Makin’ Bacon

I don’t know the last time I fried up some bacon in a pan, splattering my kitchen with grease, standing over it, watching the bacon curl and twist… ugh, so much trouble.  It’s not that I don’t make bacon anymore, I just don’t make it in a pan.  My mom used one of those microwave contraptions to cook her bacon, but cleaning the microwave is a pain too.  Let me introduce you to the best, easiest, and cleanest method to make bacon.  I have converted many to this method, and I hope you too will see the light.

I bake my bacon.  Again, I cannot take credit for this method, but I will take credit for bringing it to the world!  First you will need a cookie sheet, or even better a device I think anyone who cooks should invest in (I have two, and can’t imagine life without them) half sheet trays. 

Once you try this technique you’ll be won over by its ease, as well as the clean up.  By lining the pan with heavy duty foil, when the bacon is done, you can pour off the bacon fat if you want to keep it (I keep mine in soup can in the freezer) and then wad up the foil, and put away your pan which is still clean!  I have tried cooking the bacon on a rack, but find laying it in the pan produces the crispiest bacon.  

I bake mine at 375ºF for 15-18 minutes, but I use thick sliced bacon.  The best bacon I have found, is the packaged, apple wood smoked, thick-sliced 365 Brand bacon from Whole Foods Market.  I have tried many others, but I always return to this one.  If you are near a Whole Foods Market, you should try it.  

My bacon always comes out flat, not curled. I can sit and read, or make pancakes while the bacon is cooking, and I don’t need to pay any attention to it until the timer goes off.  I can also make some scrambled eggs, which are my favorite.  A long time ago I was visiting a friend of my parents who lived in Birmingham, England.  She was a lovely lady, and a very serious cook.  One morning she made me scrambled eggs that were incredibly wonderful.  I imagine she used a ton of butter, and though I can’t bring myself to do that, I learned from her to cook my scrambled eggs slowly, which I still do.

Having owned a diner for four years (or so) I have learned that people are more particular about how their eggs are cooked, than almost any other thing they eat.  I am no exception, and I’m sure I annoy my servers in restaurants when I say I want my eggs soft, but not runny… I doubt anyone ever conveys that message, as my eggs generally arrive overcooked and rubbery, sometimes even browned, which I really can’t stand.   See?  Picky, picky, picky.  Cooking them slowly gives you a lot of control over when they are cooked just right for you, or the person you’re making them for.

Anyway, back to bacon.  If you don’t need a full pan of bacon, make it anyway.  The cooked bacon will last quite a while in your fridge and can go into everything from egg salad, to an omelet, to a green salad or pasta.   I can’t wait to hear from you when you try this method. Please let me know what you think.  I think this Sunday would be a good day to try it out!