From the method you're using to cook it, to
the kind of pan you use and how hot it is, there are all kinds of ways you could be doing
your favorite breakfast meat a huge disservice. Here's everything you're doing wrong with
your bacon, and how to get it right. "Hi there, thanks for joining me for a morning
quickie" Mornings can be hectic. But please don't try to shave a few minutes
off your breakfast routine by heating a pan over super high heat, and then throwing your
straight-from-the-fridge bacon into it. Will you get cooked bacon using this method? Sure. Will you want to eat said bacon? Probably not. "You'd assume the secret ingredient is love. It's actually bacon.” The problem with the cold bacon-hot pan method
is that all that glorious fat on those strips needs time to warm up and render out. If you toss cold meat into a hot pan, the
fat immediately starts to seize up, resulting in bacon that has a gummy texture. For perfectly crisp strips with tender fat,
start the bacon in a cold pan over medium-low heat, and take your time. Going low and slow ensures the fat will render
out properly, and provides the bacon its own grease to cook and crisp in. "There is no better start to the day than
eggs for breakfast. Except maybe eggs with a side of...” “... bacon.” “AHH! Hi, hah hah.” So you're slaving away over the stove, cooking
your cold bacon in a cold pan, just like you're supposed to. But your strips aren't perfect, and they're
even burnt in places. What gives? When it comes to cooking bacon, not all pans
are created equal. The cast iron skillet is king when it comes
to bacon, and that's because of its heavy bottom that evenly conducts heat. Gone will be those burned edges that you get
when you use aluminum, which gets too hot too fast and is also prone to random hot spots. As an added bonus, every time you cook bacon
in your cast iron skillet, all that luscious grease seasons the pan — proof that bacon
really does make everything better. “It'd be the perfect thing to be like be
drinkin a beer, taking your time, I don't know if you wanna be doing that at 9:30 on
a Saturday morning, but that's your call.” This might seem like an odd way to ensure
that your bacon is "crisp and tender, instead of dry and crumbly," but when America's Test
Kitchen talks, we listen, and according to their experts, the secret to better bacon
is water. To make this next-level bacon, they recommend
covering the meat with water and putting the skillet over high heat. Though we keep hearing that high heat is bad
for bacon, here the water keeps that cooking temperature low, and allows the "meat to retain
its moisture and stay tender." Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and
continue simmering until all the water has evaporated. Then reduce the heat to medium-low, and finish
cooking the bacon until browned. The result? "What you're left with is plump bacon that's
pleasantly crisp, and not tough or brittle." If you're making bacon for a crowd, nobody
wants to be stuck manning the stove while everyone else is enjoying their mimosas. The solution? Oven-cook one huge batch and go join your
brunch guests. "Fantastic.” Oven-cooked bacon seems fairly straightforward,
but there are plenty of methods out there, all claiming to be the best. Thanks to J. Kenji López-Alt at Serious Eats,
who tested several of those methods, we now know which way is the best way. There are no wire racks, aluminum foil, parchment
paper, or other tools required. Just a rimmed baking sheet and a 425 degree
oven. Line up your strips, bake for about 20 minutes
until crisp, and drain on paper towels. But if you just can't quit the wire rack method,
consider following Alton Brown's advice to avoid the dreaded wailings of the smoke detector: "When roasting bacon at 400f try lining the
pan with paper towels. They soak up the fat and prevent smoking." What's really the key to life-changing bacon? According to one GQ writer, it's a bacon press. "The world is split into two halves: the bacon,
and the bacon eaters.” The simple, cast iron press, when coupled
with a cast iron skillet, apparently has an enormous effect on breakfast meat — and
that's because it allows each and every dip and curl of the bacon strip to come into contact
with heat. As GQ's Josh Scherer explained, when you set
a strip of bacon down in a pan, the wavy parts that aren't touching the cooking surface cook
only from the rising steam. Floppy, steam-cooked bacon means you miss
out on all the melt-in-your-mouth fat and perfectly browned bits of meat. With the bacon press, you'll be cooking up
the most tantalizing bacon you ever laid your eyes on. Depending on who you ask, microwaving bacon
can be a polarizing subject. While Bon Appétit implores, "Just […] no. Please don't." …Others think it produces a perfectly edible
finished product. Here's how to microwave your bacon so you
don't regret it. Skip the paper towels and drape your bacon
strips around the edge of a bowl, place the bowl on top of a larger plate, then microwave
until crisp. The fat will drip into the bowl or onto the
plate, and the bacon will stay crisp. You're going to feel a little bit like Goldilocks
here, but to make the best bacon, you've got to cook just the right amount — or risk
a major breakfast fail. Though it might be tempting to get the job
done fast and throw a bunch of bacon into the pan at once, it turns out that doing so
is actually a recipe for disaster. According to Bon Appétit, you need to leave
about an inch of space around each strip, to allow the fat to render out and give the
bacon a chance to crisp up, rather than steaming in its close quarters and becoming limp and
soggy. “You're doing it all wrong.” On the other hand, cooking too few strips
of bacon can also end badly. Scott Vermeire of Prather Ranch Meat Company
told Chowhound that cooking just one or two pieces of bacon doesn't allow enough fat to
render out quickly enough, and therefore the pan doesn't stay lubricated. Unless you're into fully scorched bacon, nobody
has time for that. Although the royals have some strict rules
about food, they are apparently free to eat all the bacon they want. And according to a former royal chef, if that
bacon is destined for Prince Harry's plate, it needs to be cooked especially to his tastes. Chef Darren McGrady explained to Food & Wine
that an 8-year-old Prince Harry taught him a thing or two about how to cook the breakfast
meat after a trip to Florida. He remembered, "It was after [the Royal Family] came back
from Walt Disney World, and I had cooked bacon for breakfast. We serve the same bacon you can get in the
states, and I broil it just the same. But Prince Harry said to me, 'We had it in
America at Disney World, and it's so crispy you can snap it. You have to broil it first, and then you have
to put it in some paper towels and place it in the microwave for a minute.' And I thought, yeah, OK, thank you, you little
brat, teaching me how to cook. But as soon as he was gone, I tried it, and
I got this amazingly crispy bacon." For his part, McGrady says he never went back
to his old ways, and used the broil plus microwave method from then on. Score one for Prince Harry. "I'm going to save our natural resources and
respect our animal friends by becoming a vegetarian starting right now… ooh bacon.” Don't get us wrong, we won't say no to plain
ol' bacon. But every once in awhile it's fun to switch
things up, and it turns out that flavoring your own bacon might be easier than you thought. For this style, you'll want to cook it in
the oven, as this allows you to easily add the flavor mixture, and eliminates the need
for constant flipping. The Kitchn recommends using a foil-lined baking
sheet, and cooking the bacon in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes before draining the
fat from the pan. At that point, you're free to experiment with
any concoction your heart desires. Cook for 5 more minutes, and boom — flavored
bacon. Try a classic combination like maple syrup
and chipotle chili powder, or go bold with a mixture of Sriracha, sesame oil, and honey. Or how about some roasted garlic bacon? The possibilities really are endless. "Give me all the bacon and eggs you have. Do you understand?" Aside from the deliciously salty meat itself,
the second best thing that results from cooking up a big pan of bacon is the grease. Bacon grease is the secret ingredient you
didn't know you needed — you can fry your eggs in it, use it in salad dressings, and
add it to soups, stews, cookies and caramels. Honestly, you can use it in pretty much anything
you cook. While your grandma might have kept a tin of
fat in her pantry, you might, understandably, want to abide by more stringent food safety
measures. And that's as simple as pouring the grease
through a strainer, and sealing it up in a container to store in the fridge. The magic of bacon grease is that even when
cold, it's still nice and pliable, ready for whatever your needs may be — even if it's
just spreading it on a piece of toast. "That is a gorgeous piece of bacon.” Perhaps the only negative thing about bacon
is the lingering scent it leaves behind. Thankfully, there are a few ways to abolish
the ghost of bacon past. For starters, use a splatter shield, which
helps cut down on the particles that get into the air and latch onto your countertops and
walls. Second, run the exhaust fan on your stove,
or open the windows. Then, wipe down any surfaces that may have
been hit by splatter, wash the dirty dishes, and toss or launder any towels used in the
cleaning process. Lastly, if you're basically one step away
from bacon witness protection, spritz a little air freshener in the room and you'll be solid
gold. Let's face it — the bacon cooking process
can result in a pretty big mess. Whether you're using the stovetop, oven, or
microwave, there's splatter, piles of paper towels, and pools of grease to clean. But there's a way to hack it. Commit to cooking the entire package — or
two for that matter — at once. After the bacon has cooled, all those perfectly
cooked strips are now ready for the freezer. The goal here is to ensure the bacon strips
freeze individually, so that you can grab however many you need. Simply lay parchment paper onto a baking sheet,
and line up the cooked strips so they're not touching. Depending on how much you have, you may need
to add another layer of paper on top and start a new row of bacon. Throw it in the freezer for 3 hours, or overnight. Once frozen, store slices in a zip-top bag
for up to one month. Whenever you need it, just microwave the frozen
bacon for about 30 seconds. Though it might look a little silly, the bacon
weave is more than just a bacon-lover's gimmick — believe it or not, this piece of lattice-work
meat is the answer to many of your culinary woes, including dried-out meatloaf. With a bacon weave, inadequately topped burgers
are a thing of the past. Add one to a BLT or burger and you'll guarantee
a substantial amount of salty meat with every mouthful. And then there's bacon-wrapped chicken, meatloaf,
burger patties, or pork loin. Not only does it add impressive flair, it
also adds tons of flavor and keeps foods from drying out. And it's not as complicated as it looks — just
weave full or half strips of bacon like a lattice until you've formed a large enough
square, then either bake it flat until crisp, or wrap around the dish to be cooked. "Never add bacon. It ruins everything without bacon forever." Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite
stuff are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the
bell so you don't miss a single one.
