We all love bacon. It is the type of food people want to write poetry about, and aside from its salty goodness, it is also wildly versatile. It is no longer just a side for your breakfast table, but it can be incorporated into just about any dish. Regardless of whether your recipe is sweet or savory, bacon is there to lend a hand. There is no wrong way to eat bacon, but there are plenty of wrong ways to prepare it. The journey to a good meal can be thwarted by common and easily fixed mistakes. Join us as we dish out the biggest mistakes everyone makes when cooking bacon.
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00:00From the method you're using to cook it, to the kind of pan you use, and how hot it is,
00:05there are all kinds of ways you could be doing your favorite breakfast meat a huge disservice.
00:10Here's everything you're doing wrong with your bacon, and how to get it right.
00:14Hi there, thanks for joining me for a morning quickie.
00:18Mornings can be hectic, but please don't try to shave a few minutes off your breakfast routine
00:22by heating a pan over super high heat and then throwing your straight-from-the-fridge
00:26bacon into it.
00:27Will you get cooked bacon using this method?
00:29Sure.
00:30Will you want to eat said bacon?
00:32Probably not.
00:33You'd assume the secret ingredient is love.
00:36It's actually bacon.
00:38The problem with the cold-bacon-hot-pan method is that all that glorious fat on those strips
00:43needs time to warm up and render out.
00:45If you toss cold meat into a hot pan, the fat immediately starts to seize up, resulting
00:50in bacon that has a gummy texture.
00:53For perfectly crisp strips with tender fat, start the bacon in a cold pan over medium-low
00:58heat and take your time.
01:00Going low and slow ensures the fat will render out properly, and provides the bacon its own
01:05grease to cook and crisp in.
01:06There is no better start to the day than eggs for breakfast.
01:12Except maybe eggs with a side of…
01:14Bacon!
01:15Hi!
01:16So, you're slaving away over the stove, cooking your cold bacon in a cold pan, just like you're
01:21supposed to.
01:22But your strips aren't perfect, and they're even burnt in places.
01:25What gives?
01:26When it comes to cooking bacon, not all pans are created equal.
01:30The cast-iron skillet is king when it comes to bacon, and that's because of its heavy
01:34bottom that evenly conducts heat.
01:36Gone will be those burned edges that you get when you use aluminum, which gets too hot
01:40too fast, and is also prone to random hot spots.
01:44As an added bonus, every time you cook bacon in your cast-iron skillet, all that luscious
01:48grease seasons the pan, proof that bacon really does make everything better.
01:53It'd be the perfect thing to, like, be drinking a beer, taking your time.
01:56I don't know if you want to be doing that at 9.30 on a Saturday morning, but that's
02:00your call."
02:01This might seem like an odd way to ensure that your bacon is crisp and tender instead
02:05of dry and crumbly, but when America's Test Kitchen talks, we listen.
02:10And according to their experts, the secret to better bacon is water.
02:13To make this next-level bacon, they recommend covering the meat with water and putting the
02:18skillet over high heat.
02:20Though we keep hearing that high heat is bad for bacon, here, the water keeps that
02:23cooking temperature low and allows the meat to retain its moisture and stay tender.
02:28Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and continue simmering until all the water has
02:33evaporated.
02:34Then reduce the heat to medium-low and finish cooking the bacon until browned.
02:38The result?
02:39And what you're left with is plump bacon that's pleasantly crisp and not tough or brittle.
02:45If you're making bacon for a crowd, nobody wants to be stuck manning the stove while
02:50everyone else is enjoying their mimosas.
02:52The solution?
02:53Oven-cook one huge batch and go join your brunch guests.
02:56Fantastic
02:57Oven-cooked bacon seems fairly straightforward, but there are plenty of methods out there,
03:02all claiming to be the best.
03:04Thanks to J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats, who tested several of those methods, we now
03:09know which way is the best way.
03:11There are no wire racks, aluminum foil, parchment paper, or other tools required.
03:16Just a rimmed baking sheet and a 425-degree oven.
03:20Line up your strips, bake for about 20 minutes until crisp, and drain on paper towels.
03:25But if you just can't quit the wire rack method, consider following Alton Brown's advice to
03:30avoid the dreaded wailings of the smoke detector.
03:33When roasting bacon at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, try lining the pan with paper towels.
03:38They soak up the fat and prevent smoking.
03:40What's really the key to life-changing bacon?
03:44According to one GQ writer, it's a bacon press.
03:47"...the world is split into two halves, the bacon and the bacon eaters."
03:51The simple cast iron press, when coupled with a cast iron skillet, apparently has an enormous
03:56effect on breakfast meat.
03:58And that's because it allows each and every dip and curl of the bacon strip to come into
04:02contact with heat.
04:03As GQ's Josh Shearer explained,
04:05"...when you set a strip of bacon down in a pan, the wavy parts that aren't touching
04:09the cooking surface cook only from the rising steam."
04:12Floppy, steam-cooked bacon means you miss out on all the melt-in-your-mouth fat and
04:17perfectly browned bits of meat.
04:19With the bacon press, you'll be cooking up the most tantalizing bacon you ever laid your
04:23eyes on.
04:25Depending on who you ask, microwaving bacon can be a polarizing subject.
04:29While Bon Appetit implores,
04:31just, no, please don't, others think it produces a perfectly edible, finished product.
04:36Here's how to microwave your bacon so you don't regret it.
04:39Skip the paper towels and drape your bacon strips around the edge of a bowl.
04:43Place the bowl on top of a larger plate, then microwave until crisp.
04:47The fat will drip into the bowl or onto the plate, and the bacon will stay crisp.
04:53You're going to feel a little bit like Goldilocks here, but to make the best bacon, you've got
04:57to cook just the right amount, or risk a major breakfast fail.
05:01Though it might be tempting to get the job done fast and throw a bunch of bacon into
05:05the pan at once, it turns out that doing so is actually a recipe for disaster.
05:10According to Bon Appetit, you need to leave about an inch of space around each strip to
05:14allow the fat to render out and give the bacon a chance to crisp up rather than steaming
05:19in its close quarters and becoming limp and soggy.
05:22You're doing it all wrong.
05:25On the other hand, cooking too few strips of bacon can also end badly.
05:29Scott Vermeer of Prather Ranch Meat Company told Chowhound that cooking just one or two
05:34pieces of bacon doesn't allow enough fat to render out quickly enough, and therefore the
05:38pan doesn't stay lubricated.
05:40Unless you're into fully scorched bacon, nobody has time for that.
05:45Although the royals have some strict rules about food, they are apparently free to eat
05:49all the bacon they want.
05:51And according to a former royal chef, if that bacon is destined for Prince Harry's plate,
05:55it needs to be cooked especially to his tastes.
05:58Chef Darren McGrady explained to Food & Wine that an eight-year-old Prince Harry taught
06:02him a thing or two about how to cook the breakfast meat after a trip to Florida.
06:06He remembered,
06:07"[It was after the royal family came back from Walt Disney World and I had cooked bacon
06:11for breakfast.
06:12We serve the same bacon you can get in the States and I broil it just the same.
06:16But Prince Harry said to me, we had it in America at Disney World and it's so crispy
06:21you can snap it.
06:22You have to broil it first, and then you have to put it in some paper towels and place
06:26it in the microwave for a minute.
06:28And I thought, yeah, okay, thank you, you little brat, teaching me how to cook.
06:32But as soon as he was gone I tried it and I got this amazingly crispy bacon."
06:37For his part, McGrady says he never went back to his old ways and used the broil-plus-microwave
06:42method from then on.
06:44Score one for Prince Harry.
06:46I'm going to save our natural resources and respect our animal friends by becoming a vegetarian
06:52starting right now.
06:53Ooh, bacon!"
06:55Don't get us wrong, we won't say no to plain old bacon.
06:58But every once in a while, it's fun to switch things up, and it turns out that flavoring
07:02your own bacon might be easier than you thought.
07:05For this style, you'll want to cook it in the oven, as this allows you to easily add
07:09the flavor mixture and eliminates the need for constant flipping.
07:12The Kitchen recommends using a foil-lined baking sheet and cooking the bacon in a 400-degree
07:17oven for 15 to 20 minutes before draining the fat from the pan.
07:21At that point, you're free to experiment with any concoction your heart desires.
07:25Cook for five more minutes, and boom!
07:28Flavored bacon.
07:29Try a classic combination like maple syrup and chipotle chili powder, or go bold with
07:34a mixture of sriracha, sesame oil, and honey.
07:37Or how about some roasted garlic bacon?
07:40The possibilities really are endless.
07:42"...give me all the bacon and eggs you have.
07:46Do you understand?"
07:51Aside from the deliciously salty meat itself, the second best thing that results from cooking
07:56up a big pan of bacon is the grease.
07:59Bacon grease is the secret ingredient you didn't know you needed.
08:02You can fry your eggs in it, use it in salad dressings, and add it to soups, stews, cookies,
08:07and caramels.
08:08But honestly, you can use it in pretty much anything you cook.
08:11While your grandma might have kept a tin of fat in her pantry, you might, understandably,
08:16want to abide by more stringent food safety measures.
08:19And that's as simple as pouring the grease through a strainer and sealing it up in a
08:23container to store in the fridge.
08:25The magic of bacon grease is that even when cold, it's still nice and pliable, ready for
08:29whatever your needs may be, even if it's just spreading it on a piece of toast.
08:34"...that is a gorgeous piece of bacon."
08:37Perhaps the only negative thing about bacon is the lingering scent it leaves behind.
08:41Thankfully, there are a few ways to abolish the ghost of bacon past.
08:46For starters, use a splatter shield, which helps cut down on the particles that get into
08:50the air and latch onto your countertops and walls.
08:53Second, run the exhaust fan on your stove or open the windows.
08:57Then wipe down any surfaces that may have been hit by splatter, wash the dirty dishes,
09:02and toss or launder any towels used in the cleaning process.
09:06Lastly, if you're basically one step away from bacon witness protection, spritz a little
09:10air freshener in the room and you'll be solid gold.
09:14Let's face it, the bacon cooking process can result in a pretty big mess.
09:18Whether you're using the stovetop, oven, or microwave, there's splatter, piles of paper
09:23towels, and pools of grease to clean.
09:26But there's a way to hack it.
09:28Commit to cooking the entire package, or two for that matter, at once.
09:32After the bacon has cooled, all those perfectly cooked strips are now ready for the freezer.
09:37The goal here is to ensure the bacon strips freeze individually so that you can grab however
09:42many you need.
09:43Simply lay parchment paper onto a baking sheet and line up the cooked strips so they're not
09:47touching.
09:48Depending on how much you have, you may need to add another layer of paper on top and start
09:53a new row of bacon.
09:54Throw in the freezer for three hours or overnight.
09:57Once frozen, store slices in a zip-top bag for up to one month.
10:01Whenever you need it, just microwave the frozen bacon for about 30 seconds.
10:06Though it might look a little silly, the bacon weave is more than just a bacon lover's gimmick.
10:11Believe it or not, this piece of latticework meat is the answer to many of your culinary
10:16woes, including dried-out meatloaf.
10:18With a bacon weave, inadequately topped burgers are a thing of the past.
10:22Add one to a BLT or burger, and you'll guarantee a substantial amount of salty meat with every
10:28mouthful.
10:29And then there's bacon-wrapped chicken, meatloaf, burger patties, or pork loin.
10:33Not only does it add impressive flair, it also adds tons of flavor and keeps foods from
10:38drying out.
10:39And it's not as complicated as it looks.
10:41Just weave full or half strips of bacon like a lattice until you've formed a large enough
10:45square.
10:46Then either bake it flat until crisp, or wrap around the dish to be cooked.
10:50"...never add bacon.
10:52It ruins everything without bacon forever."
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