it seems like such a simple thing - cooking bacon, doesn't it? yet every time i make it, i struggle with getting it to come out perfect. i like my bacon crispy while my husband prefers it "not burnt". i know that i need to start with a cold pan but in the end i always end up with strips of bacon that vary from soggy to chewy to burnt. *sigh*
today i was determined to do better. first i consulted the internet and my facebook community for some tips. weighing my options - i could either go with the stove top method or the oven method (the microwave method was immediately dismissed) - i decided that a "real" cook would only cook it on the stove top. that's me, the real cook - ha!
so i pulled out my largest skillet, laid in 3 slices of bacon (don't ask me why i didn't use my griddle pan instead - ugh) and got started with my masterpiece. i quickly realized that cooking 3 slices of bacon at a time wasn't going to cut it - we were going to have to eat in shifts by the time i finished cooking all the bacon. plus, what do i do about the whole "starting with a cold pan" thing? do i have to drain the bacon fat from the pan and let it cool before i start again?? aaiiiyeee! so while the bacon was cooking in the pan, i decided to fire up the oven and cook the rest of the bacon that way. bonus - i get to taste test my bacon and really decide which method is better!
"bacon, bacon, bacon...i can't read!"
the methods
stove: lay the bacon in a cold pan. turn burner on to medium low (what does that even mean??). cook for 10-15 minutes, turning bacon frequently.
oven: heat oven to 375 degrees. line pan with aluminum foil and lay bacon in pan. bake for 15-20 minutes.
drain bacon on paper towels before serving.
the verdict
taste: i think they were both equal in flavor and texture. the oven bacon cooked a little more evenly since i noticed that the pan-fried bacon was cooking more quickly in the middle than they were on the ends, despite being on my largest burner. that said, i still would have preferred it to be just a tiny bit crispier.
effort: hands down, the oven ROCKS this category. i threw them in the oven and didn't have to think about them for a full 15 minutes. no flipping, no turning, no splatter, no fussing with the burner knobs. plus it freed me up to cook/prepare all my bacon accompaniments. awesome.
clean up: in this category, the oven had a slight edge. since the cookie sheet was lined with foil, i was able to pick up the foil to discard most of the oily mess. but since it takes two pieces of foil to full cover my cookie sheet, oil had seeped between the seams and the cookie sheet was still pretty well covered in oil. the edge here though is that i did not have to deal with any of the brown crispy bits that had adhered themselves to my frying pan. all of that was on the foil and was a breeze to pick up and toss.
*UPDATE 08/25/12 - i made them in the oven again but this time i only used ONE sheet of foil and i just turned up the edges to make a little tray. ALL the oil stayed on the foil and clean up was a snap. so the oven totally kicks ass in this category too. winner, winner, chicken dinner!
in my bacon future it will be OVEN all the way! and if i want it more or less crispy all i have to do is adjust the cook time!
the visuals
most of the bacon had already been gobbled up by my family before i even thought about taking pictures (after demands made by my FB friend). here are the photos i managed to snap before it was all gone. and i have to apologize because the resolution isn't great - they were taken with my tablet and not my super duper canon S260X.
here is my plate. the strip on top is from the frying pan and the strip on the bottom is from the oven. as you can see, i've already taken a nibble out of the top strip and my daughter stole one of my toast points!
considering that my 3 year old chowed down on 2 1/2 slices of bacon, i'd say this was a success! she's never eaten more than a few nibbles before but today she was all "more bacon, please!" yay, mommy!
have some bacon tips or photos you'd like to share? i'd love to hear from you!
