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 |    Not for the faint of art. |
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Complex Numbers A complex number is expressed in the standard form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and i is defined by i^2 = -1 (that is, i is the square root of -1). For example, 3 + 2i is a complex number. The bi term is often referred to as an imaginary number (though this may be misleading, as it is no more "imaginary" than the symbolic abstractions we know as the "real" numbers). Thus, every complex number has a real part, a, and an imaginary part, bi. Complex numbers are often represented on a graph known as the "complex plane," where the horizontal axis represents the infinity of real numbers, and the vertical axis represents the infinity of imaginary numbers. Thus, each complex number has a unique representation on the complex plane: some closer to real; others, more imaginary. If a = b, the number is equal parts real and imaginary. Very simple transformations applied to numbers in the complex plane can lead to fractal structures of enormous intricacy and astonishing beauty. ![Merit Badge in Quill Award
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| Ah, yes, bacon. The candy of the meat world. I never thought I'd post a link to Martha Stewart, but that's the kind of universe we're living in now, I guess. Cook Perfect Bacon Every Time by Avoiding These Common Mistakes, Say Chefs  From crowding the pan to cooking at high heat, here's what not to do when making bacon. Remember a week ago, when I did an entry on lab-grown meats? This one: "Meat Me In the Lab" .One thing I'd meant to mention there, but forgot, is the most important question I had about the technology: Can it create bacon? Or would it be limited to the same kind of fakon that gave us turkey strips and the like? Not that turkey strips are bad, mind you; I enjoy them. They're just not bacon. Until such tech reaches the masses, though, people will still cook bacon, and some of them will cook it badly. There are few foods more satisfying than a strip of perfectly cooked bacon, whether served with pancakes for breakfast, in a BLT at lunch, or in a dinner pasta. Or, you know, on its own as a snack. Cooking bacon isn't as simple as it seems, as proven by the burnt (or gummy) strips many of us have eaten in the past. This is complicated by the annoying tendency of different people to have different tastes and preferences. For my own purposes, I like a very crisp bacon strip, one where there's no chewy fat whatsoever. Hold it up horizontally by one end, and it should have the structural integrity to remain horizontal along its entire length. I also have no use for the fat drippings; I'll cook the eggs in butter, thanks. Unfortunately, not everyone has the same bacon requirements, so any article (or blog post by me) purporting to know The Best Way to cook bacon isn't going to be universal. So when I say "If you're cooking it in a pan, you're already Doing It Wrong," that's a proclamation with the caveat of "if you're cooking it for me," which you're not. Many recipes start with preheating a pan but the method for cooking bacon is a different. It's recommended to start with a cold pan, which gives the bacon fat time to render (release)... And see, you're already Doing It Wrong. It can be tempting to cook bacon straight from the fridge, especially when you're in a rush, but you might want to let it rest at room temperature first... Yes, everyone surely has the time and planning foresight to do this. Packing as much bacon as you can fit into the pan might seem like a win because you'll have cooked more bacon, but it's a common bacon cooking mistake. Raw bacon takes up approximately 5 times the surface area of cooked bacon (at least if you cook it right). How a pan can get overcrowded with that, assuming you're making the mistake of cooking it in a pan in the first place, is beyond me. Unless you're trying to stack it, which you should know better. Whether you're feeding a crowd or meal prepping, not using the oven to cook bacon is a major mistake. And finally, we get to "don't cook it in a pan at all." Detailed instructions follow. What the article leaves out is my lazy method to perfect bacon every time: 1. Place three sheets of absorbent paper towels on a large plate. 2. Lay up to five bacon strips on top. 3. Cover with three more sheets of paper towels. 4. Microwave for however long it takes for the towels to soak up all the nasty grease and the bacon to be cooked. (Did I mention the plate needs to be nuke-safe? Well, it does.) While I generally object to microwaving meat of any kind, bacon is an exception. This method creates perfect bacon strips (by my definition) with minimal clean-up and in less than five minutes. I'm sure someone read all that and cried "Heresy! Blasphemy! Abomination!" Well, I'll just be over here going to Hell while enjoying my perfectly-cooked microwaved bacon strips. |
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