How to Cook Bacon
Bacon is a versatile food that can be eaten by itself, as part of a traditional breakfast or even as an ingredient in other dishes. There are many ways to cook bacon, you can grill it, fry it, bake it or even microwave it.
What Is The Easiest Way To Cook Bacon?
The easiest way to cook bacon is in a frying pan. But if you’ve got your hands full grilling sausages and scrambling eggs, you might prefer to cook your bacon in the oven. It’ll be a little more crispy but just as delicious.
How Do You Cook Bacon In A Frying Pan?
The most popular way to cook bacon is to dry fry it. Once the bacon starts to buckle and curl, be ready to flip it over and keep flipping to ensure it browns evenly.
Do You Need Oil For Cooking Bacon On The Stove?
No, you don’t. Your bacon might stick to the pan initially, but it’s quite a fatty cut of meat and will release its own juice to cook in pretty quickly.
What Tools Do You Need To Cook Bacon On The Stove?
You can cook your bacon in a frying pan, a heavy skillet or a non-stick pan. Pans with raised ridges allow the fat to drip away from the bacon keeping it nice and crispy.
Do I Need To Flip My Bacon?
When cooking your bacon in a frying pan, you need to flip it regularly. So make sure you’ve got your tongs ready.
Find RSPCA Assured Bacon at your Favourite Supermarket
RSPCA Assured Pig Welfare
You can find out more about the higher welfare standards of pigs on RSPCA Assured farms.
Step-by-Step Guide to Cooking Bacon on the Hob
Place five to six rashers of bacon in your hot pan, ensuring they’re not overlapping.
- Cook over a medium heat flipping regularly
- 2 to 3 minutes for chewy bacon
- 5 to 6 minutes for crispy bacon
- Transfer your cooked bacon to a plate lined with kitchen roll and let it rest for a few minutes
- Serve and enjoy
How To Cook Perfect Bacon In The Oven
Not the most traditional way to cook bacon, but oven cooking does leave you and your hobs free to concentrate on other things; like getting your RSPCA Assured scrambled eggs just right.
- Preheat your oven to 200ºC (180ºC fan)
- Line a baking tray with tin foil
- Place a metal baking rack on top of the tin foil
- Lay your rashers of RSPCA Assured bacon on top of the rack
- Put your baking tray in the oven
- Thin-cut bacon: 10 to 15 minutes
- Medium-cut bacon: 15 to 20 minutes
- Thick-cut bacon: 20 to 25 minutes
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes
Should You Flip Bacon In The Oven?
Cooking bacon in the oven is hands-off. You don’t need to flip it in the oven because the wire rack helps circulate the heat.
Can You Cook Bacon In A Microwave?
If you’re in a rush and just can’t wait for your bacon, it’s OK to cook it in the microwave. It only takes a few minutes but it won’t get that nice crispy texture.
How To Cook Bacon In The Microwave
- Place two or three paper towels in a microwave-safe dish
- Arrange the bacon in a single layer on paper towels
- Cover the bacon with another paper towel
- Microwave on high for one minute per rasher
- Remove and let your bacon rest on the plate for one minute before serving
What To Do With The Fat From Your Bacon?
When you remove your bacon from the pan, it will be a bit greasy, so it’s best to drain it off. Let your bacon rest on a plate with some kitchen roll or a brown paper bag.
Saving Your Bacon (Drippings)
After cooking your bacon, you will have some fat left over in your pan (your grandma used to call this dripping), and you can use it to add flavour to other dishes. Whatever you do, don’t pour it down the sink as it can block your drain.
How To Store Bacon Drippings
Pour it through a strainer into a glass jar or container while still warm, not hot. This is important as the bits of bacon can cause it to go off quickly.
You can now store your dripping in the fridge. It will go solid, so you can spread it like butter or let it warm up and liquefy before use.
Some Uses For Bacon Drippings
It may seem strange to us now to use bacon dripping but in the past, it was quite common to add it to other meals to add flavour. Here are a few suggestions for what you can use bacon dripping for.
- Drizzle it over vegetables before roasting them instead of oil
- Use it to fry burgers or sausages in
- Use it instead of butter in baking
- Spread it on some toast
- Fry eggs or omelettes in it
- Add it to mashed potatoes instead of butter
