What is the "perfect" way to cook Bacon?!
Answers: Everytime I cook it is comes out half not cooked & the other half Burnt. What gives, what am I doing wrong???
I think the perfect way to cook bacon is in the oven on a baking pan that has sides (a jelly roll pan). Set your oven to 400 degrees F, lay out the bacon in a single layer. Bake until desired doneness. Amount of time will depend on how thick the bacon is sliced and if you have a convection oven or not. I start checking after 10-15 minutes. :)
i grill mine its not fatty then i turn regularly when cooking on a medium grill then take it off when both sides are how i like them sometimes i like it crispy so i just leave it under a bit longer but still turn regularly.
Frying it is a mess. Microwaving has inconsistent results. Plus, neither scales well to the large amounts of bacon needed for a big brunch (or just me on a Sunday morning.) The secret is to bake the bacon in the oven.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C or gasmark 7)
Take a large cookie sheet with a lip and cover it in aluminum foil. I like the wide heavy duty stuff that can cover the tray with a single piece.
Arrange the bacon on the sheet without overlapping.
Bake for six minutes.
Turn the cookie sheet around 180 degrees.
Bake for another 4-7 minutes depending on your oven and how crispy you like your bacon.
Lift the bacon out with tongs and set on a plate covered in paper towels. I dab the tops with another paper towel too.
Result: piles of perfectly cooked bacon for your dining pleasure.
Here are the cool bits about this recipe:
All of the bacon grease is in the pan on top of the foil. Once it cools down you can lift out the foil and throw it all away. No mess. Better still, you can spoon out the fat to scramble eggs in (because what goes better with hot bacon than eggs scrambled in bacon fat?) Beet greens or spinach stir fried in bacon fat with crumbled bacon on top is delicious too.
The turning around part is the magic move. Most ovens don't heat evenly. By turning the tray around, you ensure all the bacon cooks evenly. It's really amazing to me how evident the heat variation is when you see the bacon.
If you want more bacon (and who doesn't), stick more cookie sheets in the oven at the same time. You can do tons at once this way with no additional time and minimal additional effort.
I've read a variation of this recipe that recommends putting a wire rack in the cookie sheet to keep the bacon out of the fat. I tried it. The results aren't any better, the bacon sticks to the rack, and the rack is a mess to clean up. Stick to the simple solution above.
Turn the heat down (low to medium low) and turn the bacon very frequently (almost constantly). Also, make sure you only cook a single "layer" at a time.
Bert
It might be that you need new pots and pans. Me and my boyfriend bought an entire Teflon set from Ikea (silver). They are great. Bacon can be tricky to cook. I love bacon, I eat it all the time. The best thing to do is to keep the flames on a medium heat and put about 5 pieces at a time in the frying pan. You have to constantly watch the bacon. A good tip is to turn the bacon over after about two minutes of cooking, even if it's not completely done on that side. Continue to flip the pieces over until they are cooked to your liking. Enjoy!
cookie tray (with sides) in the oven.
lay strips side by side filling up the tray dont over lap,cook at 350 watch carefully and drain the grease ,turn once and finish cooking till desired crispness.
This is the best method ive ever used and is my final choice.
if your oven heats evenly, the bacon will cook uniformly and stay flat.and you can do a large amount at one time.
peace><>
Bacon can be easily baked in the oven, resulting in amazingly flat slices. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a rack inside a baking sheet. Lay out slices and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on desired doneness level. Voila! Crispy bacon with no curls. You can also use your broiler, but I don't recommend it. First of all, the splatters not only make a royal mess, but also cause flares. Secondly, it requires much more attention. Stick with frying, microwaving or baking.
I use my George Foreman grill.
It cooks up very nicely, but since it's so thin, I find that I have to turn it once and move the bottom piece up to the top in order for it to cook evenly.
Also, the grease doesn't spatter, and the fat runs away into the little tray. I never even time it; I just check it every few minutes and I've never burned it.
Just be careful not to burn your foot.