Most breakfast tables are incomplete without bacon in them. When you cook your bacon the right way, what you have is crisp, chewy and tender. Overcooked or undercooked bacon can ruin the taste of your breakfast. Is it possible to ruin bacon? Yes! There are some bacon cooking mistakes that a lot of people make without realizing how it affects the quality of their breakfast bacon.
1. Putting cold bacon in a heated pan
The issue with placing bacon from the fridge into a hot pan is that the fat on the bacon strips does not have enough time to warm up and render out. Once cold bacon gets into a sizzling pan, the fat seizes up and becomes gummy instead of crisp. For the best bacon, place the bacon in the cold pan and turn up the heat to medium-hot. Go low, go slow till the fat comes out and cooks the bacon to perfect crispness.
2. Using the wrong pan
Aluminum pans are the worst to cook bacon in. The best pan is the cast iron skillet when it comes to cooking bacon. The bottom of a skillet is heavy and so conducts heat evenly. This helps to prevent burnt strip edges or your bacon getting cooked too quickly. Iron skillets let the fat sizzle early enough and cook the bacon itself.
3. Not adding water to the pan
A secret to nicely cooked bacon is to add a bit of water to the meat and cover the skillet on high heat. The water will help the bacon to retain its moisture and cook all tender. Once you notice the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook till the bacon has that characteristic brown look. Adding water to bacon also reduces the chances of burning.
4. Poor oven-cooking habits
Stop cramming too many bacon strips into a baking pan and cooking. The best way to cook bacon in an oven is to use a rimmed baking sheet and put the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Line up the bacon strips and bake for about 20 minutes. Take the bacon strips out and drain them on paper towels that will soak up the fat and ensure that you don't have greasy bacon for breakfast.
Use these tips today, and you will see a significant improvement in the quality of your bacon.