The perfect slice of bacon is a staple when it comes to a Full English, but the problem is many don’t know the trick to get that delicious crisp. US blogger McKenna Pulda, revealed the important step that so many home cooks tend to miss and it really is more simple than you might think. The “sourdough enthusiast and recipe developer” highlighted on her website Simplicity and a Starter that the problem is “too many of us cook bacon straight from the fridge.”
According to McKenna, frying bacon straight from the fridge not only risks it burning but also making it lumpy. She explained: “Bacon fat holds onto the cold longer than the meat does. That being said, if you cook the bacon before it is brought to room temperature, then that is a sure invitation for unevenly cooked bacon. No one wants a bite of rubbery fat and a burnt bit.”
What should be done instead, according to the blogger, is to allow time between taking the bacon out of the fridge and popping it in the pan. She said: “To avoid this tragedy, bring your bacon to room temperature before frying it up (about 15 minutes).”
The white fatty parts of the bacon tend to cook much quicker than the pink meat, which will most likely leave you with a piece that is burnt at the sides and undercooked in the middle if cooked at the fridge temperature.
However, when you allow the bacon to sit at room temperature for the recommended time, the fat will melt and separate properly once put in the pan. As well as when to cook your bacon rashers, McKenna also shared the best way to cook them and that is in a cast iron skillet.
“A cast iron pan retains heat evenly. This means instead of scorching your food, the cast iron will render the bacon fat and deliver beautiful sears and crispy, salty slices,” she explains.
McKenna also noted to her readers that cooking bacon at too high of heat is also a major thing to avoid.
“The name of the game is low and slow. If you cook the bacon at too high of heat, this can shock the water content of the bacon, which will cause the bacon to shrink drastically in size.
In order to keep that bacon at its largest size, cook it at low-medium to medium heat,” she shared.