Bacon: It's What's For Dinner

Maryse Chevriere

Yasmin Fahr|Oct. 20, 2011 12:34 pm EST

We've all said it, and most of us believe it, but everything just tastes better with bacon. Whether it's crumbled into a salad, resting atop a cheeseburger, or wrapped around ripe figs, bacon adds that perfect sweet and salty flavor with a healthy dose of fat. OK, maybe not so much healthy as delicious.

Smoked and cured, bacon strips usually come in thin, regular, or thick slices and it's up to you how you want to buy it. But everyone seems to have their own method of making "the perfect bacon." While we won't get into the varying intricacies of these techniques, there are a few basic methods to cook bacon.

First, you can cook it low and slow in a hot skillet (cast-iron is probably best) over medium to medium-high heat, letting it simmer in its own fat until nice and crisp (just watch out because there will probably be some splattering going on — best not to make this naked or with too much exposed skin). A benefit of this method is the leftover bacon grease that can be used to cook vegetables or eggs in for extra flavor. Or, if you've got a lot going on in the kitchen, you can bake the bacon slices in the oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Just lay them down on a baking tray, checking on them every so often. After both of these methods, make sure to drain the slices on a paper towel-lined plate while they cool down.

Lastly, and we haven't tried this, but it's rumored that bacon can be made in a microwave. Yes, we know. It sounds awful. But, if you're really short on time and just want some bacon without excess mess, then you can lay it on a microwave-safe paper towel-lined plate and microwave on high for 4-6 minutes.

If you've been mildly watching the food scene the past few years, you'll probably have noticed the bacon craze that has hit America. Bacon has found its way into salt, on cupcakes, with chocolate, and used in both sweet and savory ways. Why? Because everything just tastes better with bacon (wait, did we already say that?).

Try some of our recipes below and let us know your go-to method for making bacon and eating it too!

Click here to see How to Make Bacon.

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