“Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.” Doug Larson, journalist.
Wouldn’t you love waking up to the enticing aroma of crisp, savory bacon every morning? Obviously yes but the lengthy process of frying a mere handful of strips of bacon at a time, followed by the aftermath of a grease-splattered kitchen, for just a few fleeting moments of melt-in-your-mouth goodness can certainly be a deterrent.
Perhaps if there were an easier way to cook bacon to perfection, you could enjoy it more often.
Well, you’re in luck (though your arteries may not agree). There are actually several ways to make these crunchy, smoky slices. Check out these 10 bacon preparation techniques, some of which you may have never heard of before:
1. Air Fryer
If you hate draining cooked bacon on a stack of paper towels, air frying might be the perfect method for you. Air fryers use superheated air and minimal grease to cook foods to crispy completion, whisking away any excess oil. Place the meat on the tray in the preheated device and in 7 – 10 minutes, you’ll have fresh, hot bacon.
They may not call them toasters, per se, but a new line of kitchen gadgets created just for making bacon look and perform much like their bread-browning counterparts do. These bacon cookers, such as the Bacon Express, fry up your slices of heaven just the way you want.
The next time you fire up the barbie for dinner, make some breakfast for the next day, too. Use a solid surface, such as an iron skillet, griddle or thick foil, and cook to your liking. Unlike some other meats, it’s okay to flip the bacon as often as you wish.
Okay, so you don’t actually want to boil the bacon. You just want to cook it in a bit of water. Covering the meat with water and cooking it on high will reduce splattering and render the fat, leaving you with plump yet crisp bacon.
If waking up to the beauty of the great outdoors and the smell of hot bacon is your idea of dreamy, try this. Weave bacon strips on skewers and cook them over an open fire until crispy. Check out some other interesting campfire cooking methods here.
Some people dredge bacon strips in tempura batter and fry it up for a unique chicken fried treat, but you can simply drop it into your deep fryer—use a lot less grease, as it brings its own—and fry it up in a snap.
Of course, you can always nuke your bacon if you want it done super quick. There are numerous trays and racks you can use to cut down on time and messiness, or you can use this method, which only requires paper towels and a special bacon configuration.
Your oven produces so many delicious things. Why not add bacon to that list? Food Network star Ree Drummond offers a couple of methods, which includes placing the meat on a baking rack over a foil-lined cookie sheet and popping it in the oven. Now you’re bakin’ bacon.
The old George Foreman grill or panini press is so versatile. Grilling your bacon with the lid closed to cook both sides at once means it will be in your belly that much faster.
Tricia Goss is a Texas-based writer and editor with nearly two decades of experience. She is passionate about helping readers improve their skills, gain knowledge and attain more happiness in life. When she’s not working, Tricia enjoys traveling with her husband and their dog, especially to visit their five grandchildren.
