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SMART SHOPPING: Bacon

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Premium bacon can cost double or triple the price of ordinary bacon. Is it worth it? To find out, we bought six artisanal mail-order bacons and two high-end grocery store bacons. We were amazed to find that two of the four highest-rated bacons were supermarket brands. Applegate Farms Uncured Sunday Bacon and Farmland/Carando Apple Cider Cured Bacon, Applewood Smoked were a step up from the usual mass-produced bacon, straddling the gap between artisanal and more mainstream supermarket styles. Although these bacons didn’t receive quite the raves of the two top-ranked premium bacons, tasters praised them both for good meaty flavor and mild smokiness–plus they were far more convenient than ordering bacon by mail.