How to Cook Crispy Bacon
Unless you’re a vegetarian you probably love to eat bacon. With good reason it has become one of the most popular foods on the planet. After all, what would breakfast be like without some delicious, crispy bacon? That brings us to a commonly asked question, how do I cook crispy bacon? Because of its thin cut and high fat content, making your bacon perfectly crispy can be a little bit tricky at times. In this article I will give you three easy methods of cooking bacon. I will explain how to successfully crisp bacon on your stove top, and in your microwave or conventional oven.
One thing you may be wondering before we get started, which of these methods would I consider the best? Well, let’s see… the frying pan is by far the hardest and it’s extremely messy. The microwave is by far the easiest but at times the bacon will stick horribly to the paper towel. That leaves us with the oven, the o-so glorious oven. The oven brings the total package by giving the bacon both great flavor and texture. With all that being said, if you want to impress someone with your cooking skills, use the fry pan. If you’re in a hurry, use the microwave but if you want the best results go with the oven! Alright then, let’s begin.
Step 1: Add 3-4 slices of bacon to a cold large frying pan and turn the heat to medium-low. What you want to do here is cook as much fat off the bacon as you can without it burning. In other words you want to use high enough heat that it cooks the bacon, but low enough that it doesn’t burn.
Step 2: As your bacon is cooking constantly turn it over so that it cooks evenly on both sides. If too much fat collects in the pan you’re going to want to drain it. During this process there shouldn’t be any black on the edges of the bacon at all. If there is that means it’s burning and you need to turn down the heat. Depending on how thick your slices are or how many are in the pan, your bacon should be done in about 10-15 minutes. You will know it’s done when it turns a deep brown color. When finished drain on paper towels. The bacon should not be fully crisp while it’s still in the pan. It will crisp after the paper towels soak up the fat.
Method 2: Cooking Bacon in the Microwave
Step 1: Place 2 plain white paper towels on a plate, and place 3-4 strips of bacon on top without overlapping them. Now place a paper towel on top of the bacon or else it will splatter all over your microwave! Just gently place the paper towel over the bacon without pressing down on it. If you do the bacon will stick to it badly while it cooks.
Step 2: Put your bacon into the microwave and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Check and see if your bacon is done. If it isn’t, microwave for an additional 30 seconds or until it’s crispy.
Method 3: Cooking Bacon in the Oven
Step 1: With your oven rack in the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Step 2: Line your baking pan with aluminum foil. The one I use is about 1 ½ inches deep but you could use one that is about ¾ of an inch deep. Now separate your slices of bacon and place them side by side on the baking sheet.
Step 3: Place your baking pan into the oven. During the cooking process if fat becomes excessive you should take your pan out of the oven and drain it off.
Step 4: The bacon should be crisp into about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer bacon onto paper towels to soak up the fat.
it’s 10 am on a sunday morning in germany.. i just found your site in my feed reader, and coincidently there are quite a few strips of bacon in my fridge so i’ll give it a shot right away..
thanks! martin
Martin- thanks for the commment. I hope your bacon turns out great.
I stumbled upon your post today and learned a lot. I always seem to burn the bacon and now I understand why. The heat is to high and I let the pan warm up before I add the bacon. I do fine microwaving up but cooking the bacon on the stove is so much better. Thanks, I will give this a try!
You might try a George Foreman or similar grill. As an added benefit you get really nice bacon grease to use for cooking other things.
Cristine- thanks, I’m glad my article helped you. Cooking bacon on the stove top definitely tastes better compared to the micorowave. With a little practice you will be cooking perfectly crispy bacon in no time!
aardvarknav- thanks for your input. I was actually going to include that method. Unfortunatly, at this time I dont have the proper type of grill. I will look into some Foreman grills and add to this article.
This is the greatest site ever….. not only does it teach you how to make deliciously crispy bacon, but it fufills a ned in my life… a need for BACON!
and yes, if you are wondering, I am canadian!
eh?
Thx alot man!
OMG OMG OMG! THIS BACON WAS ORGASMIC!!!! I JUST HAD A WHOLE POUND OF BACON AND YOU TAUGHT ME HOW TO MAKE THE MOST DELICIOUS BACON EVER!!!!
YOU ARE DOMINANT, YOUR CANADIAN FRIEND, RYAN HEATON ( I KNOW ALEC )……
EH?
I love this site!!!!!! it fulfills so many bacon needs..
and yes I am canadian.. EH?
thx man…
Alec- thanks, I appreciate your comments on my site. I’m just happy to help. I tried my best to fully explain how to cook crispy bacon, and it looks like I was a successful. Stick around for more great recipes, and how-to’s in the future.
Ryan- thanks man. I appreciate your comments, it means a lot. Haha, yes, I AM DOMINANT!! I can tell you love bacon, and I am glad to provide a quality article to you. I’m hoping to get some great recipes up that go with this bacon very soon.
Once again, thanks guys!
If I’m doing large quantities, I find the oven method really convenient – and it frees up another burner for other breakfast items! One thing though, is that I don’t even bother with preheating the oven first. As you said with the pan, I start the slices in the cold oven and all works out well. Thanks for the article!
I have found that the pan method works seemingly “well-er” then the other’s.
Your from Canada Alec
EH?
friend*
I have always prepared bacon in a frying pan, but I went camping (well to a cabin anyway) and one of the guys I was with was obsessive about it only being cooked in the oven. I had never heard of that before, but it tasted really good. I am a convert now for life.
Thanks for the tutorial, I love these kind of posts on blogs. I am somewhat lost with cooking meat after so many years as a vegetarian, but these kind of posts help a lot.
I am going to try the oven method, we usually eat bacon in the morning and everything just does not fit into a frying pan.
This is awesome. I’ve got some sticky buns in the oven and they will go perfectly with some salty bacon!
Gary Vaynerchuk fan – Yes, the oven is the best way to cook crispy bacon!
Emilia – Thanks, I tried to post the best tutorial possible. Let me know how your bacon turns out.
Zoe Francois – Thanks, let me know how it comes out.
This is really interesting – I so hate watery, soggy bacon. Its raelly bizzare but here in France we can’t buy what we would call bacon & I have to store up when i trsvel to England & freeze, which then only increases the water content. Oh how I dream of crispy bacon!
I have started cooking my bacon in the oven as you recommended. It turns out so nicely every time. I’m surprised that it stays so flat and cooks evenly. I always put foil in the pan, so cleanup is quick.
recipes2share – Sorry to hear about your watery bacon
jancd – Yes, I think the oven is the best method.
Hi Just read your tutorial on BACON. Loved it, love bacon. Been addicted to it’s smell and taste since well before 1965. And after years of trial and error cooking bacon in the microwave. I purchased every little gizmo around. Then one day I stumbled upon the true secret to microwave bacon. Leave out the paper towels, yep don’t use em. One day while I was fighting the urge for bacon, I lost the fight. Went to the fridge, got out the bacon, went for the paper towels, uh oh no paper towels. Oh well what the heck lets try it without the towels. What came out of the microwave was perfect. I truly couldn’t tell the difference from pan frying. I put 4 slices on a large microwave safe plate and cook on high for 5 minutes. They come out perfect every time. Try it. You’ll like it!
Ron
Ron – Interesting concept, I will try it sometime. Thanks for contributing.
One trick I use for the oven is to put the bacon on cooling racks used for cookies and such, then put that in a pan to catch the fat and cook it. This way you don’t have to drain it mid-cook.
Aimee – That’s sounds like a great idea. Thanks for contributing!
Great review … now I want some bacon!
Paula – so do I… I think I need to run to the store
Oh , man ! It’s 3 hours before my dinner
No more thoughts about work now – only about your CRISPY BACON !!!
I totally have those same plates.
How would you make bacon on a Traeger grill? We are having BLT’s for supper, and would like to keep the heat outside!
cavale – nice… those plates rock!
TTowels – I’m not exactly sure what a traeger grill is but if it’s similar to a regular outdoor grill. Your going to want to grill the bacon on about low to medium heat. Lay the bacon strips on the grill and grill for about 20 minutes (or until crispy) turning the bacon over every 5 minutes. Also, do not close the grill put keep it opened. I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy your BLTs… They sound really good right about now!
Thanks – I’ll give it a try!
It was perfect – what a nice site – Thanks for the help!
Bacon makes the world go ’round, quite literally. I’ve just come off of a year long stint into vegetarianism, and bacon was one of my first forays back into meat. Boy was I glad to be back!
must try the oven method thanks
Thanks for this awesome info!
My oven is preheating as I type
My kids revere my cooking skills over my wife’s simply for one reason – what they call “Daddy’s slow bacon”. I use low-medium heat, don’t pre-heat the pan, and stir often during cooking to ensure all the “softness” is cooked out of it. The end result, once drained and dried, is a platter of evenly crispy bacon.
I’ve never thought to cook it in the oven! This will be fantastic since I HATE to cook bacon. I just made inside out burgers and actually surrendered to using packaged, pre-cooked bacon. That’s how badly I detest cooking it. But I can’t wait to try it in the oven. No more under/over cooked bacon, splattered grease burns, messy stove, etc. Oh and I had to laugh because I grew up using those plates. I love them!
MM Bacon. In the UK our main type of bacon is danish-style rashers, where rather than in strips, they are shaped like erm, a pork chop. Oh Iknow what it’s called Back Bacon. American style is more expensive called streaky bacon – or american crispy bacon, so our bacon is a little harder to get crispy
I am glad i found this site. It is very difficult to get crispy bacon at restaurants in Malaysia and I couldn’t make my bacon crispy with pan frying just as the ones I had in US restaurants. Thanks for the article, coz I will get to taste crispy bacon again.
Great blog! I look through your recipes and just find my mouth watering and tummy growling. I think I could never go fully vegetarian if for nothing other than bacon. Thanks for the guide on microwaving, I’ve always heard about it but been too afraid to try it.
Don’t answer the phone (or door)
Never leave bacon on the stove unattended….
I needed to make bacon for a twice-baked potato recipe and was so happy to see that cooking it in the oven was an option! Thanks for saving me from splatter burns!
Re: “Method 3: Cooking Bacon in the Oven”
You say to lay the bacon right into the pan, and open the oven and remove the tray to drain if necessary. I think the easier way would be using a grate that sits in the pan and allows the bacon fat to drain right off the bacon. This way the cooking of the bacon happens uninterrupted and evenly.
Also, every time the oven door is opened, the temperature can drop by as much as 25 degrees. Causing the oven to reheat itself a little.
Would it be bad to put a piece of tin foil above the bacon to prevent the grease from spitting all over my oven?
Douglas Walker- It would be fine, just put it loose over the top, not tight.
I just happened to come across this site and
love your ‘oven’ method for crispy bacon -
thank you
Thank you for this simple yet very helpful tip,
Im making Macaroni cheese with crispy bacon for tea, & was wondering how id be able to get the bacon crispy as needed,
Harriet
Thanks so much! Made it in the frypan this morning and turned out perfectly!
Thanks for this. As an ex-vegetarian I’ve been wondering how to get bacon nice & crispy.
One question: couldn’t you use grease proof/waxed/baking paper in the microwave instead of paper towels, at least on the top? (I’d think at least one of those wouldn’t stick to the bacon. I’m going to try anyway next time I’m ready to have some bacon.)
Thanks again!
Wow, thanks! That was some good bacon!
Thanks, so much for all that you do!
I have never been a great cook. I’ll admit it lol However we own a small farm and recently had a pig processed so I have a freezer full of bacon and I’ve never had too cook it before in my life. Thanks for these quick and easy steps. my husband should be very pleased
Peace,
P
is it ok to cover the pan in the oven to prevent bacon spatter all over the inside of the oven?
I have just found this and can pretty much guarantee that in the morning i will be going to Tesco to buy bacon to try this out. Thank you so much
Looking forward to BLTs for dinner. I have never had much luck with the fry pan OR the microwave. This site reminded me that I used to use my Pampered Chef stoneware in the oven to cook bacon. I had forgotten. I think that is the way I will do it tonight. I think I might even try the really thick bacon we got from the neighbors pig.
Question… is this the best way if you want to crumble the bacon for recipes?
Simply Sharon- Yes, this is the best way if you want to crumble bacon!
Delicious! Thanks for the tip. I was going to just put bacon in a sauce I was making, to go with chicken. But instead, crisped up the bacon and put it on top. My husband was a big fan.
i just microwaved bacon, yea son
Ah! bacon! Nothing like it for breakfast with eggs and toast! And, oui, je suis Canadienne!
I use the microwave most usually … I start with four paper towels without tearing them. Fold so that there are three under and one to fold over. I use a bacon griddle … a plate works about as well. This will handle five slices easily. I Microwave for four minutes and then rotate 1/4 turn. Then I finish out for a total of 1 minute per slice plus one minute. Works great and no sticking to towels.
Thanks so much for sharing this! I tried the baking method and it was – by far – the best bacon ever!!!
thank you for your nice explanation i love crispy bacon but when ever i try it never becomes the way i want to i ll be tryiong your microwave tip hopefully it works.
Nice one.
Cheers from England. Im going out specially to get straky bacon. This will go well in the burger im about to make.
2 things though.
Cooking meet in a microwave seems like sacrilege to me
What is with americans and teaming up bacon and sweet things?
(I did however find out in arizona that crumbling bacon in american pancakes is heavenly)
the frying pan one worked like a charm cheers!
My bacon is currently in the oven. I can’t wait to eat a bacon sandwich…mmmm! Thanks! This is going to beat heating it in the microwave.
I like your post, because I loooove bacon. The pig is my favorite animal of all. I do actually prefer make bacon on the floppy side and not so crispy, but your methods are solid. I’m definitely not a microwave user, but the frying pan and oven are ways I’ve used before. Pork belly is king!
I’m going to make a wild guess here, but if you want a decent amount of bacon you almost have to use the oven? According to fry-pan directions, you’d have to wait for the pan to cool to do the next few slices. Seems like a pain, to me.
That being said, I have done the oven way and I really do like it.
Sharon- yes, the oven would be the best method if you are cooking a decent amount of bacon.
I was directed here after attempting to cook bacon with the below result. Thank you.
http://i48.tinypic.com/dyrx34.jpg
Hi Bobby. Thanks for this – extremely helpful as I’ve never been able to cook great bacon.
One thing – and I know you’re going to find this hard to believe – but the USA isn’t the centre of the universe and the internet goes world wide! Who would have thought?
So 375 degrees F = 190 degrees C.
With that said, I live in Australia, and went to my local farmers market and bought some organic bacon and used your method a a few tips from your readers – thanks Tara for the tip that you don’t need to heat up the oven, and Aimee for suggesting putting the bacon on cooling racks. The bacon was devine!!!
I’m new at cooking, and I’ve always been really scared to cook bacon on the stove top because I was afraid I’d burn myself! Tried this today, and it turned out wonderful! Thank you for the awesome tips! (:
Which of these options would make the crispiest bacon without burning?
Jasmine – All of these options will make crsipy bacon without burning. I would recommend using the oven but make sure you keep an eye on it.
i tryed this in the microwavw it didnt work
wow….i made it in a fry pan….till dark brown and had to drain the fat 3 times during heating…
finally after 10 mins…. i added pepper…its so yummy thanks for the idea this was my first time to have bacon in my life and i cooked so yummy …from now on wards no chicken only bacon
wow I’m making american style breakfast tomorrow for Shrove Tuesday in Britain, going to try the oven method hope it turns out well thanks for the easy step instructions
Hi
Just did this for the wife on monthers day, we had american pancacks with crispy bacon, Amazing! did pan and oven method both worked great. thanks!
Andy U.K.
I am 70 years old and still burn my bacon, thanks for your tips.