Cooking bacon in a pan can often lead to a greasy mess, much like when you’re frying eggs, even if you are not using oil.
Despite this, it’s hard to deny that frying does result in perfectly crispy bacon. However, there is another method that promises the same crispy results without compromising on taste.
Professional chef and culinary instructor, Frank Proto, shared his top tips for cooking bacon on the YouTube channel Epicurious in a video titled “the best bacon you’ll ever make”.
Frank discussed the traditional method of frying bacon, as well as some less conventional techniques such as oven baking and using a microwave.
The chef demonstrated how to achieve “super crispy” bacon using a microwave. He stated: “As a chef, I have zero problems with the microwave, it’s a great tool. If you need to get your bacon cooked in minutes, and you only need two or three slices, the microwave is the way to go.”
Frank also highlighted that this method requires minimal clean-up. All you need is a few paper towels and a microwave-safe plate.
Simply place the bacon rashers on the paper towel on the plate. Cover them with two or three more sheets of paper towel to “soak up the excess fat” and “help steam” the bacon.
Then, put the plate in the microwave on high for four to six minutes. After five minutes, Frank checked the bacon and found it to be “super crispy and delicious”.
Express.co.uk even put this microwave method for cooking bacon to the test and got impressive results in just three minutes.
For those who need to cook a large amount of bacon, Frank suggested they might prefer to use the baking method.
The chef shared his ultimate bacon-cooking secret, saying: “You can cook bulk amounts of bacon, with less space, there’s no tending to the bacon, it also cooks the bacon more evenly without splatters in your kitchen, and the results are superior in every way.”
All you need is a baking tray and some parchment paper. Frank even admits he’s “lazy and doesn’t want to clean it”, which is why he prefers not using a wire rack.
He points out that cooking on parchment allows the bacon to “cook in its own fat” but reassures by adding that he “drains all the fat off” afterwards, squashing any fears of excess grease.
To start, place your streaky slices “side by side”. Frank highlighted that the “yield on the bacon is better” this way and you “don’t get as much shrinkage”.
Slide the tray into an oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius for about a quarter of an hour.
Once done, let the crispy strips drip dry on a sheet of kitchen paper to remove extra fat.
