We Tested 7 Ways to Make Bacon — One Was the Clear Winner

Key Takeaways From the Test Kitchen

• Baking bacon on a foil-lined sheet pan at 400°F for about 22 minutes yields evenly crisp, flat strips and lets you cook up to 10 slices at once — the test kitchen’s clear winner.
  

• For smaller batches, starting bacon in a cold cast-iron skillet slowly renders fat, keeps shrinkage minimal, and turns out consistently crispy slices in roughly eight minutes.
  

• Microwave, sous vide, hot-skillet, grill-pan, and air-fryer methods produced tough or uneven bacon, demanded more hands-on attention, or couldn’t match the oven’s capacity.

As far as I’m concerned, bacon goes with just about everything. From melty egg sandwiches and grilled burgers to crisp salads and even sweet ice creams, that combination of salty, savory, and slightly smoky flavor is the perfect complement to any meal of the day. When it comes to how bacon is prepared, however, there are really two camps — one for those who like an evenly crispy, well-rendered strip of bacon, and another for those who like it a bit chewier.

I happen to fit in the evenly crispy, well-rendered strip of bacon camp, but how I achieve that perfectly cooked bacon is incredibly inconsistent. Sometimes I layer bacon strips in a cold cast-iron skillet and slowly cook them over a low heat, carefully flipping every so often to ensure even cooking. Other times I’m in a hurry or focused on another element of a meal and I simply lay them on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake them until crispy. With that in mind, we tested seven different methods for cooking bacon to determine which produced the best results. Read on to find out which method we liked best.

A word about our method

Before getting into the results, it’s important to note these cooking methods were all conducted in our professional test kitchen, though all of our equipment and tools are the same used in a home kitchen. In addition, all tests used Smithfield Applewood Smoked Bacon for consistency purposes. The tests did not use center-cut or thick-cut varieties of bacon, which may produce different results.

All of the methods we tested (oven, cold start in a skillet, hot skillet, air fryer, grill pan, sous vide, and microwave) technically worked, but their effectiveness at producing evenly crisp, well-rendered, and slightly chewy bacon varied greatly.

A quick spin in the microwave

Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Rating: 5/10

Method: The fastest and most convenient way to cook bacon is in the microwave. Start by placing slices of bacon on a plate lined with two layers of paper towels. Cover the bacon with two more layers of paper towels then microwave on high for 1 minute per slice of bacon. For crispier bacon, continue microwaving on high in 30-second intervals.

Results: Our testers found cooking bacon in the microwave produced the worst results. The bacon was overly tough, chewy, and lacked everything that makes bacon so delicious (there was no browning or rendered fat). At best, one tester said it could be used for bacon bits, but another said this was the one method they would never consider using under any circumstance.

Pros: Using a microwave to cook bacon is super-simple, but that’s about the only good thing to say about it.

Cons: The results of cooking bacon in a microwave were simply not good. The bacon turned out unpleasant, chewy, and tough.

A long sous vide soak

Cook Time: 12 hours
Total Time: 12 hours, 5 minutes
Rating: 6/10

Method: This method requires an immersion circulator to slowly cook the bacon at a consistent temperature for a very long time, until the bacon is ultra-tender. Prepare an immersion circulator in a water bath according to the manufacturer’s directions and set it to 145°F. Then place an unopened package of bacon in the bath and cook it for at least 12 hours or up to 48 hours. When you are ready to serve, remove the bacon from the bath, carefully open, and cook on a cast-iron griddle over medium-high heat until browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side.

Results: What makes sous vide cooking so ideal is the controlled, even cooking for larger proteins. It ensures delicate proteins aren’t overcooked and makes for an incredibly tender final product. But that doesn’t mean it’s an ideal kitchen gadget for all applications, and it happens to be a bit overkill for preparing slices of bacon. It actually produced fine results, similar to some of our other favorite methods, but it simply takes too long for only decent outcomes for us to recommend hauling out an immersion circulator.

Pros: The bacon turned out quite good but certainly not better than other methods.

Cons: Using an immersion circulator to cook slices of bacon is overkill, to say the least. It takes at least 12 hours and the payoff is just not worth it. Of course, you also need to have an immersion circulator to use this method.

Starting in a hot skillet

Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Rating: 7/10

Method: This is the method you may be most familiar with as it simply calls for cooking slices of bacon in a preheated skillet. For this method use a 12-inch cast-iron skillet heated over medium, then arrange bacon strips in a single layer. You can likely only fit 4 slices comfortably. Cook the bacon until crispy, about 7 minutes. Flip the bacon often and adjust the temperature as needed to avoid burning.

Results: If you prefer your bacon more chewy than crispy, then this is the method for you. Because the skillet is already hot by the time the bacon hits the pan, the bacon tends to seize a bit. That means you’ll experience noticeable shrinkage and overall uneven cooking. It also takes some time to cook a full package of bacon since you can really only fit 4 slices in the skillet without overcrowding the pan.

Pros: This is one of the easiest ways to cook bacon as you only need a large skillet. It’s also relatively fast compared to other methods and produces decent results.

Cons: The bacon will seize in a hot skillet and shrink, actually creating uneven cooking. The final product is quite inconsistent, too, with some parts of the bacon crispy, while others are chewy.

Grilling in a pan

Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Rating: 8/10

Method: Similar to the hot skillet method, simply heat a large grill pan over medium, arrange slices of bacon in an even layer, and cook until crispy, about 8 minutes. Be sure to adjust the heat and flip frequently to prevent burning.

Results: The grill pan method ranks just a bit higher than the hot skillet method simply because you may be able to cook more bacon in a grill pan compared to a round skillet. But the end results are nearly identical to cooking in a hot skillet. This method requires your complete attention as you’ll need to control the heat and flip often to avoid burning. Bacon cooked in a grill pan has chewy bits and crispy areas, which is how some people like their bacon. This method is recommended by testers if you don’t have the countertop appliance in the next method.

Pros: Similar to the hot skillet method, using a grill pan is easy and relatively convenient. It slightly edges out the hot skillet method simply because you may be able to fit more slices of bacon on a grill pan rather than a round skillet.

Cons: This also produces inconsistent results, with chewy and crispy bits of bacon throughout the testing process. You also need to give the bacon your full attention as it cooks to avoid burning.

Air-frying

Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 9/10

Method: Using an air fryer to cook bacon has the advantage of hands-free cooking, but it comes with some compromises. Start by preheating an air fryer to 350°F for 10 minutes, then arrange 4 bacon slices flat on the bottom of the air fryer basket. Be sure to leave at least 1/2-inch space between each slice for even air flow. Cook until the bacon is crispy, about 8 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Results: This is the test kitchen's go-to method for anyone who prefers bacon with contrasting textures. Some parts of the bacon will be pleasantly chewy while others will be thoroughly rendered and crispy. Yes, this is hands-off cooking, but you can only fit about 4 slices in an average-size air fryer basket. While this is a solid option, our top two methods really outshine every other on this list so far.

Pros: The air fryer is hands-free cooking, producing pleasantly chewy bacon, albeit a bit inconsistent compared to other methods.

Cons: You can only fit about 4 slices of bacon in an average-size air fryer basket, plus it’s difficult to achieve uniformly crispy strips of bacon.

Starting in a cold skillet

Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Rating: 9/10

Method: Instead of preheating a 12-inch cast iron skillet, simply layer in slices of bacon to the cold skillet then turn the heat to medium. Cook until crispy, about 8 minutes, flipping often and reducing heat to prevent burning.

Results: This was the test kitchen’s recommended method if you are only planning to cook 1 to 4 slices of bacon, as it produces consistently crispy, well-rendered bacon. Also, starting bacon in a cold skillet means it won’t shrink as much and instead will lay fairly flat. If you want to make a BLT or club sandwich and need just a few crispy slices of bacon, this is the ideal method for that. But if you want to cook more bacon with similar crispy, flat results, our final entry is the method for you.

Pros: This is one of the best methods for achieving consistently crispy slices of bacon. The bacon will also stay relatively flat as it cooks, meaning minimal shrinkage. It’s perfect anytime you want to cook just a few slices of bacon at one time.

Cons: You will need to give the bacon some attention as it cooks, adjusting heat to avoid burning. You can only cook 4 slices of bacon at one time.

Winner: Baking bacon in the oven

Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 10/10

Method: To cook lots of bacon at once, start by preheating the oven to 400°F with a rack in center position. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange 10 bacon slices in a single layer. Bake until crispy, about 22 minutes, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through cooking.

Results: The absolute best way to cook evenly crispy and consistent bacon, and a lot of it at once, is in the oven. This was the test kitchen’s favorite method as it struck all the important factors: hands-off cooking, perfectly crispy bacon, up to 10 slices at once, and consistent results over multiple tests. This is also one of the simplest methods, which goes to show that sometimes the easiest, fuss-free methods produce the best results.

Pros: You can make a lot of bacon at one time and the results are very consistent. It’s the most ideal way to cook bacon if you like evenly crispy strips of bacon. This is also almost entirely hands-free, meaning it’s mostly fuss-free.

Cons: It takes a while to cook bacon in the oven compared to other methods.

Final Takeaways

While there is no wrong method when it comes to cooking bacon (aside, perhaps, from microwaving), it’s clear that if you love evenly crispy bacon and want little hands-on effort, then the oven is not only the easiest method, it’s also the best.

Read the original article on Food & Wine