477784 Wed Jan 09 15:09:45 -0800 2008 27 31 Home Cooking 0 3278724 Just wondering -- slow or fast -- microwave? Have tried many different ways of cooking bacon. Different methods for different brands? What's your favorite way of cooking bacon? Wed Jan 09 15:09:45 -0800 2008 136009 woodys 1 3278772 Oven all the way. Wed Jan 09 15:21:26 -0800 2008 3278724 75012 jencounter 1 3278784 425F oven for 10-12 minutes, depending on thickness of the bacon, with the bacon spread out on a sheet of aluminum foil in a half sheet pan. Mmm, perfect bacon every time. My Blog: http://www.epicureforum.com Wed Jan 09 15:24:42 -0800 2008 3278724 144280 sirregular 1 3278801 I like the Ina Garten method....put the bacon on top of a cooling rack placed on top of a rimmed sheet pan, so the fat drips off while it cooks. 400 degrees 15-20 mins (I do mine longer because I like it crispy). In the last few mins of cooking, brush a little maple syrup on. Delish. Wed Jan 09 15:28:13 -0800 2008 3278724 82143 amanda3571 1 3278805 most often, i zap it, placing slices on a plate, covering the bacon with a paper towel. 5 minutes. it sizzles in its own fat, and i can pour off the fat for future use. i used to put paper towels underneath also, but that gives a dry, stiff, unappealing result. (though fine for crumbling purposes). otherwise, i fry it instead of heating the whole oven for bacon. Wed Jan 09 15:30:07 -0800 2008 3278724 105717 alkapal 1 3278816 I have a convection microwave, & microwave a plateful for approx. 7 minutes & it is always perfect. I generally use same brand. If I had a fine, $$ brand I would not micro. it. Wed Jan 09 15:31:25 -0800 2008 3278724 71193 louweezy 2 3278994 why not micro a $$ brand? how much is "$$"? i usually use a good brand name, which i buy typically "buy one/get one" -- freezing one package while the other i open for the fridge. i guess if i were doing a huge batch of bacon, i would use the oven, but i usually wouldn't make that much. ( a pound at a time?) i have heard good things about sprinkling the brown sugar before baking for that little "sumpin' sumpin'". as to stovetop, i use a splatter screen, if needed, though usually i don't cook the bacon at high heat to spatter too much. Wed Jan 09 16:20:21 -0800 2008 3278816 105717 alkapal 1 3278953 Definately the oven. you can do lots of bacon at once with none of the grease getting all over the stove top. I sometimes sprinkle a little brown sugar over the top. I'll have to try the maple syrup one of these days. That sounds really good. Wed Jan 09 16:09:06 -0800 2008 3278724 142147 JockY 1 3278996 I like the oven on a rack over a rimmed pan as well, especially because it's an easy way to pour off and save the bacon fat. You never know when you're going to need a bit of bacon fat. ;-) Wed Jan 09 16:20:57 -0800 2008 3278724 11407 JoanN 2 3279183 Well, I've tried the oven and the microwave, and I still prefer a frying pan on the stove top. Medium temperature so it cooks more evenly and doesn't pop and spatter much. Also it's the easiest method for saving the rendered grease, which I use for lots of other purposes. Now, if I had a house full of company and had to get five pounds of bacon cooked in the next half hour, yeah, I'd go to the oven. Otherwise, I'll keep doing it the old way. Jim Wed Jan 09 17:19:15 -0800 2008 3278996 11307 Jim Washburn 3 3279468 I normally use the micro because it is so easy and fast, but it seems to be harder to capture that nice grease and little brown things. I guess it is absorbed by the bacon. For a lot of bacon, I defininely use the oven. Beautiful bacon, just not worth the effort for a small amount. The rack idea, per Ina G, sounds good. Wed Jan 09 18:53:55 -0800 2008 3279183 98904 MazDee 4 3279824 the rack/sheet is my method of choice as well [but no maple syrup for me]. we've discussed this before... http://www.chowhound.com/topics/457958 Wed Jan 09 21:17:24 -0800 2008 3279468 103920 goodhealthgourmet 3 3279733 I like use the fry pan and bottle the rendered fat also. I cook it slow and turn it often. Wed Jan 09 20:34:21 -0800 2008 3279183 11222 Infomaniac 3 3279759 me too - stovetop It isn't cooking bacon for me unless at least one time during the process I get a splat of hot grease on my wrist and do that jump back away from the stove dance. Wed Jan 09 20:45:26 -0800 2008 3279183 105150 Enorah 1 3279793 I am happy with a white plastic gadget I bought at a yard sale although I have seen them in catalogs---name is Makin' Bacon. You drape the bacon over little trees, lay a paper towel over the lot, and microwave it. I do a whole pound of bacon at once, about 3/4 done, then keep it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. When I want some, I wrap a couple of slices in a paper towel and finish it off in a minute in the microwave. The Makin' Bacon contains all the bacon grease and it cleans up very easily---more easily than a frying pan---in hot soapy water. Wed Jan 09 21:02:44 -0800 2008 3278724 15521 Querencia 1 3279977 Oven - 450 for about 15-18 mins (thick bacon) - perfect. Wed Jan 09 22:55:12 -0800 2008 3278724 67548 azhotdish 1 3280021 I've found my George Foreman grill makes fabulous bacon. Wed Jan 09 23:34:46 -0800 2008 3278724 44876 Fuser 2 3280070 I second that! It's about the only thing I use the Foreman for, but it does make excellent bacon. AND you don't have to worry about splatter. Thu Jan 10 02:24:30 -0800 2008 3280021 118114 Mattkn 3 3284980 I always use thick cut bacon that I pepper heavily with fresh cracked pepper. And so what I found is that if I am making a smaller batch I'll use the panini press, it works fine and keeps the bacon flat. Otherwise, for a large batch, then I use the oven 375, place the bacon on a rack on a cookie sheet lined with foil, or the BBQ (propane) same way. Fri Jan 11 09:23:03 -0800 2008 3280070 50431 chef chicklet 1 3280226 I use the oven, but unlike most of the folks here, I actually set the oven temp to below the smoking point of bacon fat, which is 370 degrees Fahrenheit. I usually set it to 350. It just takes a bit longer than when it's at 400, but it crisps up just as nice and doesn't make my kitchen smoky at all. Thu Jan 10 05:26:49 -0800 2008 3278724 119275 Morganna 2 3283713 I make the Chili Bacon from the Santa Fe School of Cooking cookbook, with Red Chili Honey, it's like candy. It's an oven recipe Thu Jan 10 20:40:17 -0800 2008 3280226 12752 MsDiPesto 3 3284097 intrigued by that chili bacon, i looked up the recipe: http://www.santafeartsandculture.org/magazine/santa-fe-arts-and-culture-magazine-view-article/article/60/332/neste/2/?tx_ttnews%5BpS%5D=1200052880&cHash=f2c99e864d it comes from a site with several tasty-sounding southwestern style recipes: http://www.santafeartsandculture.org/sub-sites/culinary-arts/recipes/browse-all-recipes/ Fri Jan 11 04:06:29 -0800 2008 3283713 105717 alkapal 1 3284894 I put about a pound of bacon on two part broiler pan, put it right up under the broiler on high. Turn it when the first side gets brown. It takes attentive watching, but I'm usually buzzing around the kitchen doing other stuff anyway. If we're cooking a big family weekend b'fast, people are constantly walking through the kitchen raiding the bacon, so I do at least 2, sometimes 3 batches, so there's actually some left to eat with eggs and biscuits, etc. At the end, when the pan's cool, I simply pour the fat into a container. Easy as pie, my kitchen's not greasy, and I've saved stove eyes for other things. Fri Jan 11 09:07:39 -0800 2008 3278724 68466 vickib 1 3284909 oven, 375 for about 15 mins. Fri Jan 11 09:10:36 -0800 2008 3278724 26725 swsidejim 1 3285230 I prefer bacon cooked in its own fat, chewy with a little bit of crunch. I found cooking it in the microwave between paper towels removes most of the flavor and makes it too crisp. So I use the oven, definitely. 375 or so... rimmed pan, lined with parchment makes cleanup a breeze. I pour off the bacon fat into a jar once the pan has cooled off a little. For just a few slices, I do the same in my convection toaster oven - using a 1/4 sheet pan and parchment. No turning, minimal mess and perfect bacon every time. MMMMM bacon! Fri Jan 11 10:15:27 -0800 2008 3278724 19653 mimilulu 2 3285262 mimi, try micro with less time and no towels underneath the bacon. Fri Jan 11 10:20:50 -0800 2008 3285230 105717 alkapal 1 3285821 Cast iron frying pan, low-to-medium heat, covered to start then uncovered about halfway through the cooking. DON'T use a gas grill! Fri Jan 11 12:35:22 -0800 2008 3278724 98500 Bat Guano 1 4979187 I'm firmly in the oven-at-350-on-a-rack school of thought. Since I can't eat bacon as often as I'd like (three times a day seven days a week) I bake a pound at a time and freeze it for future use, packaging up single servings using my Food Saver gadget. Frozen like this they taste pretty much like freshly made after they're thawed and very briefly re-heated in the m/wave. Wed Aug 26 08:42:31 -0700 2009 3278724 1102097 mandycat