Over the years I've tried every method to cook bacon. Which method do you all prefer? I find the easiest is baking it at high temp but it's inconsistent cooking more on the edges of the pan than the middle. Frying is messy and more intensive. Broiling requires a late flip. And I like it crisp so I can't stand soft fatty pieces.
Cooking Bacon
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I fry it in a cast iron pan. I often pair the bacon with fried eggs, so it works out nice. It isn't that messy.
Cast iron is the only way to go. I learned that when I was 12 in the Boy Scouts.
Okies, Here are the 'SECRETS' I have cultivated over years of industrial cooking. I often cook 9-15 cases at a time. Baking is the only way to efficiently do this so all tips are derived from baking.
1. pre-heat you pans. You want to hear a gentle sizzle as you tray the bacon. This prevents the fatty parts from contracting too fast from high heat and aids in getting flat bacon (flat bacon bakes more evenly than frilly fast fried stuff)
*note: bacon has a lot of fat/grease/lard attached to it but the muscle or meaty portion contains a lot of water, hence why it spits when fried, this is important later as well, but initially heating your pans gently releases both oil and water from your bacon.
2. don't try to cook bacon to perfection straight out of the oven, the KEY to GREAT bacon is allowing it to cool completely. turn your pans and the bacon regularly as they cook and only cook your bacon to the appropriate color consistency, a light bronze straight from the oven is best. Drain the bacon grease and set aside (I use the grease in multiple other dishes).
after the bacon has cooled usually for service all that is needed is reheating rather than actual frying or baking.
*the perfection of bacon comes in the cooling process. I'm sure that more than once you baked your strips till the consistency you desire then as it cools it became extremely brittle or even turned a paler color. this is beccause without really knowing it was overcooked (easy to do and fast
) if you cook your bacon to color rather than consistency after the bacon cools it becomes crisp because the water is allowed to finish evaporating leaving you a pliable yet crisp product.If I am at home making a bacon/egg/home-fry breakfast from scratch here's my juggling act so I can still let the bacon cool.
One iron skillet preheated in the oven, lay out bacon and bake. remove pat dry and refrigerate. slice potatoes thinly into pan and bake for 10 minutes then take taters out of the oven and fry till soft and partially crispy. remove taters salt and set aside. scrape potato leavings aside break eggs into pan then get the bacon back out of fridge to reheat. put everything together in the last couple of minutes and voila. perfect bacon, crispy homefries, 2 eggs easy over.... now where did i put that slab of steak?
sorry for the wall of text. hope this helps you get some great results
Bacon it's whats for dinner!
I use a flat pancake griddle to cook bacon.
If I'm just cooking for myself I'll just set it out for a few minutes, then fry it in a pan. I've never had trouble cooking perfect bacon- well, my perfect, at least 
Have you tried baking it in an oven? I put it on a tray and pop it in for about 15 minutes. It's useful when you need to mass-cook bacon (isn't family reunion breakfast time so much fun?) and you don't have the time or room to pan fry it. Same bacon.
Have you tried baking it in an oven? I put it on a tray and pop it in for about 15 minutes. It's useful when you need to mass-cook bacon (isn't family reunion breakfast time so much fun?) and you don't have the time or room to pan fry it. Same bacon.
This method works well for me...
Mark:
+ 1 because Cast Iron is the 'ony way to go".
Christopher
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Making on the stove is messy with grease spitting everywhere. Wouldn't grease spit even if you start in the cold pan when you do the flip? And how big are your cast iron pans? I want to cook a package at a time, not 4 or 6 slices.
Yes, I currently bake it in the oven. I can see where StuporStar is coming from with the reheat method because you can get a great crisp pan frying precooked bacon. But then I don't see why bothering flipping the bacon 1/2 way through baking if you are going to cool then retry. Seems unnecessary and likely to get spat on by shooting grease.
Yes, I currently bake it in the oven. I can see where StuporStar is coming from with the reheat method because you can get a great crisp pan frying precooked bacon. But then I don't see why bothering flipping the bacon 1/2 way through baking if you are going to cool then retry. Seems unnecessary and likely to get spat on by shooting grease.
In the oven at about 350 on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam.
Or chicken fried...mmmm chicken fried bacon...
Or chicken fried...mmmm chicken fried bacon...
Started baking it a few years ago, haven't fried any since. 350F/175C oven temp, strips laid side by side about 1/4" apart on tin foil lined baking sheet. Turn at ten minutes. This just keeps the strips from sticking to the foil. Bake another ten to twelve minutes. As the other poster mentioned, I bake it to a colour I like. Our personal favourite is Farmland cider house applewood smoked. It comes out a reddish brown and makes a perfect rasher.
Regards, Todd
Regards, Todd
My brother swears by cooking bacon in the microwave. I will have to ask him for the details again.
Thanks,
Mike
Thanks,
Mike
Non-stick frying pan. Low heat until golden and crispy.
This is what I do but I don't turn the bacon.
+1
And I use one of these:
Bacon Press
I microwave it these days. There simply isn't an easier or better way to do it.
Frying in a cast iron skillet usually results in parts of the strips not cooking completely because they are not in contact with the heated surface. Baking in oven means that I have to clean the oven more often because of the splattering bacon grease. So microwave is the way to go for me.
I use one of those Nordic microwave bacon cookers. Just lay the strips on it, put the cover on and pop it in the microwave. What makes it work well is the cover, which holds in heat an moisture. That makes the strips cook more evenly and not dry out. I don't get as good results covering the bacon with a paper towel.
Frying in a cast iron skillet usually results in parts of the strips not cooking completely because they are not in contact with the heated surface. Baking in oven means that I have to clean the oven more often because of the splattering bacon grease. So microwave is the way to go for me.
I use one of those Nordic microwave bacon cookers. Just lay the strips on it, put the cover on and pop it in the microwave. What makes it work well is the cover, which holds in heat an moisture. That makes the strips cook more evenly and not dry out. I don't get as good results covering the bacon with a paper towel.
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I baked it at 350 last night and started on a preheated pan. Flipped after 10 minutes and pulled the pan 9-10 minutes later. Have to say they were darn good. That's 100 degrees less than I normally cook it at. Much better consistency.
Frying pan, turns out best for me that way.
I use a big 14" teflon fry pan. Often I just throw the whole package in and separate the strips as it cooks. I cook it low so there's not much splatter, but if there is, well that's the price you pay.
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