Marianne Martinez
Bacon is a beloved breakfast staple, but getting it just right can be tricky. Whether you like your bacon shatteringly crisp or chewy, the goal is evenly cooked strips without burnt bits or rubbery pockets of fat. One of the most important factors in achieving the perfect bacon is the temperature of the pan. While some people swear by starting with a preheated pan for crispier slices, others argue that starting with a cold pan is the key to uniform crispness without burning. So, should you preheat your pan for bacon? Let's explore the pros and cons of each method.
Characteristics of cooking bacon in a pan
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Pan type | Skillet, cast iron skillet, oven pan |
| Pan temperature | Cold, low-medium heat |
| Bacon texture | Crispy, chewy, shatteringly crisp |
| Bacon placement | Bacon slices should not overlap |
| Bacon preparation | Remove from the fridge 15 minutes before cooking |
| Cooking method | Stovetop, oven |
| Cooking time | 15-20 minutes |
| Cooking oil | Bacon fat, butter, lard |
| Cooking tools | Tongs, spatula |
| Post-cooking treatment | Drain on paper towels, newspaper, or a brown paper bag |
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What You'll Learn
Bacon cooked in the oven doesn't require a cold pan
Cooking bacon is an art, and there are many ways to achieve the perfect crispy, golden strips. One of the most hotly debated topics is whether to start with a cold or hot pan. While many advocate for a cold pan when cooking bacon on a stovetop, this rule does not apply when baking bacon in the oven.
Oven-baked bacon is a convenient method that delivers fantastic results. By placing the bacon in a cold oven and then turning it on, you can achieve evenly cooked bacon without the hassle of flipping or monitoring it constantly. The slow rendering of fat in a cold oven prevents the bacon from burning or sticking to the pan, resulting in crispy, uniform strips.
The oven temperature and cooking time are crucial factors in achieving the perfect bacon. Preheat your oven to between 350°F and 425°F. Line a baking sheet or tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Arrange the bacon slices lying flat on the prepared baking sheet, ensuring they don't overlap.
Place the tray in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. For a crispier texture, increase the cooking time by a few minutes. Keep an eye on the bacon to ensure it doesn't burn. Once it reaches your desired level of crispness, remove it from the oven and transfer the strips to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess grease.
Baking bacon in the oven eliminates the need for a cold pan and provides a straightforward, hands-off approach to cooking this beloved breakfast staple. So, the next time you're whipping up a batch of bacon, don't fret about preheating your pan—just pop it in the oven and let the magic happen!
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Bacon cooked on the stovetop should start in a cold pan
Bacon is a breakfast staple, but it can be tricky to get right. The stovetop is a classic way to cook bacon, and there are several methods to achieve crispy, evenly cooked strips. One of the most important tips is to start with a cold pan.
When cooking bacon on the stovetop, it's best to use a heavy skillet with a thick base, such as cast iron. Before turning on the heat, lay out your bacon strips in the pan. They can be close together, as bacon shrinks while cooking, but avoid overlapping them. Starting with a cold pan ensures that the bacon and the fat heat up together, resulting in evenly cooked strips. Thick-cut bacon is best for this method, as it cooks up crispy on the outside while retaining a chewy, meaty interior.
To cook, turn the burner to medium heat. Once the bacon starts sizzling, flip the strips and move the pieces from the centre of the pan to the edges, and vice versa. This technique helps to prevent burning and ensures even cooking. If the bacon releases a lot of fat and starts to submerge, carefully pour off the excess into a container. Continue the "flip-and-shuffle" until the bacon is almost at your desired level of doneness, then remove it from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. The bacon will continue to cook and crisp up outside of the pan.
While cooking bacon on the stovetop in a cold pan takes a bit longer, it's worth the wait for perfectly crispy, evenly cooked bacon. This method may not be ideal when cooking for a crowd, as the oven method is more efficient for larger batches. However, for a small number of bacon strips, the stovetop cold pan method is a great way to achieve delicious, crispy bacon.
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Use a splatter screen to reduce mess
Bacon is a very important component of breakfast. Even if your scrambled eggs rival those of your favorite restaurant and your pancakes are fluffy, ruin the bacon and breakfast may be doomed. The biggest rule for cooking bacon on the stove is to always start with a cold pan. However, frying bacon can be messy and cause a splatter that can be painful if it touches your skin. This is where a splatter screen comes in.
A splatter screen is a simple tool that can be used to reduce mess while cooking bacon. It is a mesh screen stretched across a metal circle with a handle. The mesh keeps most of the grease in the pan, while still letting steam escape. This is important because if you were to use a lid instead of a splatter screen, you would end up steaming your bacon instead of frying it.
Using a splatter screen is simple. When cooking bacon, simply place the splatter screen over the top of your skillet or frying pan. The screen will catch the droplets of grease that fly out of the pan when the bacon hits the hot surface, preventing grease from splattering all over your stove. You will need to lift the screen to turn the bacon, and then again at the end of cooking to remove the bacon from the pan. After cooking, the screen will be greasy, but your stove will be much cleaner.
Splatter screens are flat and wide, designed to cover cookware of various sizes. The handles often fold up for easy storage. You can find splatter screens sold in sets of different sizes, and they are usually inexpensive. While they do need to be cleaned after use, it is much less time-consuming than cleaning a stove or kitchen vents.
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Drain bacon on paper towels or newspaper
When cooking bacon, it's important to drain the excess fat so that the bacon doesn't end up too greasy. To do this, you can use paper towels, a cut-up paper bag, or newspaper, placed on a plate to absorb the grease. If you want to avoid using paper towels, there are several alternatives you can try:
Cut-up Paper Bags
If you have any paper bags lying around, you can cut them into squares and place them over your plate to absorb the grease.
Bamboo Paper Towels
Bamboo paper towels are a great, eco-friendly alternative to regular paper towels. They are highly absorbent and can be used multiple times.
Rags
Old cotton rags or shirts that are too stained or ripped to be donated can be cut up and used to soak up the grease. Just be sure to wash them with detergent and let them air dry afterward.
Bacon-Only Dish Towel
Purchase a cotton dish towel that you use exclusively for draining bacon. Just be sure to wash it by hand, as oil-soaked fabrics can be a hassle to clean in the washing machine.
Bread
Bread can also be used to soak up the excess grease from your bacon.
In addition to these methods, you can also cook your bacon in the oven, which may reduce the amount of grease that needs to be drained afterward. Whether you're cooking on the stovetop or in the oven, always start with a cold pan to allow the fat and meat to heat up slowly and evenly, resulting in perfectly crispy bacon without burnt bits or rubbery pockets of fat.
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Bacon should be cooked slowly, at a low temperature
Cooking bacon can be a tricky affair, and there are several ways to go about it. While some prefer to use a skillet, griddle, or stovetop, others opt for the oven, microwave, or even a deep fryer. One of the most important factors in achieving perfect bacon is managing the temperature and cooking it slowly.
Bacon is a fatty meat, and cooking it slowly at a low temperature ensures that most of the fat renders away, resulting in crispy, golden brown bacon. If the temperature is too high, the bacon may burn or cook unevenly, leaving rubbery pockets of fat. Starting with a cold pan is recommended, as it gives the fat and meat time to reach the same temperature, cooking more evenly. Thick-cut bacon benefits from this method, resulting in a crisp exterior while retaining a chewy, meaty interior.
However, cooking bacon slowly and at a low temperature does not mean that it has to be a lengthy process. While some advocate for preheating the oven or pan to speed things up, it can be a delicate balance. Preheating can increase the risk of burning the bacon before it reaches the desired level of crispness.
The key is patience and allowing the bacon to cook slowly, only flipping it when it starts to brown. This "flip-and-shuffle" method helps achieve evenly cooked strips. Additionally, if the bacon is rendering a lot of fat and submerging in it, pouring off the excess can speed up the cooking process.
In summary, bacon should be cooked slowly and at a low temperature to allow the fat to render gradually, resulting in crispy, evenly cooked bacon without burnt or rubbery bits. While preheating the pan or oven can reduce cooking time, it requires careful attention to prevent burning. The cold pan method, combined with slow cooking and attentive flipping, yields the best results for stovetop bacon.
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Frequently asked questions
No, bacon should be started in a cold pan. This lets the fat and the meat get to the same temperature and cook evenly.
When you put cold bacon in a hot pan, it will seize up, making the fatty parts of each strip flabby.
Bacon cooks best low and slow. Whether on the stove or in the oven, don’t cook it at a temperature that’s too high or you risk uneven cooking, or worse, burning the bacon.
