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Bacon: Baked or Microwaved


MickinMD

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After reading the excellent "Bacon Keeps" thread by @Randomguy where, like my brother Tim, he says bake it instead of frying it, I decided to do an Internet survey. There are a lot of variations indicating there's a lot of leeway in how you do it - I liked Jet Tila's straightforward way best.

I also discovered that one of my favorite TV chefs, Jacques Pepin, microwaves bacon (optional: brush on maple syrup or honey - Martha Stewart brushes maple syrup on after baking in oven), So I'm going to try both the oven and the microwave oven.

Below is the video from "Iron Chef America" host Chef Jet Tila on baking bacon, the microwave it video from Jacques Pepin, and then the recipe file I compiled and stored in the "Pork" subfolder of my "Recipes" folder, including my take and slight modifications of Tila's instructions including storing the leftover bacon in the refrigerator or freezer:

Bake Bacon in an Oven:

Bake Bacon in a Microwave:

Here's my 2-page Bacon word file cut and pasted here:

Bacon - Bake it around 375°F or Microwave

 

I surveyed several bacon-is-better-baked online recipes (notes at bottom) and they vary: I think there’s a lot of leeway in how to do it right. I also like Jacques Pepin’s Microwave technique (below the Baked Bacon instructions) and he’s one of my favorite TV chefs so I will try it. I like “Iron Chef America” host Chef Jet Tila’s straightforward technique for baking best and here are his instructions with just a few of modifications to suit me to his great video:

https://youtu.be/O_sLeYiFWLI

 

Oven Baked Bacon

 

1. Preheat oven to 375° (full convection if you have it) and apply spray oil (or lightly rub oil) on a sheet pan big enough to hold your whole package of bacon.

2. Arrange the whole strips of bacon in a single layer on a sheet pan (or on a rack over a sheet/baking pan if you want extra crispy).

3. Bake the bacon for 15-20 min or slightly less if you like softer bacon. (Chef Tila did 15 min. and got crispy bacon just slightly soft).

4. Put the bacon you want to eat immediately on top of paper towels on a dish to drain off the extra grease.

5. To store the bacon in a freezer*:

a. Bake the bacon just slightly softer than you want to eat

b. Place it on paper towels on a dish to remove most of the grease

c. Place the bacon strips in Ziploc Freezer Bags (separated by plastic wrap?)

d. To cook, place the strips you want on a paper towel and nuke on medium (“5”) power for 30 seconds.

6. To store the bacon in the refrigerator:

a. Lay out a 12” x 12” sheet of plastic wrap and then place in a rectangle in the

middle of the plastic wrap two half sheets of paper towels, slightly overlapping.

b. Place the bacon you want to store on the paper towels - you can stack the bacon strips - and then fold up the plastic wrap, wrapping the bacon nice and tight and it’s good in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

c. When you want to use some of the refrigerated bacon: take out how much you want and either:

1. fry it on a pan until it starts to bubble (saves about 7 minutes cooking it from scratch) - the advantage being you can cook your eggs in the bacon grease

2. Place it in the microwave and nuke on medium (“5”) for 20 seconds or more.

Based on Chef Jet Tila’s Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_sLeYiFWLI

* Freezing baked bacon source: https://www.momontimeout.com/baking-bacon-how-to-guide-to-making/

 

Jacques Pepin Microwave: Minute Recipe: Sweet Crisp Bacon

 

I learned how to cook bacon in a microwave oven from my wife and I now never cook it any other way. It's easy and fast and crisps the bacon uniformly. There can be variations in timing from one microwave to another, but regular bacon generally cooks in about 4 minutes and thicker slices require up to 6 minutes. Cook the thick slices for 4 minutes initially and then check them every 30 seconds or so and continue until the bacon is cooked to your liking. Choose as lean a bacon as you can find. I prefer thick-sliced bacon. Brushing the top of the slices with maple syrup or honey imparts a delicious taste.

Arrange 4 bacon slices side by side in one layer on a corrugated microwave tray. Brush with 2 teaspoons maple syrup [on video he says, “or honey if you want”], turn, and brush on the other side with 2 teaspoons more syrup. Cover loosely with a sheet of paper towel and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Check, cook for another 30 seconds, and then check again. Continue cooking, checking every 30 seconds, until the bacon is well crisped (about 6 minutes total).

Mick’s Note: Can use refrigerate and freezing techniques in the Baked Bacon above.

Source: https://www.kqed.org/w/morefastfoodmyway/episode211.html

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNYL9mLAFyY

 

 

Notes on the online bacon baking recipes surveyed:

 

All of them say to arrange the bacon in a single layer - if on a sheet pan, spray the pan with spray oil first. Some say with the strips not touching each other (they’ll stick together) but Jet Tila, and others let them touch.

Some “amateur” YouTube posts and Blogs say bake it at 400°F - one, “momontimeout.com says don’t preheat the oven. The “major” celebrities I surveyed say 350° - 400°. It may not matter much.

Rachel Ray says preheat an oven to 375° and bake it for 15-18 min. on a “slotted broiler pan or a wire cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet.”

Source: https://www.rachaelrayshow.com/recipes/25373_how_to_bake_bacon

Martha Stewart says preheat an oven to 400° and bake it for 15-18 min. on “a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet.” arranging bacon in a single layer and, if desired, after removing from oven, brush with maple syrup.

 Source: https://www.marthastewart.com/326885/maple-glazed-bacon

America’s Test Kitchen says, “Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange bacon slices in a large jelly-roll pan or other shallow baking pan. Roast until fat begins to render, 5 to 6 minutes; rotate pan front-to-back. Continue roasting until crisp and brown, 5 to 6 minutes longer for thin-sliced bacon, 8 to 10 minutes for thick-cut. Transfer with tongs to paper towel–lined plate, drain and serve.” Source: https://www.npr.org/2011/12/07/143259669/tried-and-true-tricks-from-americas-test-kitchen

“Iron Chef America” host Jet Tila says 350° to 375° (he sets it to 375°) for 15-20 minutes (he sets it to 15 min. and gets crisp bacon just slightly soft) “with full convection.” He likes the bacon flat on the sheet pan rather than on a rack “unless you like it extra crispy.” He ‘s got a great, short video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_sLeYiFWLI

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You must be supposed to bake it because it’s called bacon not microwavon.

21 minutes ago, Allen said:

You need one of those bacon pans with the ridges for it to work well in the microwave. 
 

yep, and cover it with a paper towel. When my wife gets in the mood she wants bacon and eggs every day for breakfast. I can do the eggs over medium, the toast and the bacon in about five minutes total. Served with a glass of lemonade. 

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