topic Re: How Do You Cook Bacon? in Kitchen

How Do You Cook Bacon?

Kay SD — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 22:30:43 GMT

I'm looking for a new way to cook bacon. Don't eat it often, but when I do I want it to be perfect. I like mine on the medium-to-thin and crispy side.

I like the ease of the microwave but it uses a lot of paper towels and isn't so good with thin strips as it is with thick.

I don't like the way it sits in the rendered fat and curls up in a skillet.

I like using the toaster oven, but don't like cleaning the spattered grease. The big oven doesn't make sense for a few strips of bacon.

How do you do yours?

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

sunshine45 — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 22:37:37 GMT

i make mine different ways (microwave, in a skillet, and in the oven). lately i have been using a large cookie sheet wrapped with heavy duty aluminum foil in the oven. i put the bacon on the cookie sheet, put it in a cold oven, then i set it for 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes depending on the thickness of the bacon. i then remove it and place them on paper towels.

if i do it in a skillet i like using a bacon press. i have a glass one. that helps prevent the bacon from curling AND protects the stove a bit so there is not too much splattered grease.

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

Yardlie — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 22:41:41 GMT

I never cook bacon at home. When I was at my sister's at Christmas, she used the big oven to cook the bacon...turned out great.

Once when I really had a taste for bacon, I just purchased the pre-cooked bacon from the store.

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

chickenbutt — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 22:51:38 GMT

I started doing it in the oven some time back, because I didn't like how much it shrank by frying it.

What I do is lay it out on aluminum foil on a sheet pan and, to preclude splatter, I put a sheet of parchment paper over the top of the bacon. Works great and don't have to clean the oven afterward.

I do 400F for 20 minutes. I get a medium crisp with that. Then, of course, I put it on paper towels, on a plate, to de-grease it. I don't like using a rack when baking it because it just makes more mess. I am able to adequately de-grease the bacon with the old tried and true paper towel method.

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

Krimpette — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 22:55:28 GMT

I love bacon, but try not to eat too much of it. When I cook it I use my square electric frying pan. I only do 5-6 strips at a time until their done to my desired crispness. Sometimes, if I'm doing a whole pound, I undercook them a bit and then drain and package them to store them in the freezer. Then I can just take a couple of strips at a time and "nuke" them if I need them for a sandwich, for example.

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

RedTop — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 23:03:44 GMT

I prefer my bacon microwaved. My husband likes to fry bacon, and he has finally started using the square skillet and glass press, which keeps the bacon nice and flat while it cooks. I just don't like all that liquid grease, which he pours into a glass jar and throws in the garbage.

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

Kay SD — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 23:05:53 GMT

chickenbutt, I never thought of using parchment on top to prevent splatters. Is it reusable? And do you think your method would work in a countertop oven? I like the way it turns out from the oven but I hate cleaning the oven.

Krimpette, I didn't know partially cooked bacon would freeze well. Does this work best with the thicker slices that are not so fragile?

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

chickenbutt — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 23:06:54 GMT

It's a good idea, Krimpette, to ration it out like that. I've never even imagined doing it, but I bet I could eat a pound of bacon if I allowed myself.

What I do is, when I bring it home (I get a couple pounds of my fav one when it's on ad once or twice a year) is take out a long, sharp knife and cut the whole thing in half. I put each half pound into its own Foodsaver bag and vac seal it to keep in the freezer. (PS: it's a little easier to hack it in half if you par-freeze it first, but it can be done unfrozen too)

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

chickenbutt — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 23:10:11 GMT

On 1/13/2014 Kay SD said:
chickenbutt, I never thought of using parchment on top to prevent splatters. Is it reusable? And do you think your method would work in a countertop oven? I like the way it turns out from the oven but I hate cleaning the oven.

Krimpette, I didn't know partially cooked bacon would freeze well. Does this work best with the thicker slices that are not so fragile?

Hi Kay! I just thought it up one day when I needed some bacon for a recipe and I had just cleaned the oven. It seemed like a good idea so I tried it and it worked perfectly. No, I didn't re-use the sheet of parchment paper but I suppose it could be. It 100% precluded splatter, though, so it was worth it. I always keep a roll of parchment or two on hand plus I have 10" rounds and some half-sheets too, that I got from KA Flour.

I suppose you could do the same thing in the convection oven. I don't know why not. But man, as much as I love my convection oven, it's kind of hard to clean so I haven't tried doing anything particularly messy in there. The parchment/bacon thing shouldn't make a mess, though, because it lays right on top of the bacon. Just pull off a sheet large enough to totally cover it. I pulled out a sheet that covered the entire area of my baking sheet.

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

goodstuff — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 23:14:58 GMT

I cook bacon on medium-low heat in a nonstick skillet. I don't worry about laying it out straight; I just spread the bacon out in the pan and stir and move it around as it cooks till it's browned and much of the fat is cooked out. Then I drain it on paper towels on top of thick newspaper before serving.

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

Sooner — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 23:16:09 GMT

I like the microwave because we do it on a paper place with a paper towel over it and there is no mess. I have found that lately some of the cheaper bacon brands NEVER get crisp, they just turn into jerky. I think it is probably that after injection the water and salt content is too high for the to fry--they just steam in that juice.

If you have that problem, try a better brand.

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

Kay SD — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 23:16:26 GMT

Doing a whole pound at once, with the idea of freezing it for later use, makes it reasonable to crank up the big oven (which, I'm bound to say, is a storage space most of the time). Good ideas, people. Thanks!

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

greamy — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 23:21:20 GMT

Just a little different way, I always use the foil to protect the pan for clean up, but I cover the foil with parchment paper. I don't like the bacon interacting with the foil, the salt and everything, so I use the parchment. Never thought to use it also on top for splatters, thank you.

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

JeanLouiseFinch — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 23:23:04 GMT

One I learned to make bacon in the oven, I haven't looked back. It's so easy and it doesn't curl up, comes out right every time.

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

Kay SD — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 23:32:15 GMT

I have occasionally had bacon that would not crisp but stayed a bit soggy, especially when cooked in a skillet. Never thought to check if they added water.

Bacon always seems so different from package to package, regardless of what brand I buy. I had a four pound package from Costco last year; three pounds were the best I've had in a long time and the fourth was terrible. It's a big mystery. Like why different hard boiled eggs from the same dozen can be easy and impossible to peel...

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

chickenbutt — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 23:37:25 GMT

One of my favs is Oscar Mayer Thick Cut. A while back I tried Farmer John's thick cut and that was fine, too.

Haven't tried the Costco brand, although I do know their brand is usually quite good. But weird that some of it was good and the rest not so much.

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

mom of 7 — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 23:38:53 GMT

I broil the whole pound of bacon in the oven. Comes out nice & crispy and the leftovers are used in other dishes.

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

willdob3 — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 00:14:23 GMT

I have bacon & eggs almost every morning for breakfast. It is a regular part of my healthy nutrition plan for losing weight. I just cook the bacon in a pan on my stove.

I'm working on using my microwave as little as possible & can't imagine using the oven to cook bacon every day.

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

Mom2Dogs — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 00:18:27 GMT

I use the broiler in the oven....I use the broiler pan that came with the oven, put a bit of water in the bottom (for the grease to swim in) and broil, I leave the oven door ajar and watch closely..turn several times. It comes out nice and crisp and not swimming in grease.

Re: How Do You Cook Bacon?

Kay SD — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 00:26:56 GMT

Does anybody know if you can do bacon in a George Foreman, or is it too thin?