Ivy says:
I might be the last person on earth to discover that frying bacon is easy peasy. When I was a kid at home, my mom always microwaved the bacon. That takes forever and you constantly have to pour off the bacon grease, which is a pain. I asked mom once if you could just fry it and she told me the grease pops and hurts, so it’s better to microwave bacon.
My husband has always said that is total rubbish, but the one time I tried to fry bacon in a pan, the grease DID pop and burned the crap out of me, so I never fried bacon again. Until today. Faced with a combination of practically no food in the house, a late paycheck, and Dreamhost overdrafting the crap out of my bank account (thanks, Dreamhost!), it was cook bacon for dinner or starve. I opted for the bacon.
It’s all a matter of having the proper tools, I think. I used the electric skillet my mom got me for Christmas and tongs to fry the bacon. Cooking bacon on an electric skillet made all the difference, I think. When the grease started to get too hot and started popping, I just turned the temp down on the skillet and the popping quit. Sure, you can do this on a stove, but I think maybe an electric skillet de-heats faster than the stove. And using tongs helped me not slosh the bacon grease all over the place as I would with a spatula. Word.
Seriously, if you struggle with spatulas like I do, get some tongs. Tongs might be the most useful kitchen item I own. If you’re like me and fear the bacon grease, give it a try in an electric skillet if you have one. And tongs, get tongs, those are a must.
I love my tongs. I don’t think I can live without them. I actually have 2 pair, but the one that is about 50 years old is my favorite. Not only are they a must for bacon, they work great with hot dogs, turning chicken fingers, just about anything you can think of.
You crack me, Ivy. You just plumb crack me.
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Yes! TONGS! I had an unfortunate frying experience with chicken-fried steak, a spatula, and a little too much grease. My husband took over, and when I came out to the kitchen and saw him with the tongs I felt like such a dummy!
Spatter screens are also very helpful in taming bacon grease and other frying, popping things.
i found directions for cooking bacon in the oven and do it that way, a whole package of bacon will fit on a jellyroll pan — no splattering grease, and it all gets done at once
Tongs rule my kitchen. I have a big pot thing full of tools, but I use four things regularly: a bamboo spatula (great for risottos), a slightly flexible nylon spatula, a big spoon for stirring and my spring-loaded tongs. I bought “indestructible” non-stick pans just so I could use my steel tongs without worry.
I bake mine. I put it into a casserole dish at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. I save the grease for beans and such, so I pour off the grease and keep it in a can.
The oven rocks my bacon. I’m all for “set it and forget it” cooking.
Drain the grease off of bacon in the microwave? It doesn’t have to be like that! Put down a layer of paper towels (5-6), add a bacon layer, more paper towel on that, add a second bacon layer if you need to. Just make sure there are a few paper towels over the top of everything. The paper towels absorb all the grease. I have to wash my microwave turntable afterward, but no big deal, it’s just greasy on the surface – no pools of bacon fat. The easiest way to cook bacon by far, though, is sticking the bacon on cooling racks you place on sheet pans and bake it in the oven. I do mine at 375 until it is done – 20-30 min. depending on how crispy you like it.
OK, Ivy, now that Dreamhost has piled zillions back in your bank account (heh) go spend some on one of two gadgets. Either get yourself:
1) a bacon press (it’s a thick sheet of pyrex-type glass with a handle that presses down the bacon (ooh, so that’s where they get the name…) and, since it covers most of the bacon, it cuts down on the splatters; or,
2) get a microwave plate designed for bacon. It’s got ridges the bacon lies on and the grease collects in the valleys between the ridges.
3) a lid for your electric skillet.
😉
I’m still hundreds in the hole. Alas, Dreamhost. 😉
Baking bacon sounds like a fine idea, thanks for the tips, y’all!
And Andrea! That’s genius, I would have never thought of stacking the bacon like that in the microwave! I am totally going to tell my mom that tip!!
Oven baking bacon for me, too.
Yep, the oven is SO much less mess & trouble!
And for a few slices in the micro, agreed, LOTS of paper towels is the answer!
I won’t even detail the bacon methods I’ve used or the failures I’ve had – and I do consider myself competent in the kitchen. I feel like such an amateur – what useful tips you all gave! This useful info on bacon definitely fits under “what you wish your mama taught you. . .”
I also bake my bacon in the oven. I use a broiler pan and the grease just drips into the bottom pan . Perfect, crispy, bacony goodness every time.
I think the easiest way is to bake in the oven. 350 degrees flipping once. Bacon needs to be drained as it cooks so it comes out perfect if I use the double pan that came with my oven. It has slits in the top layer and the grease falls down into the pan below.
I love the oven!! I preheat to 350, put the bacon on a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and bake for about 15 mins. My daughter loves it!
Add me to In the oven with a jelly roll pan crew.
When I have eggs to turn, toast to butter and potatoes to watch (cholesterol heaven breakfast anyone?) I don’t want to worry about anything else.
I put a lid over my bacon and THEN use tongs. Prevents spatter all around. I cook Gyro meat this way too.
My dad used to put it on an electric griddle. The griddle had a small channel around it that drained into a little drawer underneath it. No draining since it drained itself!
Tongs are a must! I have one set. That seems to satisfy my needs. 🙂
I use a spatter screen when I cook bacon.