When the weekend arrives there is no better way than starting it off with perfectly crispy bacon in a sandwich or with a few rashers lining up in a fry-up. Whether it’s doused in tomato ketchup or smothered in brown sauce, there’s nothing more satisfying. But it can quickly be ruined when you end up chewing on some soft stringy fat or meat that has been left pale and tough.
For achieving that perfect texture, every home cook has their own method they’re willing to swear by, from a big glug of oil to using an air fryer or starting from a cold plan. But one method that seems counterintuitive may actually hold the key and it could be doing your health a favour. The answer? Just water.
Filling your pan with a few cups of water seems, on the face of it, completely bizarre. But shockingly, the technique doesn’t leave your bacon wet, soggy or tasting boiled and will actually make it crispier than ever.
The strange method was developed by the cooking experts at America’s Test Kitchen. Despite it feeling unnatural at first, once you give it a go, you’ll never look back.
There is some science behind the madness and it all comes down to rendering the fat. Bacon naturally is an extremely fatty cut – perhaps why we love it so much – but it can take a lot of skill to get it fully crisp.
By adding water, you help keep the pan cool and this allows the fat from the bacon to slowly liquify. Once the water has then evaporated the bacon will fry in its own fat and become crispier, more uniform and more tender.
Another added benefit is that the water prevents fat from splattering all over the place, covering your hobs in that pesky film of grease – saving you a nasty cleaning task early on a Saturday morning.
The technique also creates a different more enjoyable texture. As the strips become almost braised from the water, the texture becomes more tender and slightly softer – unlike the classic brittle and crumbling pieces found in a dried-out slice.
The technique works on almost any cut but especially works on streaky bacon, as its higher fat content naturally has more fat to render out, whereas a leaner piece of back bacon has less fat to render, requiring less water.
For the best results will you want to submerge the rashes in just enough water to cover them, slowly bringing up the temperature of the pan until the water has evaporated.