Roughly 95 percent of you will cook bacon at home the three ways below (we’re missing charcoal grill, blow torch, George Foreman grill, and deep fryer). As outlined in episode one of Kevin’s Bacon, there’s advantages and disadvantages to each. The microwave method Pros: You just made bacon in four minutes. Good for making crunchy bacon to top on salads (you’ll just have to cook it longer). Cons: Doesn’t attain that desired crisp texture. Makes bacon flabby while hardening the lean meat. Footnotes: The 5-4-3 method works for us. Line your plate with five folded sheets of paper towels, add four slices of bacon, top with three more sheets of paper towels. Microwaves will vary in power, but we’ve found four minutes is a good cooking time. The skillet method Pros: Cooking in its own rendered fat creates superlative end product. The ability to cook other dishes in bacon fat immediately after (potatoes, Brussels sprouts etc.). Cons: Requires you to stand over stovetop for duration of cooking. You can only cook four or five slices at one time. Footnotes: Always start the raw slices in a cold pan. If it’s too hot, it’ll quickly burn the surface of the bacon. Don’t turn up your flame above a medium-low. High heat = floppy, easily burnt bacon. Flipping often helps attain crispiness. The oven method Pros: The ability to cook multiple slices simultaneously. All slices come out consistent. Attains ideal crispy texture. No need to supervise during cooking process. Cons: Longest of the three cooking methods; requires at least 20 minutes. More laborious to clean up. “Kevin’s Bacon” is brought to you by Hormel’s Black Label Bacon. Special thanks to The Chopping Block in Chicago for usage of their kitchen.
