Science desk
< July 29	<< Jun \| July \| Aug >>	July 31 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Science Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

July 30[edit]

2023 nematode revival[edit]

Hi! Should there be an article about the nematode revival? It seems like it's article-worthy! 2402:9D80:272:BD02:694E:B788:6748:A701 (talk) 10:09, 30 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

It is mentioned in our nematode article. If you think there is enough material for a standalone article you are welcome to create one. See Wikipedia:Articles for creation. Shantavira|^{feed me} 12:00, 30 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The fact that nematodes can survive long periods of deep frost is old news. The previous record was 42,000 years,^[1] so the new record of 46,000 years is not astounding. The feat is perhaps more the ability of the researchers to find and identify permafrost of that age. --Lambiam 12:04, 30 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Cooking bacon in microwave[edit]

Anyone know if any of those devices you see for sale that claim to allow you to microwave bacon without mess actually work? Or does the inside of the microwave invariably end up getting laminated with bacon fat anyway? My cooker is broken and as wonderful as my Foreman is, I've never liked the way bacon turns out in it (too dry), so am considering trying microwave. Iloveparrots (talk) 15:16, 30 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Alansplodge (talk) 16:13, 30 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. Some of those look as though they'd struggle to cook back bacon properly, or even fit it in there. Iloveparrots (talk) 16:36, 30 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

At the very least, you'll want to "contain" it some way, within the microwave, for cooking anything that can tend to splatter. You should be able to find something that looks like an inverted frying page (without a frypan handle), usually made of clear plastic or some other see-though material, to totally cover it except for a few vent holes. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 18:59, 30 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

A few of the problems with cooking bacon in the microwave are that microwaves have trouble with two things that make cooked bacon taste good. Those are heat and time. That's because things like the Maillard reactions require certain temperatures, AND require more time at those temperatures, than a typical microwave can impart. So called microwave "bacon cookers" mostly attempt to fix this by providing some kind of conductive surface so heat spends more time in contact with the bacon. As Alanspoldge notes above, if you google "microwave bacon cooker reviews" or something like that you'll find reviews of various devices, YMMV, caveat emptor, etc. etc. --Jayron 32 12:35, 31 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]
If you have a working oven, cooking bacon in an oven is an excellent, or even superior, method to frying it in a pan on the cooktop. There are many recipes available on the Internet but they're all basically the same: cook in a baking sheet at 400 F for 10-20 minutes, depending on how crispy you want it. CodeTalker (talk) 15:45, 31 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Also useful to help cook in a pan is a "bacon press". Basically a big piece of cast iron with a handle on it. The weight keeps the bacon in contact with the cooking surface and helps it cook quicker and more consistently. --Jayron 32 16:56, 1 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Clearly nobody responding above considered registering under the user name 'Ilovepiggies'! SnowRise ^{let's rap} 23:49, 31 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]