Bacon can be prepared in many different ways, but the traditional method is to fry the bacon. You can eat bacon with eggs, pancakes, and other breakfast foods. You can also crumble it and add it to salads. If you don’t have access to a stove and a wok or frying pan, don’t worry, there are substitutes!
[Edit]step
[Edit]bacon fry
- Use room temperature bacon. Take the bacon out of the refrigerator and let it sit for 5 minutes. This softens the fat in the bacon. Don’t fry cold bacon.[1] If you’d like, you can marinate or season your bacon at this point. For ideas for marinades and seasonings, see the section of this article on adding flavor to bacon.
- If the bacon is frozen, you’ll need to thaw it first. Do not fry frozen bacon. Instead, allow the bacon to thaw on its own in the package or in a bowl of room temperature water. Do not microwave bacon to defrost it.
- If you’re in a hurry, wash the bacon under cold running water before it thaws.[2]
- Place the bacon on a cold skillet or frying pan. You can use a cast-iron skillet or frying pan as long as it’s cold. Place several slices of bacon on skillet or pan. The slices of bacon should be nearly touching, but not overlapping. If you overlap bacon, it won’t cook evenly.[3]
- A regular frying pan will work just as well as a cast-iron skillet, but a cast iron skillet will cook the bacon faster.
- Turn on the stove and start frying the bacon. Set the temperature to “Low” and let the bacon cook. As the bacon begins to heat, you will see bacon fat pooling in the bottom of the pan. This helps the bacon cook evenly. If there’s a lot of bacon fat, you might consider pouring some into a heat-safe bowl or jar. Don’t pour bacon fat down the drain, or you could risk clogging the drain.[4]
- If you want crispy bacon, consider filling the skillet or frying pan with enough water to cover the bacon. Set the temperature to “high” instead of “low”. When the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to “medium,” and once the water boils, reduce the heat back to “medium-low.” Continue to cook the bacon in its fat until it is golden-brown.[5]
- When the bacon is about to curl, turn it over with a fork. After a few minutes, you’ll notice the bacon is starting to bubble and curl. Turn the bacon over with the help of a fork. You can use either fork as a mini spatula and slide it under the bacon slice before flipping it. You can also wrap a bacon slice between the tip of a fork and flip it like this; This gives you more support and control.
- Continue cooking the bacon until it is done. The amount of time you cook your bacon depends on how well done you like your bacon. The crispier you like your bacon, the longer you’ll need to cook it.
- Remove bacon from skillet or pan and drain off fat. Once the bacon is cooked to your liking, transfer each piece to a paper towel-lined plate. Let paper towels absorb any excess fat before serving the bacon.
- You can also place the bacon on sheets of newspaper, cut up paper bags, or on a wire baking rack placed over a cookie sheet.
[Edit]Adding Flavor to Bacon
- Consider adding some variation to your bacon. You can make your bacon more flavorful by marinating it or rubbing spices on it before frying it. You can also mix it with other food items. This section will give you some ideas on how to add extra flavor to your bacon. To learn how to fry bacon, see the section on frying bacon in this article.
- Add some spices to the bacon. You can give your bacon an extra burst of flavor by rubbing a combination of spices on it. Make sure the bacon is at room temperature before adding the spices. Let the seasoning sit on the bacon for a few minutes before frying.[6] Here are some combinations:
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon apple or pumpkin pie spice.[7]
- 1 tsp brown sugar, ¼ tsp ground black pepper.[8]
- 1 Tbsp granulated garlic and 1 Tbsp paprika.[9]
- 1 ½ Tbsp of dark brown sugar.[10]
- Marinate the bacon with sauce, salad dressing or syrup. Place some bacon in a dish and cover it with sauce, salad dressing or syrup of your choice. Make sure both sides of the bacon are coated. Put the bowl in the fridge for 30 minutes, then fry as usual. Consider marinating bacon with any of the following:[11]
- 1 cup pineapple juice and 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- Italian Salad Dressing
- Jaggery
- teriyaki sauce
- Maple syrup. Thinner, Vermont-style maple syrup works best.[12]
- Note that the sweet sauce and dressing will caramelize when you fry the bacon. This will result in some stickiness and mess.
- Make some bacon pancakes. While there isn’t quite as much seasoning or marinating, it is possible to combine two of the best breakfast foods: bacon and pancakes. Make some pancake batter and fry up some bacon. Take the bacon out of the skillet or frying pan, place it on some paper towels, and drain off the grease.[13] Place bacon back on skillet or pan, leaving space between each slice. Pour the batter with each slice of bacon and let it cook until the batter starts to bubble (about 1 to 2 minutes). Flip the bacon pancake over, and let it cook until the underside is golden (about 2 minutes).[14]
[Edit]Using Substitutes for Frying
- Consider other cooking methods. While bacon is traditionally fried, sometimes due to time constraints or lack of equipment, frying is not an option. Luckily, there are a variety of ways to cook bacon. This section will show you how to cook bacon using a microwave, oven, and grill.
- Cook bacon in the microwave. Place a few strips of bacon on a paper towel-lined plate, then cover the bacon with another sheet of paper towel. Place the plate in the microwave and cook it for 1 minute. Be sure to watch your bacon, as every microwave is different and your bacon may end up sooner.[15]
- The more paper towers you cover the plate with, the more fat the paper will absorb. This will give you more crispy bacon.
- Cook bacon on the grill. Turn on your grill and set it to medium heat. When grill is hot, place bacon on rack. Turn it over and let it cook some more until the bacon is crispy and golden. It will take 5 to 7 minutes.[16]
- Bake the bacon in the oven. Cover a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack over it. Arrange the bacon on a wire rack and place everything in a cold oven. Turn on the oven and set the temperature to 400°F (205°C). Let the bacon cook for about 20 minutes. For crispier bacon, increase the baking time by a few more minutes.[17]
- Consider flipping your bacon. Bake the bacon for 12 to 15 minutes, then turn over. Let it cook for 10 more minutes.[18]
- Placing the bacon on a wire rack will allow the excess fat to drip down and not cause grudges around the bacon. This will allow the hot air in the oven to circulate around the bacon and cook it more evenly.
- Placing the bacon in a cold, oven, without preheating it, gives you flatter bacon and prevents it from shrinking.
[Edit]Video
[Edit]Advice
- Place the bacon on a cold skillet or griddle first, rather than allowing the skillet or skillet to heat up first.
- Consider seasoning or marinating the bacon.
- Consider filling a wok or pan with water and cooking the bacon over high heat, gradually lowering the temperature as the water level drops. This will give you crispy bacon.
- Consider saving the grease for other cooking purposes. Never pour bacon grease down a drain. It will harden and can cause problems with plumbing.[19]
[Edit]Warning
- Never allow bacon to cook unattended. You can start a fire, burn down your house, or more importantly, burn down your bacon.
- Crackling and sizzling of grease is normal—as are droplets of hot grease flying from the pan. Be careful when frying bacon so the grease doesn’t accidentally splash on you and burn you.
- Try not to cook bacon over full heat if you can avoid it. Slow cooking helps render out the fat and improves the flavor.
[Edit]Things you’ll need
- bacon
- cast iron skillet or frying pan
- fork.
- Shred up a paper towel, newspaper, or paper bag
[Edit]Related wikiHows
- baking frozen bacon
- Make Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs
- cook bacon in the microwave
[Edit]Reference
[Edit]quick summary
- Huffington Post, How to Cook Bacon: The Ways to Achieve Perfection
- [v162237_b01], 20 September 2022.
- The Kitchn, How to Cook Bacon on the Stovetop
- like to know, how to cook bacon
- Lifehacker.com, Fry Perfect, Crispy Bacon Every Time With Water
- Mastering the Art of Manhood, Human Food: How to Cook Bacon Properly
- like to know, how to cook bacon
- like to know, how to cook bacon
- AllRecipes.com, Bill’s Fried Bacon
- like to know, how to cook bacon
- like to know, how to cook bacon
- Mastering the Art of Manhood, Human Food: How to Cook Bacon Properly
- MrBreakfast.com, Bacon Strip Pancakes
- Martha Stewart, Bacon Pancakes
- LifeHack.org, How to Cook Bacon Perfectly Like a Chef
- Chatelaine, 4 Ways to Cook Bacon
- Cooking Light, How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
- Machismo, the best way to cook bacon
- like to know, how to cook bacon