For a saturday, early-afternoon breakfast, I typically make bacon in my cast iron skillet. To make sure it is evenly cooked, I either constantly apply pressure with the spatula, or I use a bacon press. This is my favourite kind of bacon, greasy, krispy but slightly chewy- delicious.
If time is of the essense, I usually bust out a cookie sheet (covered in aluminium foil) and either a roasting rack or a cooling rack. I then put the oven on a 500˚ broil, slap the bacon on the rack and put it in the oven. This cooks the bacon really fast and evenly. It's not bad and much better than microwave bacon (which I use when I'm being lazy).
For all the kosher folk, how do you cook your mutton?
i love using the left over bacon greese to cook my eggs. mm mm unhealthy.
also, i have an Egg and Muffin toaster. it is amazing, it cooks bacon and eggs and toasts bread all at the same time. look it up, its amazing.
Posts: 2596 | Registered: Jan 2006
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I only eat beef or turkey bacon. Doesn't cook as well as the pork bacon (doesn't have enough fat to cook like that) but I like it. Do it pretty much the same as you do with your cast iron, but probably on lower heat otherwise it sticks really bad.
Posts: 9538 | Registered: Aug 2003
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I'd never seen bacon cooked in the oven until recently, either. I always thought it had to spatter everywhere and make you hop around the kitchen.
Aren't little red burn dots on your forearms a sign of a good cook?
Posts: 628 | Registered: Nov 1999
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I haven't ever cooked bacon because pigmeat is gross (it has nothing to do with my religion, I swear!)... but I recently discovered a sandwich (at Cafe Koko in Greenfield, MA) which makes bacon essential:
sourdough bread freshly-made pesto, spread on like mayo avocado tomato sprouts bacon!
So thank you for this thread, PC, because now I know how to cook bacon so I can make this sandwich myself.
Posts: 1785 | Registered: May 1999
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Just be careful with the broiler method, martha. If you don't watch it, it'll burn the bacon in a hurry!
That's one of the nice parts about bacon and similarly-prepared meats. They cook really, really fast under high heat.
If you're making it in the skillet, I highly recommend adding some freshly-cracked black pepper. It's delicious.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
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When I worked in the kitchen at a country club I had to make 40-50 pounds of bacon every morning. I used the oven method, since obviously that was the only fast way to do that much. I've been a fan of the oven method ever since. Mmmmmm...Bacon.
I just read an advertisement for a meal that is french fries covered in cheese and bacon covered in a philly cheesesteak. All this food thought is making me hungry.
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Oh, in addition, when I cook bacon in the skillet, I don't use really high heat. Because bacon is a mixture of muscle and fat, it tends to curl (hence the need for a bacon press). I've found that too high of head will cause the bacon to curl too quickly and it's much harder to cook evenly. So, cut the heat back a bit (between Medium and Medium-High, depending upon your stove) and you should be okay.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
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American bacon is weird. What's with the cooking it until it's dry and brittle? I can't understand why anyone would want their bacon to be crunchy.
Posts: 1528 | Registered: Nov 2004
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If I cook bacon (which is a big if while I'm at college), I do it in the microwave. Put the bacon between two paper towels on a plate and let it cook away. This is just because I'm lazy. If I had the time (and wanted to put forth the effort), I'd cook it on the stove in a pan. I usually only do that though if I'm making a big breakfast for many people (like making biscuits from scratch, cooking bacon and sausage, etc.).
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
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Doing a bit of research on British bacon, I've discovered that some people like it soggy and others like it crispy, it's just kind of hard to get it crispy. So, I guess it's not just us crazy Americans that like our bacon crispy.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
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I am of the not burnt to a crisp style of bacon consuming people. I like to be able to taste the meat not just the char.
quote:American bacon is weird. What's with the cooking it until it's dry and brittle? I can't understand why anyone would want their bacon to be crunchy.
Exactly.
It's not soggy, it's all juicy and YUM.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I prefer my bacon to be stiff, but not burnt to a crisp. Cooked too long, it's burnt and tastes bad. Cooked too little, it is soggy and not appealing. You've got to do it just right though. This is easier to do on a stove top than in a microwave though.
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
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Miracle Max liked his mutton nice and lean. I like my bacon crispy, but with a little chewiness to it. He probably wouldn't think that was "perky."
Posts: 3149 | Registered: Jul 2005
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One of the best omelets in the world is served at a greasehole in Butte, MT. The bacon and cheese (my personal favorite) consists of about a half pound of thick sliced bacon cut into thin strips, width-wise. The bacon is dropped into the deep fryer and fried, then dumped on the grill, where the eggs mixture is poured over it. Cheese comes last (but not least). This is hands down the most efficient way to make an omelet that I've ever seen and has the side-effect of being unfreakingbelievable. There's no wasted motion, and each part takes the same time it takes to prep the next step.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Bacon in cold skillet, laid flat in one layer. Cold skillet to stove. Turn on heat to about medium, medium-low. Leave alone. When bacon begins to sizzle, leave alone. When bacon accumulates lots of melted-off fat and begins to bubble, remove from heat, drain off fat, and turn. Return to heat and cook until done, draining fat again if necessary. Drain on paper towels and eat.
This results in perfect-tasting, flat, crispy strips of bacon-- perfect for a BAM, bacon, avocado, and mayo on toasted sourdough or honey-wheat, with optional sprouts.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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I bought some bacon at my daughter's request this weekend and cooked some for the girls' breakfast this morning. In a non-stick skillet, cooked till crisp but not burned. Then I poured off the grease and cooked the eggs in the same pan. My girls were shocked and happy that I actually cooked for them at 5:40 am.
I have a wonderful recipe for broccoli salad that has bacon in it, but my two youngest, who are the only ones with me at this time, don't like it. I also like to use bacon in baked beans. Corn bread baked in a little bit of bacon drippings is to die for too.
I suppose it's no wonder I struggle with my weight. <sigh>
Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
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I think I may have to go buy some bacon as well. This thred is making me hungry for breakfast foods (which is saying something since I'm not usually a breakfast sort of guy).
Posts: 1960 | Registered: May 2005
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I tried the broiling method for turkey-bacon turkey burgers tonight. With Turkey Bacon, I didn't notice a difference between frying and broiling. That's my new cooking method.
Posts: 880 | Registered: Nov 2005
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I like to cook bacon crispy but not burnt. I start it out in a skillet on medium high heat, then as soon as it shrinks and a pool of grease forms in the bottom of the pan, I turn it way down low and let it gently foam itself done, turning it over with a fork from time to time to keep it from burning. When it gets done (or almost done) foaming, I put it on paper towels to dry. This seems consistently to produce very crispy bacon that's not burnt. It's not terribly fast, but since I'm also making biscuits from scratch, which bake for 20 minutes, I just put the bacon on first and I'm not in any hurry. When the biscuits come out of the oven, it's time to start cooking the eggs while someone else butters the biscuits.
I don't eat bacon anymore, since I'm vegetarian, but that's how I cook it for meat-eating friends. I love making breakfast!
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Have you seen that ad from England for the "less splatter" bacon where the family of nudists are camping and cooking bacon?
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Heh. My mom usually gets the pre-cooked microwaveable stuff that Tstorm mentioned. It's very convenient, though not as tasty.
Posts: 1466 | Registered: Jan 2003
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