How To Make Perfect Bacon
Instructions
Step 1: Gather Ingredients and Equipment
Bacon can be cooked a number of ways. One of the most common ways of cooking bacon is on the stove-top in a frying pan. Some people like to cook the bacon and then use the bacon grease to fry their eggs. For cooking bacon on the stove-top you will need:
Bacon
Stove
Skillet
Utensil for turning bacon
Step 2: Cooking the Bacon
After gathering ingredients and utensils, it is time to start the cooking.
Place separated slices of bacon side by side in a cold skillet. The bacon must be in full contact with the pan, so avoid overlaying it.
Place the frying pan over low heat.5
Pour off the fat frequently; too much fat may keep it from becoming crisp.
Turn the bacon frequently to cook it evenly.6
When the fat is opaque and the bacon is still a little wiggly, transfer it to a paper towel with a pair of tongs.
Blot grease off the bacon with a second paper towel.7
People tend to either under cook or overcook their bacon. To avoid either of these, heed the following advice:
If the fat on the bacon is at all translucent, then it is not cooked enough. Give it more time.
If your bacon is very crispy in the pan, you have cooked it too long! Bacon gets crisper as it cools.
When the fat goes from generating big bubbles to producing small, foamy bubbles, your bacon is just about done.
If your bacon is still a little bendy, and the fat is opaque, then it is just right. Use tongs to remove it from the cooking surface and place it on a paper towel.
When you've moved your bacon to a paper towel, use another to blot off the fat for perfectly crisp bacon.8
Step 3: Bacon Variations
If you want to add a maple touch, Cook's Illustrated recommends drizzling maple syrup over the slices about three minutes before you plan to remove them from the oven.
Want it sweet with a little kick? Mix three tablespoons of maple sugar with one teaspoon of chili powder. Sprinkle the mixture over one pound of bacon before putting it in the oven.
One Chowhound user suggests praline bacon: sprinkle each slice with brown sugar and chopped pecans before putting it in the oven.
