The One Thing You Should NEVER Do When You Cook Bacon (2024)

FAQs

What not to do when cooking bacon? ›

Crowding the Pan

Crowding creates steam and prevents the bacon from cooking evenly, giving you limp bacon instead of crispy strips. Cook in batches if needed.

Humans may contract trichinosis, caused by the parasite Trichinella spiralis, by eating undercooked pork. Much progress has been made in reducing trichinosis in grain-fed hogs, and cases in humans have greatly declined since 1950.

After your bacon has safely defrosted, you should heat it all the way through until reaching an internal temperature of 145-180°. You might microwave bacon on a paper towel or throw it in the air fryer, but it's typically recommended to bake bacon for the best results.

Chemical additives in bacon

The World Health Organization has classified bacon as a Group 1 carcinogen, which means it's known to cause cancer. One of the biggest risks of bacon is associated with two preservatives, nitrates and nitrites, that can form cancer-causing compounds.

The only smell you should detect from bacon is a faint smokiness. Slime: If your bacon is slimy, it's a sure sign that bacteria are present and spreading on the meat. Toss it out! Discoloration: Green, grey, or brown discoloration means that the bacon is no longer safe to eat.

Rinsing meat is a great way to increase the risk of foodborne illness in your kitchen, even if that is something we have seen parents or relatives do when preparing dinner. But when it comes to cured meats, like bacon, is it necessary to rinse before cooking? The answer is a resounding no.

We swear, paper towels really are the key here. They soak up all that extra grease as the bacon cooks in the microwave so you end up with bacon that is anything but soggy. No globs of gross, pathetic bacon here.

The most notable sign of rancid bacon is a change in appearance. Bacon that has gone bad doesn't retain its redness and will instead take on a brown, gray, or greenish hue, and the color itself will seem faded. Rancid bacon also takes on an unpleasant odor and may become sticky or slimy.

The general rule of food safety is to not let raw meat or cooked food sit out for more than 2 hours, and that rule applies to uncooked or cooked bacon. It's wise to be careful with uncooked pork products since they can harbor and grow bacterial pathogens like salmonella and trichinosis.

Discoloration. Bacon should have vibrant pink-colored meat and white streaks of fat. If it has started to go bad, its color will be off. If the bacon in your fridge has a grayish, greenish, or brownish shade, it's time to throw it out.

Can I microwave bacon? ›

Bacon cooked in the microwave will be a little bit chewier, but it will also be crispy! Start with cooking the bacon for 4 minutes and cook for an additional minute at a time until it's as crispy as you like. But remember, the bacon will get crispier as it cools. We like ours after 5 minutes.

Although a small piece of bacon won't hurt your dog, giving it to them often could result in issues including pancreatitis — an inflammation of the pancreas — and gastrointestinal issues (G.I.) such as constipation, diarrhea, gas and abdominal pain.

Their recommendation is that unopened bacon only be frozen up to one month. To freeze unopened bacon, overwrap the store package with heavy duty foil or other freezer wrapping, being sure to push all the air out of the package and tightly close the wrapping around the inside package.

No, it's not safe to eat raw bacon. Even though bacon has been preserved through the curing process, it has not been cooked. Like other foods you should never eat raw, consuming raw or undercooked meat puts you at risk of foodborne illness from viruses, bacteria or parasites.

Put the bacon in a non-stick frying pan set over a medium heat. When the fat starts to run out from the bacon, increase the heat and cook for 1-3 mins on each side, depending on how crispy you like it.

Cooking in a Too Hot Pan

While it might seem like the right thing to do, cooking your bacon at too high a temperature from the start can lead to over-cooked bacon with the fat not adequately rendered, leaving you with a slightly under-cooked and slightly burnt strip.

The best way to make bacon takes the stovetop and skillet out of the equation. Oven bacon is a true set-it-and-forget-it affair, and if you line a baking tray with foil or parchment paper, you'll have nothing to clean after.