The Microwave Method To Cook Quick, Crispy Bacon

Bacon is so versatile, that you can have it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Thanks to its smoky, salty, and umami notes, bacon tastes good with everything and can easily turn any of these meals from simple to special. Now, if you want your cured pork cooked to its signature crispiness in the shortest time, the trick is to zap it in the microwave. As a time-saving kitchen gadget, the microwave, which has long been popular for heating leftover foods, is now cherished for cooking certain meals quickly from scratch, including tasty bacon.

Begin by laying the bacon strips on a microwave-safe bowl or plate lined with paper towels. These towels will absorb rendered fat from the meat and prevent excessive greasiness. However, if you want to collect that fat and use it later in other cooking ventures, leave out the paper towels. (It will be messier, but worth it.) Ensure the bacon strips don't overcrowd or overlap too much, then cover with another paper towel to prevent splatters which cause a mess as the bacon sizzles.

Shut the microwave door and allow your meat to cook for about one minute per slice. The total time will, however, vary slightly depending on the thickness of the bacon strips, width, the number of slices, and your microwave's wattage. So start pausing to check the meat about halfway through. Your bacon is ready once the strips turn brownish and crispy.

If you're like many bacon fans, the best bacon for topping salads, soups, and even sweet desserts is the kind that's so crispy it snaps. It lends a delightful textural contrast that makes eating enjoyable. Luckily, achieving this characteristic crunchiness in the microwave is easy, but you'll have to pay attention to a few key tips.

First, start by picking the right slices of bacon. Thinner cuts crisp up better than thick slices and will even cook much faster. Second, cooking your bacon between paper towels is a must for maximum crispiness. The reason for this setup is that the more fat that's absorbed from the sizzling bacon, the drier the strips become — and the crispier they get.

Timing is another key determinant. The longer the bacon cooks in the microwave, the more it crisps. However, you must also be careful not to end up with burnt bacon. The solution? If you peak at the slices and they're still not crispy enough, continue cooking in short 30-second bursts to avoid overcooking and stop once you achieve your preferred level of crunch. Furthermore, once the bacon strips are cooked to perfection, remove them from the microwave, transfer the slices to a new paper towel, and allow them to rest. As they air, they'll become even crispier. Lastly, in case of leftovers, you can store the cooked bacon in an airtight container so it stays crispy.

Some people may argue that cooking bacon in the oven or using the traditional pan frying method is ideal — probably because that's what they're used to. However, once you use the microwave for this task and experience the advantages, you'll wonder why you never tried it sooner. The speed of cooking is the standout benefit. Microwaving eliminates the waiting period of preheating your oven or skillet before actual cooking begins.

The fact that microwaving is mostly a hands-off process makes it easier than other methods. Once you've placed the slices on a plate and popped them in the microwave, there's no flipping and turning required like when pan-frying. All that's left is to check if the slices are as crispy as you want.

Microwaving is also the cleanest cooking method for your bacon. Not only do you avoid messy splatters with oil sprinkling all over your kitchen, but also, there are very few utensils to clean afterward — no bulky skillets or baking sheets to scrub. The microwave also doesn't heat your kitchen the way an oven does — and since the cooking time is so short with your bacon slices enclosed in the appliance under paper towels, you don't need to worry about excessive lingering grease smells in your kitchen.