Bacon...

[George K]

I joined a group on FB about air fryers. I thought I could get some tips, recipes, etc.

The subject of bacon came up.

I guess people really use their air fryers for bacon. I've tried it and it's OK, good, in fact. But it's a PITA to make, and takes way too long.

Several years ago I bought one of these gizmos:

I used it about half a dozen times and said, "Screw it. Too much work."

So, I've made bacon

1. In a skillet
2. Using that stupid red thing
3. The air-fryer
4. Baked in the oven
5. Microwave

My unsolicited opinion? Microwave is the best. Other methods might taste a bit better. But you can't beat the microwave for speed, ease, and ease of cleanup:

Put the bacon between two sheets of paper towel. Put that on a microwave-safe dish and nuke for 2 minutes. If not done, repeat adding 1 minute each time.

Cleanup is easy, no grease to deal with, and tastes damn good.

And...fast.

[Mik]

I like it in the oven. You can make more at one time.

Had the best bacon in my life yesterday at a restaurant. Turns out it’s locally made at a BBQ joint. Went there and got some bbq yesterday. Fantastic stuff. Now I have to convince them to sell me some bacon.

[George K]

@Mik said in Bacon...:

I like it in the oven. You can make more at one time.

6 slices in the microwave is no problem;

Give it about 4 minutes and add time appropriately.

[Klaus]

I’ve never tried microwave. Does it get crispy?

[George K]

@Klaus

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/articles/5063-microwave-your-way-to-crispy-not-flabby-bacon

I love bacon, plain and simple. It just makes everything—from tacos and galettes to rice cereal treats and doughnuts—better. What I don’t love? Actually cooking it. With the stovetop method, you end up with grease splatter everywhere. With the oven method, you have to wait for the oven to preheat and then wait another 15 minutes for it to cook through (or more, if you like it supercrispy like me). But with the microwave method, you can get crispy, splatter-free bacon in 5 minutes flat. The key: paper towels.

Sandwiching the bacon between two layers of paper towels allows the towels to absorb fat as the bacon cooks, preventing grease from splattering all over your microwave. That means cleanup is as easy as sticking a single plate in the dishwasher.

It’s a technique that we love at America’s Test Kitchen Kids, and one that we turned to frequently when developing our brand-new cookbook for teens.

Place up to 6 slices of bacon between 2 layers of paper towels on microwave-safe plate.

Microwave until bacon is crispy and golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes (cooking time will vary depending on your microwave).

[jon-nyc]

@George-K said in Bacon...:

@Mik said in Bacon...:

I like it in the oven. You can make more at one time.

6 slices in the microwave is no problem;

Give it about 4 minutes and add time and paper towels appropriately.

[George K]

Other methods might give you results that are a bit better, but not to my taste.

The question is, how much hassle do you want to go through to get "just a bit" better taste?

In my case, none.

[Aqua Letifer]

@George-K said in Bacon...:

Other methods might give you results that are a bit better, but not to my taste.

The question is, how much hassle do you want to go through to get "just a bit" better taste?

In my case, none.

️

[George K]

@Aqua-Letifer you're going to spend, probably 100% more for speakers that sound about 5% better....

Life is compromises.

[Aqua Letifer]

@George-K said in Bacon...:

@Aqua-Letifer you're going to spend, probably 100% more for speakers that sound about 5% better....

Life is compromises.

But bacon, man!

[Jolly]

For taste, texture and ability to have everything get done at once - oven.

[89th]

90% of the time we use the microwave. Fast, easy, clean, and yes the bacon gets crispy. The oven is better (let's the bacon soak in its own fat) but takes longer to cook and clean up.

The best piece of bacon I ever had was at the Streamsong golf resort in Florida. It was a good 1/4" thick... hot damn that was an amazing piece of bacon.

[Copper]

The place where they make the bacon is maybe a 5 minutes drive from here. The whole town is dedicated to the pigs.

Statues like this are all over town. You can buy a cement pig statue to put in your flower beds.

[Jolly]

Link to video

[Copper]

Awesome, I watched the whole thing

[LuFins Dad]

George, you just finally convinced me to get rid of my microwave. We hardly ever use it for anything. About the only thing we use it for these days is to quickly heat berries that are then mashed into a pancake topping for Finley. But to think that someday we may be tempted to use it to make quick bacon? Brrr.... Better to get rid of it now before the temptation to try it even occurs.

I mean, there's no work once its in the oven, and having the smell of it cooking is the best part...

[George K]

@LuFins-Dad said in Bacon...:

I mean, there's no work once its in the oven, and having the smell of it cooking is the best part...

Other than the cleanup, and the time to cook.

Do a taste test - nuke a couple of strips and bake a couple. Better yet, have your bride do it and not tell you which is which.

Because science.

[LuFins Dad]

@George-K said in Bacon...:

@LuFins-Dad said in Bacon...:

I mean, there's no work once its in the oven, and having the smell of it cooking is the best part...

Other than the cleanup, and the time to cook.

Do a taste test - nuke a couple of strips and bake a couple. Better yet, have your bride do it and not tell you which is which.

Because science.

Or don't...

Because art.

[Jolly]

Microwave bacon is tough. Oven is not.

Cooking.

[Aqua Letifer]

@Jolly said in Bacon...:

Microwave bacon is tough. Oven is not.

Cooking.