I will show you how to cook bacon to crispy perfection using 3 different methods: grill pan, oven and microwave. Extra crispy, golden bacon adds the perfect flair to a variety of dishes.
Place the bacon in the cold grill pan on the stove. Turn the heat to medium and fry until crispy on the bottom.
Turn it over and continue grilling until it’s golden and crispy on both sides (about 7 to 10 minutes total).
Option #2. Using an Oven
Preheat an oven to 400ºF. Place the bacon strips on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil (do not overlap the bacon).
Bake in the preheated oven, until the bacon strips are very crispy and get a nice golden color (about 20 to 25 minutes). If you like it extra crispy, you can go a few minutes longer but keep an eye on them. There is no need to flip the bacon.
Option #3. In the Microwave
Place the bacon on a microwaveable plate covered with paper towels.
Microwave on full-power for about 2 minutes. Open the microwave, turn over the bacon, and cook for about 2 more minutes, until cooked through and crispy.
Final Step for All 3 Methods:
Using paper towels, remove the excess grease from the bacon. Serve & enjoy!
Notes
Frozen bacon: If using frozen bacon, be sure to thaw it in the fridge first.
Cool pan: For the pan method, always start with a cold pan. This way the fat will slowly melt out of the bacon as it heats up and help make it more crispy. Putting bacon in a hot pan makes the fat seize up, leaving you with soggy slices instead.
Baking rack: Placing the strips on a rack over the foil-lined pan in the oven is optional; if you are using thick cut bacon, they may benefit from this.
Crispiness: Keep in mind that bacon gets more crispy when it cools.
Cooking times will vary depending on how thick the bacon is. These are the times that worked for me. Regular bacon strips will cook faster than thick-cut and get crispy quicker. I recommend checking after 10 minutes (and every 5 minutes after that) to avoid burning the bacon. Eventually you will get to know the baking time for your oven and your favorite brand of bacon strips!
Alternative temp: You can also bake the strips at 375ºF but it will take a bit longer to cook (about 5 minutes longer in my oven) so I prefer 400ºF.
Candied bacon: If you want to try candied bacon, sprinkle some brown sugar over the strips before baking in the oven.
Save the grease: If you wish to use the bacon grease for cooking, let it cool for about 15 minutes, drain it into a glass jar and save it in the fridge.
Storage: Transfer the cooled bacon strips to a covered container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. It can be frozen for 1 to 2 months.