Bacon makes everything better, they say. But how do you get the best flavor from bacon?
Bacon on a baking sheet. Eeva Paljakka
You can forget about the frying pan splattering with grease. The best way to cook bacon is to put it on a baking sheet.
A good tip is to first spread the foil on the tray and then the baking paper. This is how you get the fat off the tray in the cleanest way: just wrap the greasy baking paper inside the foil.
Spread the bacon on the baking sheet so that they do not touch each other. Bake until cooked in a 225-degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the bacon is sufficiently crispy.
Place the finished bacon on a paper towel. In this way, the excess fat will drain onto the paper.
In addition to getting a delicious end result, this is also the most effortless way to cook bacon.
This is the conclusion reached by the chef Risto Mikkolawhen he tested nine different ways to cook bacon.
Mikkola was surprised how much the cooking method has an effect on the taste.
– One is by far the best. Cooking in the oven.
The store has a large number of different types of bacon for sale. Eeva Paljakka
These ways were tested
1. Cold carbon steel pan. Place the bacon on a cold pan and the plate to warm up.
Test result: Good crispiness. Really salty because a lot of liquid has come out of the bacon.
2. Hot carbon steel pan. The bacon is placed in a hot pan.
Test result: The bacon is not as crispy as the first method, but not as salty either. Liquids have stayed inside better. The bacon crisped up quickly in the hot pan.
3. Cold carbon steel pan, into which you put the bacon and a little water. The water will boil off as the bacon cooks.
Test result: Really crispy bacon, the saltiness is in the right balance. Awesome texture. There is a slower way to cook bacon than the previous ones.
4. Hot Teflon panon which the bacon is cooked.
Test result: Evenness of baking is good, as is taste and color. Good crunch. Teflon completely surprised me, it gives a good end result. The pan does not absorb anything and the fat starts moving in the pan.
5. Vacuum cooking i.e. sous vide. The bacon is cooked in a vacuum at 64 degrees for 12 hours and then fried in a hot carbon steel pan.
Test result: Laborious method. Bacon looks different than others. Its color and mouthfeel are different. Bacon melts in your mouth. It’s crunchy and juicy at the same time. In this way, by far the juiciest bacon is produced, but at the same time the bacon-likeness has disappeared. 12 hours in vacuum cooking is good.
6. In the microwave so that the paper towel is under and on top, about 3-4 minutes of cooking.
Test result: You can even color the bacon in the microwave, but the flavor is missing something. It tastes a bit weird. Really crispy. It looks browned, but it doesn’t taste like it. It’s not the best, but if there’s no other option, this will do.
7. Baking paper in the oven on at about 180-200 degrees for about 8 minutes.
Test result: In the oven, the bacon gets an even color and looks perfect. It melts in the mouth and the taste is almost sweet. Oven cooking is superior. Bacon has the best taste, crispness and appearance. There is both toughness and crunch in the same bite. The preparation method is even the easiest, because you don’t have to watch the bacon.
8. Oven cooking, but on a rackwithout baking paper.
Test result: Really crispy, even too. Bacon is like a chip.
9. On the grate of the charcoal grill.
Test result: The test grill was perhaps too hot. The bacon has a crispiness and a good smoke flavor. But due to the grill being too hot, there is also a slight burnt taste. There is a different way to cook bacon. The grill gives a good taste. It’s best to cook on an indirect fire, and not on a grill that’s too hot.