Whether it’s breakfast, brunch, or dinner, perfectly crispy bacon will never not be good. So, how do you make it deliciously crispy?
Bacon can be cooked crispy whether on the stovetop, in the oven, microwave, or even air fryer. But the flour trick or water tip can help elevate the crispiness of bacon. For turkey bacon, all you need is a little bit of oil.
How long can you keep bacon crispy, and how can you make it crispy in the oven, microwave, and air fryer? Discover how below!
How do You Make Bacon Crispy and Not Chewy?
Restaurant bacon is said to be superior to home-cooked bacon. Today, this isn’t always the case.
There is a trick to achieving that crispy tasty bacon. It is said to be time-tested but not that many people know it.
The secret is flour. Yes, you read that right.
What you do is coat the strips of bacon with all-purpose flour. Shake off excess flour and put them on a sheet lined with pieces of parchment paper, with a layer in between if you stack them. After you do this, refrigerate them.
You can cook the bacon in the oven or on the stovetop (source: Bon Appetit).
Another one that seems to do the trick is water. If you’re getting your bacon to dry from the tip above, you’ll be getting them wet this time around.
According to Kitchn, adding water to coat the bottom of a pan on medium-high heat will render the fat enough to prevent splattering. And by the time the water has evaporated, the bacon strips will cook crispy without losing that tender quality (source: Kitchn).
The edges are brown and crispy but the whole bacon is not burnt. This bacon cooking method was also tested out by Delish and yielded the same results.
According to them, straight-up cooking bacon directly on the pan made more splatter and the bacon turned out crispy but brittle using the same cooking temperature (source: Delish).
Who would’ve thought that adding flour or water could make such a difference?
With this said, there are also other factors that affect bacon’s crispiness.
One factor is its composition. More fat means it will cook crispy. Another factor is the types of bacon.
American bacon is made out of the belly of a pig. This makes it have abundant fat as you would see in each strip. Another type, back bacon, is taken from the loin part of the pig which makes it meatier.
Consumers are drawn more to the taste of bacon than nutrition. This can be because fat can concentrate the taste of a dish (source: Food Business News). Moreover, we also have taste receptors in the tongue for fat (source: Bulletproof).
When it comes to fat in bacon, a firmer fat results in crispier strips that are less deformed (source: Canadian Journal of Animal Science).
How Long Does it Take to Crisp Bacon in the Oven?
According to our research, bacon will crisp up with 20-25 minutes of cooking time in the oven.
To achieve this delicious goodness, line bacon pieces on a baking sheet with aluminum foil. They should touch each other but not overlap. Bake for an average of 20 minutes at 400° F (204° C).
How To Make Crispy Bacon in a Microwave
In the microwave, what you need are paper towel-lined plates. Lots of them. Top the bacon with paper towels as well.
This is because bacon fat will render inside the microwave, as it would in other cooking methods. The paper towels will absorb the fat to prevent mess.
Microwave your bacon on high for 3-4 minutes and add 30-second bursts until your desired crispiness has been achieved.
The disadvantage of this method is that you’ll need tons of paper towels which can be impractical (source: All Recipes).
How to Make Crispy Bacon in an Air Fryer
Those who’ve tried cooking bacon in air fryer argue that it is definitely less messy and simpler than cooking it the conventional way (oven or stovetop). Thick bacon slices will need a longer cook time than thin-cut ones.
What you do is fill the basket with a single layer of bacon and don’t overfill it. Air fry the bacon at 400° F (204° C) for around 10 minutes. Check the bacon halfway so you know if you need an extra minute to make it more crispy (source: A Pinch of Healthy).
Does Thick Cut Bacon Get Crispy? How?
Thick bacon will cook longer than thinly-sliced bacon. A good recommendation is to use a rack on a baking sheet and line it with thick bacon.
Because the thick bacon is elevated, the bottom surface is away from the rendered fat. This helps it render more fat and become crispy (source: Inspired Taste).
Does Turkey Bacon Get Crispy? How?
Turkey bacon cooks fast (source: Inspired Taste). Turkey bacon also gives off little to no fat. Fat is what makes bacon crispy.
To address this, you may preheat a little amount of oil in a skillet. Cook the bacon and turn it in every 2-3 minutes. The cooked bacon strip should be crispy for 8-10 minutes (source: America’s Test Kitchen).
We hope this helps as a guide in your crispy, perfect bacon journey!
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