by Sheila Rae Watson

Created on: February 26, 2009   Last Updated: March 26, 2009

How to cook bacon~

Bacon has to be a universal food; every ethnic group seems to have their own version of this savory meat. It comes in chunk, slab, sliced, diced, smoked, canned, frozen, and pre-cooked versions. We can get bacon wrapped around any number of meats, seafood, and buried deep inside quiches and savory pies. Yes, bacon is a well-rounded food, beloved for its crisp crunch, deep flavor, and satisfying fat content. We love our bacon!

We do not all know how to cook bacon it is known to stick violently to skillets, it cling to itself when the cook is trying to separate the slices. Bacon burns quickly on one side and then is raw on the other.

Bacon is tricky to cook, but cook it we do. Here are a few hints and tips for cooking this sometimes-finicky wedge of porcine meat.

Frying bacon:

-Place bacon into a cold skillet in a single layer; bring over medium high heat.

-As the bacon cooks, wiggle it around to loosen it from the bottom of the skillet.

-Do not turn bacon over until the first side is browned slightly, flip it, and let the second side brown before flipping it again. Continue turning it over until it is crisp and dry to the touch.

Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels or brown paper. At this point, it can be eaten, or placed in zip-lock bags and stored for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can freeze it. After that time, it can become soggy and lose its crispness.

Oven frying:

If you use a lot of bacon as they do is diners and cafes then cooking bacon in the oven is indeed a good method.

Preheat oven to 350F. Arrange bacon on a lightly oiled baking tray (yes that's right) or spray it with non-stick cooking spray. Bake the bacon until it is crisp, about 20 minutes. Keep checking it, bacon can burn quickly.

Deep-frying:

Although not recommended as a way of cooking bacon, it can be done. When you deep-fry bacon it tends to curl up into a tight little bacon ball, so if you try this first spread the bacon out into a cold deep fry basket, press it down with your fingers, it needs to stick to the basket.

Place the basket into the deep fryer and cook until the bacon is crisp, about 3 minutes for 4 pieces. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the basket.

Cooking bacon in your deep fryer will flavor the oil and if the bacon is sugar cured it will ruin the oil with the sugars; it will break down almost immediately and have to be changed.

No matter how you choose to cook bacon, it will reward you with delicious crunchy, savory sandwich fillings, breakfast sides, tender bacon flecked scrambled eggs, and a multitude of other uses. Bacon is man's best friend, sorry Fido!

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