A lazy approach to pickled carrots :
After eating the cucumbers from a jar of pickles, put sliced carrots in the remaining brine.
posted by llc at 8:06 PM on August 10, 2010

*gulp gulp gul...*

What?
posted by obiwanwasabi at 1:15 AM on August 11, 2010