Once it’s made to crispy perfection, bacon belongs on just about everything and anything. If there’s even a single thing wrong with bacon, it’s the effort it takes to make it. The greasy stovetop mess might as well be a color option for your counter, while using the oven takes time that nobody has. Here’s how to make bacon in the microwave, because this hack is really the best way to do it. My mom made bacon like this when I was a kid, whether out of simplicity or because she thought it tasted better, but this is really the only way I know how to do it right.
Step 1: Prep the plate
There’s no avoiding the grease that comes out of bacon as it’s cooked, but microwaving bacon gives you the added luxury of being able to safely use paper towels. Place two paper towels on a microwave-safe plate. There’s literally no way that you can mess up this first step, so you’re off to a great start.
Step 2: Lay Out the Bacon
Once the paper towels are securely on the plate, it’s time to place the bacon. Overlapping can create a real mess and hazard, so only fit as many as you can lay out on the plate. A large dinner plate can typically fit eight pieces, but I put down seven small pieces just to play it safe.
Remember that how many pieces that you cook at one time will effect the cooking time. More bacon to cook means you’ll need more time.
Step 3: More Towels
Unless you want to spend the rest of your day cleaning your microwave, add one or two more pieces of paper towel on top of the bacon. These pieces will catch any grease as it comes off of the meat, leaving your microwave spotless.
Even before you put them in the microwave, the grease starts to show on the towels. Consider this a good thing because there’s just an endless amount of grease on that stuff.
Step 4: Heat it Up
As my momma always said, a minute per full strip of bacon. That adds to about 4 to 6 minutes for a nice sized plateful. The exact timing of this will depend on the wattage of your microwave. A 1,000 watt microwave will cook your bacon quicker and more evenly. If you’re cooking less bacon, it will also need less time.
With a full plate, you’re better off starting with four minutes and checking your bacon after that in order to see if it needs more time. The bacon should be a dark brown color, so be cautious considering this is meat you are dealing with.
Cooking time also comes down to personal preference. It’s crispy bacon or bust in my book, but some people don’t judge on that part. So eyeball both the color and texture, but remember that the bacon will appear drier simply because it’s not swimming in the grease that comes with stovetop cooking.
Step 5: Cool and Enjoy
Don’t judge the bacon by its look because microwave cooked bacon is as tasty as any of its counterparts. Transition the bacon off of the paper towels in order to let it cool better.
Whip out the maple syrup, throw together a BEC, or just enjoy a quick bacon snack. The beauty of bacon is its versatility, but now you get it all in just the click of a couple buttons.