Ethan, My wife has her degree in food science. Ever since the kids were small {25 years ago} she would cook bacon in the microwave wrapped in paper towels, but she soaks the towels in water and squeezes them down to heavy damp first. The bacon is SOOOO good that way. If you do a follow up video you should try it!
I'm surprised being a food scientist she fed your children bacon. bacon when cooked in high heat produces 90k units of AGEs that's been proven to linked to alzheimer and mental aging. A breakfast with some slices of bacon are one of the worst things u can possibly feed children 🚶♂️ I wonder if anyone in your family have alzheimer and heart disease or diabetes yet
Never used water to cook bacon, but I've been using about a third of an inch of water to cook breakfast sausage in a skillet forever. The sausage links are thick enough that the water cooks the interior perfectly by the time it evaporates so you don't have to nearly burn the sausage to cook them through completely. You then brown the sausage. It leaves the sausages more tender.
Surprised at the results , BUT! Still prefer overbite marinaded baby back ribs over water soaked, as the host efficiencies, preference taste of the consumer. Definitely will try surf board bacon though.
I greatly appreciate Ethans scientific yet concise explanation. The way he structures the lesson is informative but not wordy and the results of it all is very entertaining!
Thanks for doing a deep dive into bacon. It's not the fancy recipes that improve cooking, but a good understanding of ingredients and techniques. Would love to see more of these.
I just learned of the water method a few weeks ago, and that’s probably how I’ll cook bacon for the rest of my life. Seriously- It’s THAT good. Perfect bacon every time. All you need to do is add a splash of water from the tap after you’ve laid the bacon in a cold pan- just enough to cover the surface of the pan, but not enough to completely submerge the bacon. Put it on medium-low heat (3.5-4 on my electric glass top range), and let it do its thing until the water is almost gone. Once it’s gone, it’s business as usual. The bacon fries in it’s own fat, and it’ll brown within a few minutes. Flip occasionally until it looks good to you.
I've been making my bacon in the oven for years, mostly because it is so easy. I can put it in, set the timer and I don't really have to pay any attention to it until the timer goes off. After watching this I think it would be interesting to put some water in the sheet pan and then cook it in the oven.
@@adamdebosier We tried it and it was fantastic! My husband was skeptical but when he tasted it he quickly became a believer. My son was putting a pan of bacon in the oven a few days later and hubby yelled from the living room, "Don't forget to put some water in the pan!"
We cook bacon in the oven with water on the baking sheet. It takes a bit longer but is very consistent and repeatable. Just like swapping trays of cookies when the timer goes off, it helps when we need to cook a lot of bacon at one time and are busy with other tasks.
Try using some parchment pager between bacon and your cooking sheet. Pour off your bacon grease into a container to use to cook with later. Throw away the parchment paper and clean up on the pan will be a lot easier.
@@kathyratino962 I don't think that it's to avoid browning of the cooked product. It's to avoid sticking to the surface. Stuck food may also shoot past brown to charred quicker. I'm no pro, just my 2 cents.
You said it in your recap - microwave for very specific applications… for me is when I incorporate it into a massive assembly line of breakfast burritos that I will eat hours later. The dry brittle texture absorbs liquid making the burrito less mess and the bacon better.
You definitely need a video on the Maillard Reaction! That is such a huge part of food science. I think it’s beneficial for everyone who enjoys cooking (and hasn’t attended culinary school) to learn. 😊
Something to know is that it's not a single reaction but a family of reaction which is why there is such a wide temperature window in which it happens.
@@chadrydjord829 yeah, it almost doesn't make sense to call it the Maillard rxn, it should be Maillard-family reactions, since there is such a diversity depending on temp/reactants (ingredients), whether it's in air/oil, etc.
My favorite episode of Good Eats was the chocolate chip cookie episode, when Alton Brown broke down all the various specifics of how to customize a cookie recipe for your personal preference. I did just that and created my own, unique chocolate chip cookies with a hint of coconut from the coconut oil that made up half the fat of the recipe. Anyway, this video reminded me of that episode a lot. So props to you.
@@aliceowens300 For me, it was more about getting the effect of shortening without using shortening by mixing coconut oil and butter. But yeah, the subtle coconut flavor is great.
My mother made the best toll house cookies. When she passed away, my sister decided to supply the cookies at Christmas. She was never satisfied with hers because they would flatten out like pancakes and my mother's were "cookies shape". I asked her if she used butter in the recipe and she said yes. I pointed out that Mom always used margarine (as specified in her recipe). She didn't believe me and have made pancake cookies ever since.
Adding water works with any other kind of fatty meat and is great for making a stew as well, it has the exact same effect as described here. I usually set it to cook with some water and salt, let it boil down, then when it turns to a sizzle I add the vegetables and brown everything up, deglaze with wine, season and add some liquids, let it cook for a bit and done.
Another important thing to remember is to take the bacon out of the pan/oven just before you think it's done. It will continue to cook/crisp as it cools. I've had the result of a lot of over cooked bacon before I realized this. May be a rookie thing, but wish I'd have known sooner!
@@No-cg9kj put a bacon slice on a hot pan and leave it on a burner set to high for 30 minutes, and tell me the end result's good. Burning is a type of overcooking.
@@tvsoup4405 What temp are you cooking bacon that it's done in ten minutes in the stove? I like my bacon chewy and even I would gag at how undercooked it would be at that point, it would basically be half raw.
This is the best video I have seen on cooking bacon at home. I love the practical approach and the graph is really a great way to visualize what’s happening. I feel like I have the info to create my own perfect bacon using this as a reference. Well done!
Cold oven, place bacon on cookie sheet in oven on the center rack, set to bake at 400 degrees, 14 to 18 minutes depending on your preference on chewy or crispy, perfect every time!! 🤗 I like this method because it is a set it and forget it until the timer goes off.
Did you make a follow up cook? Like bacon cooked with water in a pan, water in the oven, water in the microwave? Or convection oven, toaster oven, air fryer or combination cooking? This was really interesting I’d like to see more! I have a culinary arts degree and have owned my own restaurant for almost 16 years now and this was very entertaining!
@@jakasmalakas It would be nice to elaborate. From personal experience, we just coat the bottom of the pan with water. So the bacon aren't submerged or anything, but the full surface of the pan will be covered in water.
Perhaps equally important is knowing your oven and it's hot spots. Rotating the baking sheet about 3/4 of the way through cooking will give you much more even browning among all the strips. That way you don't end up with some overcooked, some undercooked and some in the middle when you cook a bunch at one time. Also relevant is whether you are using gas or electric, and whether or not there is a fan to circulate air ( A convection oven ) Knowing your equipment is equally important as knowing your ingredients ! ( I'm a retired chef )
My family has different preferences for bacon, so I usually fry them to different levels of crispyness. The uneven sheet cook sounds like it might be a good technique to cut down on my breakfast prep time. Plus, they all come out at the same time which is a nice bonus.
I always thought that the advantage of using the water method was that it helps evenly distribute heat across the pan and the bacon, preventing any hot spots and uneven cooking. It's nice to know that it also leads to some texture and taste advantages as well!
@@jamismiscreant7514 to some extent, but water would cause the pan to heat up more slowly and some of the unevenness comes from the beginning - it takes a while for enough fat to render to evenly distribute the heat
@@andrewlipnick8131 it does cause the pan to heat more slowly but that’s not what the important part is or related to even heating. It only heats more slowly because the same energy is a lower temperature and the energy intake is the same with or without water The things that causes it to be the same temperate are largely dimensions and thermal conductivity The thing that the water does very differently is boil earlier. When water boils under normal conditions it will remain at 100 C regardless of changes in the energy input into the system because all excess energy is lost in the form of steam. This causes (as can be seen in the graph) a temperature plateau whilst the water is in the pan allowing for the pre-Maynard processes mentioned to occur for longer
@@jamismiscreant7514 well, slow heating is relevant because when something heats more slowly it'll heat more evenly. If you set a pan on high heat and wait until the middle is 400 degrees, the edges will be cooler than if you set the pan on low heat and wait until the center reaches 400 degrees. The energy intake is the same, the water just absorbs a lot of energy and evenly distributes the heat faster because water has a higher heat capacity then the pan. Yeah, I understand the plateauing of the graph, my original comment was just saying that I never thought of that aspect, only the more even heating aspect, so now I have 2x the reasons to say the water method is better!
@@jamismiscreant7514 you make a good point here, I think it's also worth taking into consideration that because bacon curls as it heats up on a dry pan, the spots where the bacon touches the pan cooked at a significant faster rate than the stuff not touching the pan, because thermal conductivity of the pan is far greater than of the bacon itself. The water helps render out fat first (amongst several other things) before you start to crisp up the bacon, giving you significantly more surface area for the bacon to cook against as a result of the rendered fat being a liquid. It is fair to say that the extra fat rendering is a process caused by the extended pre maillard period, but I think it's also fair to say the water does cause the bacon to cook more evenly, because it allows more fat to render before the bacon can be adversely affected by the uneven cooking that is pretty normal with cooking bacon the "normal" way
I cook mine in the oven. A couple baking sheets with some heavy duty foil on them overlapping the sides and ends for easy clean up and the bacon cooks evenly.
I've always put my bacon on a rack when I bake it, but about a year ago I started adding some water to the pan below the rack to limit the fat from popping and smoking. I noticed after I did though, that the bacon heated more evenly as well, and produced a much better result. After thinking about it, I realized the same thing you did here, that the 212 limit prevents it from "finishing," with the maillard reaction until most foods are fully cooked, so doesn't matter what it is anymore, I tend to crank the convection setting up to high, add some water to the pan to let it come to temperature and cook evenly, then after the water evaporates off, the outside crisps up really quickly. Keeps your food from drying out, gets a more even cook, and makes for a better texture. I've been telling people recently that I think humidity control is going to be the next big "cooking revolution," the way pressure cookers, air fryers, and sous vide were. We're already seeing mini ovens with humidity controls, but I expect we're going to starts seeing that across a whole range of consumer gadgets, because the control the 212 limit sets is idiot proof to keep from overcooking for a while, then it just finishes the dish to your liking.
@ulairi - great thoughts! For the last several years, I’ve been cooking my bacon on a cookie rack / pan in the oven at about 250F for about an hour and loving how it turns out - Time for me to experiment with water and a higher temp, faster cook!
I'm glad you mentioned that a consideration is the bacon you start with. I'm near Amish country, and I buy bacon from a country store that has heavily smoked (but delicious) bacon). I've found that it cooks much differently than bacon I'd but at a local chain grocer.
So you missed one method. To give you a little background, I am a mechanical engineer specializing in Heat transfer but I have been involved in the restaurant business since the mid 70s. All the restaurants here in Montreal use this method. The bacon is pre-cooked in the oven until most of the fat has rendered(250F for about 20 min, remember we are cooking 20lbs at a time) , it's still soft and tender when it comes out of the oven. Then it's finished on a per order basis on high heat. This gives a tender piece of bacon, with very good flavour and nice crispness but without burning. Just browning. This works great because it cooks rapidly for each order.
Sounds like a great method, but as a home cook, I don't think par-cooking bacon is very feasible. I bet it tastes delicious though. Same method with fries is THE legendary method, so it has tons of merit.
I cook bacon in the oven because I always make the whole pack at once. Oven is the only method that can handle that volume. That being said, the water method always yields the best texture. I'm going to try putting water on the sheet pan with the bacon next time I use the oven method.
@@s02mike I tried it last night. It took SOOO long. Like an hour and a half. I learned that the amount of water you have to add to cover the bacon on such a large surface area is so much that it takes forever to evaporate at oven temps
One technical aspect of bacon that most don’t know about is frozen vs bellies. When bacon is processed from frozen bellies (common) those bellies are thawed, processed and then usually refrozen. Even if not refrozen. The water separates on thaw and most companies pump them with salt water to put moisture back in. (Hence why a lot of bacon is super salty). Frozen bellies tend to cook completely flat and have very little moisture after cook leaving it almost jerky or rubbery when less cooked. Curious about whether that makes a difference here.
As video marketer for many years, I really appreciate when someone is good on camera. You. Are. DYNAMITE! Great presentation! (Didn't hurt that I had just eaten a piece of bacon, I'm sure!) Congrats! I look forward to more from you.
I saw this video last winter and you were right, adding water is now my favored way to cook it. but here is something I noticed and I chose this video to post it because you emphasized the science of it. When I add water (I just rinse the slices under water before sticking them in the pan), the cooking process is slowed down and I don't overcook them anymore, but I also noticed I have less grease in the pan at the end by almost half. The rendering of the fat is inhibited by the water. I don't know the science of it but it is interesting, maybe the science guy can explain it better.
my perfect slice of bacon really depends on what i'm using it for/how i'm eating it. if i'm having bacon and eggs, then i go for cooking it in a pan. if i'm adding it to a sandwich/burger or crumbling it and adding it to a dish, i use the microwave - that way it's super crispy. nothing sucks more than biting into a sandwich/burger and all the bacon pulls out of it on the first bite - i want it to snap right where i take the bite so that i can have bacon in every bite. guess i'm gonna need to try the water method, though - seems like the clear winner.
I have tried the water method and we all loved it. Despite how well it turns out, though, I personally prefer bacon from the air fryer. It's fast, delicious, and I find the cleanup easier than any other method.
I’ve seen a few videos of yours but this is the one that made me subscribe!! Love these science-y deep dives into cooking. Every TH-cam cook talks about teaching technique but never really does.. THIS is the kind of thing that makes you a better cook!!
You have quickly become my favorite food/cooking youtube channel. I have been watching your videos for about 2 years now and I've learned so much about food science and ways to make traditional meals lower calories. Your content is just so enjoyable to watch. Keep up the great work!
Phone a friend with a pellet smoker. Cook the bacon @ 250-300 to your preferred level. I even sprinkle some of my favorite dry rub before cooling with amazing results. I cook enough to last us a week, warm as needed or just snack. You also haven’t lived unless you’ve had candied bacon.
Since I discovered the oven method, it's been my go to way to cook bacon. I can do a whole pack a once (and save the leftovers for sandwiches!) and it requires zero effort. To me the convenience of freeing up the cook top, never having to flip or turn bacon, and avoiding splatters and extra clean-up is just immeasurable. You can cook it on a sheet of parchment paper or tin foil and then you don't even have to worry about cleaning the sheet tray after, as well as making it easy to pour all that bacon fat into a jar for future use (never let that rendered fat go to waste!)
Same! My oven doesn't cook it evenly, but that works out ok for us, because my son likes it softer, I have to have mine crispy. Worst thing about breakfast cooking before was that every single burner was going at the same time and timing was so much harder.
Oven is my go to cooking method for bacon. I start from a cold oven. And I scrunch the bacon a little bit to get the 'bacon curl' started. But I do flip the bacon at least once, about half way through the cook. # 1 rule for me is don't over cook bacon, whatever method is used. All the fat flavor ends up rendered out and only a lousy, over-crisp, flavorless piece remains.
I put the whole pound overnight sous vide in the package, then you can do whatever you want method wise and the bacon cooks faster as the fat is partially rendered
I've been cooking bacon in a cold pan on low to medium heat. Just tried cooking in water first, definitely much better taste. It's exactly how you described it, so much more tender while still having a good bite
Ethan: Combine your favorite oven cooking with the water method. Put the bacon in an oven safe pan or tray deep enough to put water over the bacon and put that in the oven for long enough to keep the bacon in the "tenderizing" zone for a long time. Low temps will prolong the process. High temps will speed the process but demand a more watchful eye near the end to avoid overcooking the bacon.
Ethan I just found your channel and man I literally meal prepped 3 meals already thanks to you. Super easy and simple videos. You’re like an older brother I never had 😂
I was pleasantly surprised as well when I first tried the water method. I find it actually intensified the flavour (I, too, thought it might dilute it) and is less greasy while still maintaining that delicious fat umami. That's how I cook it everytime now, unless I'm on a tight time budget. I have a small countertop oven that I use as well that cooks it a bit faster than the big oven. You can get some nice crispy bacon good for crumbling that way.
This episode is so fun! I make normal (not thick!) bacon in the oven. I put bacon on a plain sheet pan w a very thin layer of water in a cold oven at 350 degrees. I cook it until it looks brown, turning once after the water boils off. Perfect crispy fat w slight chew to lean!
I always use the oven now (I'm 20-25 minutes) simply because it's easier to make a perfectly flat piece that way. That's great for things like BLTs. Also, it's much easier to do a full pound on a cookie sheet in the oven than it is in a pan on the stove.
@@anitabellefeuille7362 Because of how ovens work (air just isn't really that great at tranferring heat) you probably could start in a pre-heated oven and end with a product just as good as what you get now, but I imagine it's less convenient to have to preheat the oven. Probably can save a bit of time if you do turn your oven on first thing when you enter the kitchen to cook bacon, but honestly, the difference's probably insubstantial anyways, and you'll spend a similarly insubstantially higher amount of energy (be it gas or electricity) cooking too.
I love thick style bacon. I use the oven but in a different method. I start the bacon in a cold oven. I set the oven to 400F and let it go at least 35 minutes. I then check it for doneness and add more time if necessary. Also doing it in the oven allows me to do other things while its cooking.
Oven can work similarly if you put the bacon in a cold oven. I also recently tried cooking bacon with water for the first time recently and was pleasantly surprised.
My Dad loved to prepare sausage. I’m talking about what is referred to as fresh country pork sausage not Polish or Italian sausage. He would use a cast iron skillet and added water! It placed a lid on the cast iron skillet. He said it was how his Mother cooked sausage. Try creating a video using sausage cooked in the same processes as you did bacon. You will be like the taste and texture and it cooks quickly. ❤
You should try the La Rousse method (French), you overlay the fatty edges to the heat source (pan or oven grill), in a frying pan you put the fatty edge of the bacon towards the middle of the pan then the next rasher on top of that (just so the fatty edge is exposed directly to the pan and the meat is on the fat of the last rasher), this gives a similar (possibly better) result to the water method. The fat is super crispy and the meat more tender (but absorbs the fat improving the taste). Give it a try you may like it. I wonder if a steam oven would give a good result?
@@carolmelancon I wonder how a Dutch oven would work then? It works for bread. Sadly limits the amount of bacon you can do though. Or how about just 2 baking sheets the same size to make a clam? No water , but cook in it's own steam ?
Ooh in that case adding water to the bottom of your air fryer should add some steam. I saw a similar thing on TH-cam where someone cooked bacon and let it drip down onto their potatoes underneath in the air fryer. The potatoes were probably adding Steam, and the results seemed pretty happy.
It would be interesting to see how adding water to the oven sheet would impact the end product. If that gets you a similar chew vs crisp output as adding water to the stove top pan then it would seem like the best way to optimize since oven bacon is so easy and mess free.
I'd also be curious to see how it works when added to the microwave. In theory you could add the exact amount of water needed to boil off when the desired amount of collagen has been broken down.
That's what I'm thinking. 375F for 20 minutes, on a baking sheet with just enough water to cover the strips to extend that cooking time. Oven bacon is the best, so easy and clean, and you can start it early while you make the rest of the meal.
I discovered the water method a couple of years ago... and I to was pleasantly surprised by just how tender the results were. Definitely, my go-to method even when camping.
Ok I’m a believer! ❤ 🥓 made it today. He doesn’t say how much 💦 he uses, I covered the bacon. Never made bacon so plump yet crispy. Brought water to a boil, lowered to medium till water gone, lowered further to finish. It’s perfect, will always do this way when have time.
I've cooked around 5,000 pounds of bacon in my life as a breakfast cook at a busy restaurant. Most used method I use at home is a microwave... you can get that tender/crunchy effect from the pan/oven method if you're careful with the microwave cook time. In the restaurant we use large sheet pans.
So the other morning while prepping my bacon and planning on water method cooking it... I accidentally made too much coffee. So I decided why not let it go to waste and let's use it instead of water... oh my God. Every coffee/bacon lover has got to try this combo.
Great video. I'd like to see a video talking about the best ways to cook chicken, maybe focus on chicken breasts. How to avoid them being too dry, but safely cooked.
Oddly, or not, mushrooms are also great with the same water method. I even do diced bacon and mushrooms at the same time sometimes. Great way to start a pasta.
I start bacon in a cold dry pan then put it on medium heat and flip several times. Cooking it slower over a medium heat allows for the bacon to render its fat as well as cook to a crisp without any scorching or burning. Then, after draining the fat from the pan to save it for cooking later, I put water in the pan and bring it to a boil to de-glaze it for easy clean-up, no scrubbing required. Also, when cooking over a medium heat the bacon sizzles but doesn't pop violently. I prefer my bacon mostly crisp with a slight chew still in it, not extra crispy.
I added water to my oven bacon last weekend. I was equally skeptical but my wife and I were so surprised as to how much better the bacon was! It does dilute the salt a bit but still tasted great
Yeah, I've tried to water and skillet idea a few times and I can't say that I'm a fan. It reduces the mess but I found a significant loss of flavor. I stick to the oven method because it's less fussy than using the pan. It's still the best way in my opinion.
I wondered why he didn't try this method after stating he likes the water method best but is an oven guy. I use the oven method but use a wire rack so water would just steam mine lol
I wish you did an air fryer trial! know it’s probably in the spot near where the oven is on the chart but it’s the most convenient way I find to cook a lot of things.
I learnt about the water method because I needed bacon fat for other parts of a dish I would either overcook the bacon or do it slowly and it would take forever Another note about water is the heat transfer. Parts of the bacon that is directly exposed to the pan will brown quickly even on a low heat By using water you can increase that surface area for that heat (you can use oil too but it will cause it to spit more) The moisture that's locked in the meat has a chance to dissolve out and once it's evaporated, the meat is already dehydrated so you're left with lots of rendered out fat and less spitting
My friend (who makes the best bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches) refuses to have water anywhere near bacon because of spitting. He even makes sure the washed pan is dry. I’ll have to try the water method at home first.
I used to do it on the stove, then I transitioned to oven, with parchment paper because, it's not as messy and way easier to clean up, the bacon doesn't shrivel up/still has some chew to it instead of the crunch, and it's only 15 minutes. Granted I try to do more turkey bacon than normal bacon to try and be a little bit healthier, when I do normal bacon, I use either Applegate Sunday Cut or Greenfield Natural Meats Bacon, both try to do better practices at pig farming. And yes, I find Vital Farm eggs taste better than normal store bought eggs, even if they are expensive.
I found your channel about a month ago, and you never disappoint. Awesome video-- great useful content, great personality, and good editing. I'm hooked. I get hungry and am throughly impressed and inspired every time I watch.
I either bake them on a couple of big baking sheets, or just put the whole pack in an iron skillet and stir them. If you use the iron skillet method it starts slow but finishes fast so you have to pay attention.
YES. I have decided iron skillet is the best method for cooking bacon, which I learned through the deliciousness of it being prepared this way by my ex-bf's father at their weekly family breakfasts. Also where I discovered THICK SLICED bacon is the way to as well. It is probably similar to the water method, given that the rendered fat usually is deep enough to keep it moist even as it begins to brown. It fits nicely when you cut the bacon in half down the middle and just put the whole slab in the pan. This ensures the edges of the fat cook first and helps it not to curl/wrinkle/warp as much so when the slices separate they are nearly straight and the shorter length is easier to manage without getting tangled up together. Can come out evenly chewy or crisp, but even the crisp is more moist and it is not as crumbly. It even burns more evenly this way because by the time it browns, the fat has melted into a pool deep enough to keep it submerged and thus frying all around at once instead of whatever side is touching the pan getting seared while the top is exposed to air until it is flipped. The timing is perfect if you take it out just before you think it will be ready, as it usually takes a minute to fish it out and it will cook a little more just from the fat that doesn't drip off right away. If I take it out too soon, it can always go back in, but too late is a done deal and a tragedy if you miss and it overcooks... I find that the second half of the package is even better because it goes right into that hot fat immediately deep enough to submerge. Because of this, rather than the first half going into the pan dry, I now make sure to save the rendered fat when cook it and always start with that leftover fat heated up so that the first half of the package also gets the benefit of being surrounded by liquid from the start as well. It comes out perfect every time, even when I have to make do with thin sliced bacon. It is much less brittle but still crisp. Starting with the fat makes a huge difference especially with the thinner slices that otherwise dry out too quickly, but the thick slices are even better. This whole thing is making my mouth water. Fortunately, there is some in the freezer, and I am going to go make some right now. This is also the most perfect way to season that iron skillet too. Nothing sticks to the pan when the fat is melted first and wiping it with a paper towel after leaves it perfectly smooth and oiled for next time. BACON RULES. I could never believe in a religion that forbids bacon...
I'll always choose the oven method just because it's pretty much set and forget while I'm cooking other things. Especially since I also enjoy chewy bacon while my girlfriend enjoys it more crispy. The water method is also amazing for cooking mushrooms. You add just a bit of water, around 1/4 or so for a cup of sliced shrooms. Then let them cook until the water evaporates, stirring on occasion.
There are so many ways to cook bacon in an air fryer, I'd like to see you try that. I cook mine that way and the results are probably as good as a frying pan. I'm sure you could come up with a lot of variations.
I love that vital farms is sponsoring you. Our family has been eating their eggs over the last year and they are a superior product and totally worth the price. The yolks are deep orange, and I have yet to find a better tasting egg, even better than my neighbors!
@@lowvpro9651 definitely true with eggs. The pale yolk eggs have less flavor and the whites are usually runnier. You can always tell how healthy a hen is
Im an oven guy, too, but with one important difference: I start in a cold oven. I discovered this by accident, tryimg to save time preheating my oven to bake biscuits. put the bacon in the oven and set the temp for 375 F. by the time the oven reaches temp, the bacon should be almost done, depending on how crispy you like it, but retains a little more internal moisture and flavor han when I've used a preheated oven.
I've been using the water method for about a year now and while I like the end result, is has an extra benefit, which is that it yields more fat to store for cooking other dishes. I get about a half of a cup of bacon fat from a large pan lined with bacon, whereas I was only getting about 1/4 cup without using the water.
That actually pointed out some different ways to use for cooking as well. Microwave the bacon if you need bacon bits, or to add crunch to a BLT. I will have to give some more research, but maybe boiling the Bacon but not letting the water boil out would keep it tender enough to wrap around a chicken for a chicken cordon bleu. I generally like crispy bacon, so pan frying would be my preferred method. Plus, I keep the bacon grease for other pan fryiing. (try asparagus fried in bacon grease:). Yes, I am southern. :)
As soon as you mentioned collagen I knew where this was gonna go and it seemed so obvious that the water would be a good idea, but I’d never thought of it as a factor at all until you did. Good content as always :)
Same here... now I think the thing I'm still trying to figure out is flavor differences. I can cook bacon from the same pack on a flatop top (blackstone) and it tastes one way, but doing it on a cast iron skillet it tastes different (possibly fat and how it drains away) vs. oven with and without cooking racks in the cookie sheets... they all tasted different, and honestly the flattop has been the favorite of everyone in the family so far... but WHY does it taste different
Don't know about you guys, but I fry bacon at 'low fire' - which not only insures completely cooked bacon, but makes it quite easy to have a FANTASTIC combo of tender, and crispy, and all points in between.
I've never tried the water method, but considering the principles that makes it tick, it's no surprise why the Kenji Lopez inspired method I use yields such superb results: about 147 F sous vide overnight (thick sliced, bought already vacuum sealed in its original package) followed by 4 to 5 minutes on medium high on a cast iron pan till the edges of bacon have crisped golden.
I find that sometimes the packaging is less tight than desired (and also, I'm always worried about the plastic melting a little. But, yea, throwing this into a sous vide and forgetting about it has always felt ideal in a lot of ways haha.
@@mikebravo3527 This takes less time than most other methods. 2 minutes to drop a package of bacon in a container of water and set the sous vide time & temp, then ~5 minutes to brown & crisp it in a pan. Plus you have the whole package pre-rendered, and you can just grab a couple slices anytime you're ready for bacon, and they'll take less time to cook every time.
Very good. Just one thing I may add; different bacons cook differently. Some bacons, imho, are my preference and are very easy to achieve a good Maillard reaction by simply placing into a cast iron pan, turning up the heat only to a precise level that will allow the fat to render, the water to evaporate, and reaction to take place without pyrolysis occurring. Also, I turn the bacon strips over early on and shortly after the fat begins to render and water is released; doing so discourages cupping making for more evenly caramelized, flatter strips. Also, hope this doesn't sound nit-picky, but the chemist who the Maillard reaction is named for was French, so the pronunciation of Maillard is somewhat more akin to _my-YAR._ Nonetheless, an excellent video.
for me it is: place bacon in a cold cast iron pan and then place a heavy cast iron bacon weight on top and put that on a gas stove on a low to medium heat, do other things but keep an ear on it because in about 5 minutes the water will have cooked off and it will start to sizzle. then I lift my weight and give them a flip and crisp the other side, which will not take very long at all. the bacon weight tends to keep the moisture on the bacon for longer extending that middle collagen breakdown step.
The reason why microwave is super crispy is because of the way microwaves heat. Microwaves only heat the water in the food, not an external heat source like the pan or an oven. So what you are doing is rapidly cooking the meat through evaporation. This gives the collagen no time to denature, making it very crispy, and little time for the fat to render. If you need bacon in a hurry and don’t need that much taste, the microwave. If you want the most flavor then one of the other ways is best. 😊
The thickness of the pan and temperature control with the flames plays a big part in cocking the perfect bacon. The thicker the metal, the more heat it retains. Also, you don't have to put the flame on high as it will more likely burn the bacon. That's why there's a difference between amateur cooks and professionals. The professionals know their tools, ingredients, and temperature control to make a perfect dish.
deep dives into single ingredients are so insightful. I'm still planning a trip to my local store to hunt for SM tomatoes. One personal ingredient I've spent some time learning about is coconut milk. I found it when I started making coconut curry but then learned about using it in a lot of other things like my morning coffee. I googled and went through a few of the top brands before I realized that I actually preferred the ones with guar gum over the fancy all natural ones that seperate in my fridge.
I'm intrigued by the water method, but I've been cooking mine in the oven for a few years now to great results. One difference between what I do and what Ethan did is that rather than place the bacon directly on the sheet pan, I place it on a cooling rack on the sheet pan. This equally exposes all sides of the bacon to the heated oven air. The result is perfectly crispy melt-in-your-mouth bacon. (No chewy bacon for me!)
I've always been sceptical of oven methods because most people don't elevate it. Causing the bacon to be chewy... I like the sound of your bacon! I always joke I want my bacon burnt just right! 😂
This. If you're not cooking it on a wire rack, you're just wasting your time. Anywhere in the cooking spectrum its still perfect.. even overcooked, but for crispy bacon.. there is no other way to go. Basically crumbles in your mouth and dissolves on your tongue.
So i've been wondering about cooking it on a cooling rack in the oven. Might give it a shot, wasn't sure if cooking it out of the grease would cook it weird or not.
cold oven, on a cooling rack, line the cooling rack with foil so you can capture the fat for use in cooking, set to 350 and the fat renders out and the slices are exactly where YOU want them between 30-40 minutes. Yum.
I don't have a single 'perfect" slice of bacon. It really depends on what I'm doing with it. What I'm doing with it will also determine if I buy thick vs. thin. Sometimes chewy is great, sometimes crispy, sometimes it's that in between. Even with bacon bits in some cases slightly soft works.
@@plwadodveeefdv Clearly you're not eating my bacon 😂😭 I like it floppy, but occasionally wind up with fully crispy. I only cook bacon 2-3 times a year, and rarely the same thickness. No consistency on my experience for timing.
There is no room for thin bacon in my life. I don't even believe that is real bacon, that is shrinkflation to the extreme. Thick cut bacon is real bacon. I love it because you can have crispy and floppy at the same time- the bacon is crispy on the outside but tender on the inside.
I'm switching back to Vital Farms. Love the 360 cam! I used to use them exclusively but switched back to Costco eggs when I needed to save some money on the grocery bill. But the few bucks are honestly worth it to me for what they offer and for the lifestyle of those chickens. Thanks, Ethan!
I would also argue that adding your entire slab of bacon to an extra large, heavy pan all at once will yield better results. Regular, commercial bacon is normally fanned-out in the package. By placing the entire slab in the pan with the fat side down, you are able to render more of the fat in the beginning. You can then start separating the pieces and the increased volume of rendered grease in the pan will cook the bacon more evenly and completely, plus the whole pack will be ready to eat at the same time.
Wow! I’ll definitely have to try it with water next time! I normally cook my bacon in the oven for best flavor and texture, 400° 11 minutes thin cut and 18 min for thick cut. It never fails me! 👌🥓
The method that makes the best bacon for my taste is to place a rack over a sheet-pan in the oven. It comes out evenly cooked and crip. I do the whole package at once and refrigerate the unused part for easy reheat. The rendered fat can be poured into jars for other cooking.
The ending caught my by surprise, I was expecting to be in the 1/3 mark of the video and have many more experimentations to figure out exactly what is the best method for each circumstance and taste.
I've been buying Vital Farms eggs and butter for a few years now. Love what they're doing and their eggs are fantastic! Also, I've been watching food and cooking videos on TH-cam for a long time and none of them has ever made me crave something as bad as this one made me crave a perfectly cooked slice of bacon.
I love the jump cut after the taste test where the water cooked bacon disappeared.
14:25
@@Gherit1 Idk if you believe in god but you’re doing his work. Bless you.
My thoughts exactly!
Jump cut? Is that how my bacon disappears as I'm cooking it?
Tells it all 👍😊
Ethan, My wife has her degree in food science. Ever since the kids were small {25 years ago} she would cook bacon in the microwave wrapped in paper towels, but she soaks the towels in water and squeezes them down to heavy damp first. The bacon is SOOOO good that way. If you do a follow up video you should try it!
wow,how many minutes to microwave? now I wanna try!
I'm surprised being a food scientist she fed your children bacon.
bacon when cooked in high heat produces 90k units of AGEs that's been proven to linked to alzheimer and mental aging. A breakfast with some slices of bacon are one of the worst things u can possibly feed children 🚶♂️
I wonder if anyone in your family have alzheimer and heart disease or diabetes yet
Cool idea. So exactly what do you mean by wrapping them in paper towel?
A minute per piece
Don't do more than 4 pieces= 4 minutes
Never used water to cook bacon, but I've been using about a third of an inch of water to cook breakfast sausage in a skillet forever. The sausage links are thick enough that the water cooks the interior perfectly by the time it evaporates so you don't have to nearly burn the sausage to cook them through completely. You then brown the sausage. It leaves the sausages more tender.
I agree, been doing that for years.
Thats how my mother taught me to cook all pork sausage when I was a kid 30+ years ago.
Surprised at the results , BUT! Still prefer overbite marinaded baby back ribs over water soaked, as the host efficiencies, preference taste of the consumer. Definitely will try surf board bacon though.
Same method works great for browning ground beef
wait you mean people don’t cook sausage links in water? I’ve done this my whole life
I greatly appreciate Ethans scientific yet concise explanation. The way he structures the lesson is informative but not wordy and the results of it all is very entertaining!
Thanks for doing a deep dive into bacon. It's not the fancy recipes that improve cooking, but a good understanding of ingredients and techniques. Would love to see more of these.
Cook it *sous vide* then brown in a pan. Best results.
I just learned of the water method a few weeks ago, and that’s probably how I’ll cook bacon for the rest of my life. Seriously- It’s THAT good. Perfect bacon every time.
All you need to do is add a splash of water from the tap after you’ve laid the bacon in a cold pan- just enough to cover the surface of the pan, but not enough to completely submerge the bacon. Put it on medium-low heat (3.5-4 on my electric glass top range), and let it do its thing until the water is almost gone. Once it’s gone, it’s business as usual. The bacon fries in it’s own fat, and it’ll brown within a few minutes. Flip occasionally until it looks good to you.
Sweet thank you for the information. Will try too!
Thank you for the specifics. Can't wait to try this.
Thank you so much for taking the time to post the instructions!
You saved me having to Google it.
That was brilliant of you!! 🥰
so it makes it like softer and chewy, right? I prefer really crunchy and crispy bacon but not burnt, so this would probably not be for me?
@@pecosR0B no, it actually makes it crispier since it breaks down the chewy collagen into gelatine which makes the bacon snap easier
I've been making my bacon in the oven for years, mostly because it is so easy. I can put it in, set the timer and I don't really have to pay any attention to it until the timer goes off. After watching this I think it would be interesting to put some water in the sheet pan and then cook it in the oven.
Exactly what I was thinking. Seems like it could potentially be an optimization of both taste/texture and lifestyle.
@@adamdebosier We tried it and it was fantastic! My husband was skeptical but when he tasted it he quickly became a believer. My son was putting a pan of bacon in the oven a few days later and hubby yelled from the living room, "Don't forget to put some water in the pan!"
We cook bacon in the oven with water on the baking sheet. It takes a bit longer but is very consistent and repeatable. Just like swapping trays of cookies when the timer goes off, it helps when we need to cook a lot of bacon at one time and are busy with other tasks.
Try using some parchment pager between bacon and your cooking sheet. Pour off your bacon grease into a container to use to cook with later. Throw away the parchment paper and clean up on the pan will be a lot easier.
Time and temp?
Try using brewed coffee instead of water on a sheet or two. You will be happy with the taste.
@@mbproduction7558 Parchment is used to avoid browning, so this perplexes me.
@@kathyratino962 I don't think that it's to avoid browning of the cooked product. It's to avoid sticking to the surface. Stuck food may also shoot past brown to charred quicker. I'm no pro, just my 2 cents.
In life there are few choices more important than how to cook bacon. Thank you for this vital and informative video.
You said it in your recap - microwave for very specific applications… for me is when I incorporate it into a massive assembly line of breakfast burritos that I will eat hours later. The dry brittle texture absorbs liquid making the burrito less mess and the bacon better.
Again, thank you to Vital Farms - good to be able to support a business that cares about their animals and the land.
You definitely need a video on the Maillard Reaction! That is such a huge part of food science. I think it’s beneficial for everyone who enjoys cooking (and hasn’t attended culinary school) to learn. 😊
Something to know is that it's not a single reaction but a family of reaction which is why there is such a wide temperature window in which it happens.
Sorta like the Milgram experiment that was also frying.
@@tocarules are you willing to explain more? I love these far fetched connections.
@@chadrydjord829 yeah, it almost doesn't make sense to call it the Maillard rxn, it should be Maillard-family reactions, since there is such a diversity depending on temp/reactants (ingredients), whether it's in air/oil, etc.
Please no. It's so over done
My favorite episode of Good Eats was the chocolate chip cookie episode, when Alton Brown broke down all the various specifics of how to customize a cookie recipe for your personal preference. I did just that and created my own, unique chocolate chip cookies with a hint of coconut from the coconut oil that made up half the fat of the recipe.
Anyway, this video reminded me of that episode a lot. So props to you.
@@aliceowens300 For me, it was more about getting the effect of shortening without using shortening by mixing coconut oil and butter. But yeah, the subtle coconut flavor is great.
My mother made the best toll house cookies. When she passed away, my sister decided to supply the cookies at Christmas. She was never satisfied with hers because they would flatten out like pancakes and my mother's were "cookies shape". I asked her if she used butter in the recipe and she said yes. I pointed out that Mom always used margarine (as specified in her recipe). She didn't believe me and have made pancake cookies ever since.
Alton rules!!!
i coined him “the scientific cook” and none greater in my opinion. he really is the best.
Alton Brown has for years had a great authentic simple Saurebraten recipe
Adding water works with any other kind of fatty meat and is great for making a stew as well, it has the exact same effect as described here. I usually set it to cook with some water and salt, let it boil down, then when it turns to a sizzle I add the vegetables and brown everything up, deglaze with wine, season and add some liquids, let it cook for a bit and done.
I use this metod to reheat roast meat. I cut it in fine slices and put it in a pan with some onions, water and stuff. Great for sandwichs.
But the discussion is about bacon methods here; not braising meats and other recipes. Please focus.
@@lindalove7193 plisi ficis.
His Carnitas recipe uses the same idea funnily enough
@@janknoblich4129 oh, I'm gonna look up for the video. Thx
Another important thing to remember is to take the bacon out of the pan/oven just before you think it's done. It will continue to cook/crisp as it cools. I've had the result of a lot of over cooked bacon before I realized this. May be a rookie thing, but wish I'd have known sooner!
I was about to post if anyone else noticed this. It def continues cooking on the paper towel.
There is no such thing as overcooked bacon, only undercooked.
@No. No.
@@No-cg9kj Wrong! It can definitely be overcooked.
@@No-cg9kj put a bacon slice on a hot pan and leave it on a burner set to high for 30 minutes, and tell me the end result's good. Burning is a type of overcooking.
For oven cooked bacon try putting a piece of parchment paper over top of it. It keeps the moisture in longer and makes the bacon more tender.
Yeah, 7 min turn take paper off 3 more minutes
Also depends on the thickness.
@@tvsoup4405 What temp are you cooking bacon that it's done in ten minutes in the stove? I like my bacon chewy and even I would gag at how undercooked it would be at that point, it would basically be half raw.
@@Goldenkitten1 maybe you didnt see my second comment that says "also depends on the thickness" but litterally any working oven at 375. Chewy 350.
@@Goldenkitten1 i also have convection ovens at work so that prob makes a huge difference as the hot air blowing helps dry and make crisp
Ethan, that time lapse you added as you explained the cooking process for bacon was just phenomenal! Keep up the great work!!
This is the best video I have seen on cooking bacon at home. I love the practical approach and the graph is really a great way to visualize what’s happening. I feel like I have the info to create my own perfect bacon using this as a reference. Well done!
Cold oven, place bacon on cookie sheet in oven on the center rack, set to bake at 400 degrees, 14 to 18 minutes depending on your preference on chewy or crispy, perfect every time!! 🤗
I like this method because it is a set it and forget it until the timer goes off.
Did you make a follow up cook? Like bacon cooked with water in a pan, water in the oven, water in the microwave? Or convection oven, toaster oven, air fryer or combination cooking? This was really interesting I’d like to see more! I have a culinary arts degree and have owned my own restaurant for almost 16 years now and this was very entertaining!
Not doing water in the oven is disappointing.
I mean also, how much water? "Hey guys, water method tasted best but i wont talk about it for even 15 seconds."
@@jakasmalakas It would be nice to elaborate. From personal experience, we just coat the bottom of the pan with water. So the bacon aren't submerged or anything, but the full surface of the pan will be covered in water.
and testing flowered bacon.
That was good. Show us how to cook bacon in water
In the Philippine we also add water to our Longaniza and Tocino before frying them. Yes, it makes the difference. Love Bacon!
Perhaps equally important is knowing your oven and it's hot spots. Rotating the baking sheet about 3/4 of the way through cooking will give you much more even browning among all the strips. That way you don't end up with some overcooked, some undercooked and some in the middle when you cook a bunch at one time. Also relevant is whether you are using gas or electric, and whether or not there is a fan to circulate air ( A convection oven )
Knowing your equipment is equally important as knowing your ingredients ! ( I'm a retired chef )
Excellent point, Jesus!
What do you think about using a pizza stone?
Wow! Thanks Jesus!
Your still a chef 👨🍳 just maybe not still a practicing 😂professional 😊
My family has different preferences for bacon, so I usually fry them to different levels of crispyness. The uneven sheet cook sounds like it might be a good technique to cut down on my breakfast prep time. Plus, they all come out at the same time which is a nice bonus.
I always thought that the advantage of using the water method was that it helps evenly distribute heat across the pan and the bacon, preventing any hot spots and uneven cooking. It's nice to know that it also leads to some texture and taste advantages as well!
I would assume the fat does that on its own
@@jamismiscreant7514 to some extent, but water would cause the pan to heat up more slowly and some of the unevenness comes from the beginning - it takes a while for enough fat to render to evenly distribute the heat
@@andrewlipnick8131 it does cause the pan to heat more slowly but that’s not what the important part is or related to even heating.
It only heats more slowly because the same energy is a lower temperature and the energy intake is the same with or without water
The things that causes it to be the same temperate are largely dimensions and thermal conductivity
The thing that the water does very differently is boil earlier. When water boils under normal conditions it will remain at 100 C regardless of changes in the energy input into the system because all excess energy is lost in the form of steam. This causes (as can be seen in the graph) a temperature plateau whilst the water is in the pan allowing for the pre-Maynard processes mentioned to occur for longer
@@jamismiscreant7514 well, slow heating is relevant because when something heats more slowly it'll heat more evenly. If you set a pan on high heat and wait until the middle is 400 degrees, the edges will be cooler than if you set the pan on low heat and wait until the center reaches 400 degrees.
The energy intake is the same, the water just absorbs a lot of energy and evenly distributes the heat faster because water has a higher heat capacity then the pan.
Yeah, I understand the plateauing of the graph, my original comment was just saying that I never thought of that aspect, only the more even heating aspect, so now I have 2x the reasons to say the water method is better!
@@jamismiscreant7514 you make a good point here, I think it's also worth taking into consideration that because bacon curls as it heats up on a dry pan, the spots where the bacon touches the pan cooked at a significant faster rate than the stuff not touching the pan, because thermal conductivity of the pan is far greater than of the bacon itself. The water helps render out fat first (amongst several other things) before you start to crisp up the bacon, giving you significantly more surface area for the bacon to cook against as a result of the rendered fat being a liquid. It is fair to say that the extra fat rendering is a process caused by the extended pre maillard period, but I think it's also fair to say the water does cause the bacon to cook more evenly, because it allows more fat to render before the bacon can be adversely affected by the uneven cooking that is pretty normal with cooking bacon the "normal" way
I cook mine in the oven. A couple baking sheets with some heavy duty foil on them overlapping the sides and ends for easy clean up and the bacon cooks evenly.
I've always put my bacon on a rack when I bake it, but about a year ago I started adding some water to the pan below the rack to limit the fat from popping and smoking. I noticed after I did though, that the bacon heated more evenly as well, and produced a much better result. After thinking about it, I realized the same thing you did here, that the 212 limit prevents it from "finishing," with the maillard reaction until most foods are fully cooked, so doesn't matter what it is anymore, I tend to crank the convection setting up to high, add some water to the pan to let it come to temperature and cook evenly, then after the water evaporates off, the outside crisps up really quickly. Keeps your food from drying out, gets a more even cook, and makes for a better texture.
I've been telling people recently that I think humidity control is going to be the next big "cooking revolution," the way pressure cookers, air fryers, and sous vide were. We're already seeing mini ovens with humidity controls, but I expect we're going to starts seeing that across a whole range of consumer gadgets, because the control the 212 limit sets is idiot proof to keep from overcooking for a while, then it just finishes the dish to your liking.
It's just bacon .just heat it up in a frying pan
@ulairi - great thoughts! For the last several years, I’ve been cooking my bacon on a cookie rack / pan in the oven at about 250F for about an hour and loving how it turns out - Time for me to experiment with water and a higher temp, faster cook!
I'm glad you mentioned that a consideration is the bacon you start with. I'm near Amish country, and I buy bacon from a country store that has heavily smoked (but delicious) bacon). I've found that it cooks much differently than bacon I'd but at a local chain grocer.
So you missed one method.
To give you a little background, I am a mechanical engineer specializing in Heat transfer but I have been involved in the restaurant business since the mid 70s.
All the restaurants here in Montreal use this method.
The bacon is pre-cooked in the oven until most of the fat has rendered(250F for about 20 min, remember we are cooking 20lbs at a time) , it's still soft and tender when it comes out of the oven.
Then it's finished on a per order basis on high heat.
This gives a tender piece of bacon, with very good flavour and nice crispness but without burning. Just browning.
This works great because it cooks rapidly for each order.
Sounds like a great method, but as a home cook, I don't think par-cooking bacon is very feasible. I bet it tastes delicious though. Same method with fries is THE legendary method, so it has tons of merit.
@GunNut37086 I do it at home too. It's actually pretty easy. I also drain the rendered fat and keep it to add to stews and chilli
I cook bacon in the oven because I always make the whole pack at once. Oven is the only method that can handle that volume. That being said, the water method always yields the best texture. I'm going to try putting water on the sheet pan with the bacon next time I use the oven method.
not just that but i feel like it makes it more crispy and brittle
@@midshipman8654 what does? the oven or the water?
💧 + 🥓 = 😋
I was thinking about adding water to my sheet pan as well.
@@s02mike I tried it last night. It took SOOO long. Like an hour and a half. I learned that the amount of water you have to add to cover the bacon on such a large surface area is so much that it takes forever to evaporate at oven temps
One technical aspect of bacon that most don’t know about is frozen vs bellies. When bacon is processed from frozen bellies (common) those bellies are thawed, processed and then usually refrozen. Even if not refrozen. The water separates on thaw and most companies pump them with salt water to put moisture back in. (Hence why a lot of bacon is super salty). Frozen bellies tend to cook completely flat and have very little moisture after cook leaving it almost jerky or rubbery when less cooked. Curious about whether that makes a difference here.
As video marketer for many years, I really appreciate when someone is good on camera.
You. Are. DYNAMITE!
Great presentation! (Didn't hurt that I had just eaten a piece of bacon, I'm sure!)
Congrats! I look forward to more from you.
Gay
@Contact High. That's ok! If you want to be gay, be gay!!! Not sure what it has to do with bacon though.
I saw this video last winter and you were right, adding water is now my favored way to cook it. but here is something I noticed and I chose this video to post it because you emphasized the science of it. When I add water (I just rinse the slices under water before sticking them in the pan), the cooking process is slowed down and I don't overcook them anymore, but I also noticed I have less grease in the pan at the end by almost half. The rendering of the fat is inhibited by the water. I don't know the science of it but it is interesting, maybe the science guy can explain it better.
I don't think this is the case. Adding water is what you do to render out more fat.
my perfect slice of bacon really depends on what i'm using it for/how i'm eating it. if i'm having bacon and eggs, then i go for cooking it in a pan. if i'm adding it to a sandwich/burger or crumbling it and adding it to a dish, i use the microwave - that way it's super crispy. nothing sucks more than biting into a sandwich/burger and all the bacon pulls out of it on the first bite - i want it to snap right where i take the bite so that i can have bacon in every bite. guess i'm gonna need to try the water method, though - seems like the clear winner.
I have tried the water method and we all loved it. Despite how well it turns out, though, I personally prefer bacon from the air fryer. It's fast, delicious, and I find the cleanup easier than any other method.
How long and what temp would you say for a couple pieces?
When I do bacon in the oven, I put aluminum foil on the pan. When it's done, I let the pan cool until the fat is hard and toss the foil in the trash.
@@brysonmalpass3823
I do 7 slices for 6 minutes on 180 degrees.
@@johnmc7587 Hey thanks man I’ll try it out!
@@brysonmalpass3823
I have the emeril legasse airfryer so i hang the bacon over the rack to cook.
I’ve seen a few videos of yours but this is the one that made me subscribe!! Love these science-y deep dives into cooking. Every TH-cam cook talks about teaching technique but never really does.. THIS is the kind of thing that makes you a better cook!!
You have quickly become my favorite food/cooking youtube channel. I have been watching your videos for about 2 years now and I've learned so much about food science and ways to make traditional meals lower calories. Your content is just so enjoyable to watch. Keep up the great work!
Phone a friend with a pellet smoker. Cook the bacon @ 250-300 to your preferred level. I even sprinkle some of my favorite dry rub before cooling with amazing results. I cook enough to last us a week, warm as needed or just snack. You also haven’t lived unless you’ve had candied bacon.
Since I discovered the oven method, it's been my go to way to cook bacon. I can do a whole pack a once (and save the leftovers for sandwiches!) and it requires zero effort. To me the convenience of freeing up the cook top, never having to flip or turn bacon, and avoiding splatters and extra clean-up is just immeasurable. You can cook it on a sheet of parchment paper or tin foil and then you don't even have to worry about cleaning the sheet tray after, as well as making it easy to pour all that bacon fat into a jar for future use (never let that rendered fat go to waste!)
Doesn't it mess up the oven? Or over repeated bacon batches?
Same! My oven doesn't cook it evenly, but that works out ok for us, because my son likes it softer, I have to have mine crispy. Worst thing about breakfast cooking before was that every single burner was going at the same time and timing was so much harder.
@@Greenwings701 yes, u will have bacon grease spattered all over oven, unless u cover with tin foil
Oven is my go to cooking method for bacon. I start from a cold oven. And I scrunch the bacon a little bit to get the 'bacon curl' started. But I do flip the bacon at least once, about half way through the cook.
# 1 rule for me is don't over cook bacon, whatever method is used. All the fat flavor ends up rendered out and only a lousy, over-crisp, flavorless piece remains.
I put the whole pound overnight sous vide in the package, then you can do whatever you want method wise and the bacon cooks faster as the fat is partially rendered
I've been cooking bacon in a cold pan on low to medium heat. Just tried cooking in water first, definitely much better taste. It's exactly how you described it, so much more tender while still having a good bite
Ethan: Combine your favorite oven cooking with the water method. Put the bacon in an oven safe pan or tray deep enough to put water over the bacon and put that in the oven for long enough to keep the bacon in the "tenderizing" zone for a long time. Low temps will prolong the process. High temps will speed the process but demand a more watchful eye near the end to avoid overcooking the bacon.
I was going to ask him to follow up with this - so, you’ve done it? When you talk about low or high temps, what kind of range are you talking about?
Ethan I just found your channel and man I literally meal prepped 3 meals already thanks to you. Super easy and simple videos. You’re like an older brother I never had 😂
I was pleasantly surprised as well when I first tried the water method. I find it actually intensified the flavour (I, too, thought it might dilute it) and is less greasy while still maintaining that delicious fat umami. That's how I cook it everytime now, unless I'm on a tight time budget. I have a small countertop oven that I use as well that cooks it a bit faster than the big oven. You can get some nice crispy bacon good for crumbling that way.
This episode is so fun! I make normal (not thick!) bacon in the oven. I put bacon on a plain sheet pan w a very thin layer of water in a cold oven at 350 degrees. I cook it until it looks brown, turning once after the water boils off. Perfect crispy fat w slight chew to lean!
I was literally just watching food vids and thinking "I haven't seen an Ethan video in a while". Great timing, and about bacon none the less!
literally had the same exact thought a week ago
I always use the oven now (I'm 20-25 minutes) simply because it's easier to make a perfectly flat piece that way. That's great for things like BLTs. Also, it's much easier to do a full pound on a cookie sheet in the oven than it is in a pan on the stove.
yup. all true
I also use the oven method for many of the same reasons, but I put my bacon on a non-stick cooling rack over the cookie sheet.
thick sliced 400 for 20 min, flip for 5 on parchment paper...no clean up
@@PocketDelicious I use water on the tray in the oven AND start it in a cold (not preheated) oven works great.
@@anitabellefeuille7362 Because of how ovens work (air just isn't really that great at tranferring heat) you probably could start in a pre-heated oven and end with a product just as good as what you get now, but I imagine it's less convenient to have to preheat the oven. Probably can save a bit of time if you do turn your oven on first thing when you enter the kitchen to cook bacon, but honestly, the difference's probably insubstantial anyways, and you'll spend a similarly insubstantially higher amount of energy (be it gas or electricity) cooking too.
I love thick style bacon. I use the oven but in a different method. I start the bacon in a cold oven. I set the oven to 400F and let it go at least 35 minutes. I then check it for doneness and add more time if necessary. Also doing it in the oven allows me to do other things while its cooking.
For sure, I think the big advantage of the oven is the hands off nature!
@@EthanChlebowski the other big advantage is consistency, I don't use oven for bacon but I do use reverse sear for thicker steaks.
I'm also a fan of the cold oven method. Delightfully hands off and consistent.
Fucking add water to the bacon in oven method. It's dead simple.
Foolproof, no work with temp. Get out when right color. Perfect.
Agree, that’s the best way I have found by far
Oven can work similarly if you put the bacon in a cold oven. I also recently tried cooking bacon with water for the first time recently and was pleasantly surprised.
Water method also great with link or patty sausage, tender inside, flavorful and crisp outside. Works from frozen which is handy if you live alone.
My Dad loved to prepare sausage. I’m talking about what is referred to as fresh country pork sausage not Polish or Italian sausage. He would use a cast iron skillet and added water! It placed a lid on the cast iron skillet. He said it was how his Mother cooked sausage. Try creating a video using sausage cooked in the same processes as you did bacon. You will be like the taste and texture and it cooks quickly. ❤
I grew up with my mom doing the same thing! Now I can't make sausage any other way (except on my Blackstone).
I do sausage the same way, but I also add a hearty portion of butter to the water as well. It really enhances the flavor.
mix in some fresh bread crumbs with the sausage mix; brown the patties then steam
You should try the La Rousse method (French), you overlay the fatty edges to the heat source (pan or oven grill), in a frying pan you put the fatty edge of the bacon towards the middle of the pan then the next rasher on top of that (just so the fatty edge is exposed directly to the pan and the meat is on the fat of the last rasher), this gives a similar (possibly better) result to the water method. The fat is super crispy and the meat more tender (but absorbs the fat improving the taste). Give it a try you may like it.
I wonder if a steam oven would give a good result?
Yes. A steam oven gives a great result.
@@carolmelancon I wonder how a Dutch oven would work then? It works for bread. Sadly limits the amount of bacon you can do though. Or how about just 2 baking sheets the same size to make a clam? No water , but cook in it's own steam ?
Ooh in that case adding water to the bottom of your air fryer should add some steam. I saw a similar thing on TH-cam where someone cooked bacon and let it drip down onto their potatoes underneath in the air fryer. The potatoes were probably adding Steam, and the results seemed pretty happy.
that's what I do, but I thought of it on my own just to get the fat cooked more.
You could also put water into the pan when cooking in the oven to get the best of both.
It would be interesting to see how adding water to the oven sheet would impact the end product. If that gets you a similar chew vs crisp output as adding water to the stove top pan then it would seem like the best way to optimize since oven bacon is so easy and mess free.
I'd also be curious to see how it works when added to the microwave. In theory you could add the exact amount of water needed to boil off when the desired amount of collagen has been broken down.
It came to me a couple hours ago. Funny to see how many others already thought of it.
LMAO
That's what I'm thinking. 375F for 20 minutes, on a baking sheet with just enough water to cover the strips to extend that cooking time. Oven bacon is the best, so easy and clean, and you can start it early while you make the rest of the meal.
Great suggestion! I'll have to try that because I cook bacon a package at a time, and I was wondering how to do it in the skillet.
I hate when I post a comment, and then scroll down to somebody who said the same thing.
I discovered the water method a couple of years ago... and I to was pleasantly surprised by just how tender the results were. Definitely, my go-to method even when camping.
can you do water in the oven?
@@aCycloneSteve Yes. Best of all methods for consistency.
All I'll add is that this was very engaging and I would love to see more videos like this. Loved the mix of science and experience sharing.
Ok I’m a believer! ❤ 🥓 made it today. He doesn’t say how much 💦 he uses, I covered the bacon. Never made bacon so plump yet crispy. Brought water to a boil, lowered to medium till water gone, lowered further to finish. It’s perfect, will always do this way when have time.
I've cooked around 5,000 pounds of bacon in my life as a breakfast cook at a busy restaurant. Most used method I use at home is a microwave... you can get that tender/crunchy effect from the pan/oven method if you're careful with the microwave cook time. In the restaurant we use large sheet pans.
I like making bacon in the microwave because it really renders out the most fat when cooked on paper towels.
So the other morning while prepping my bacon and planning on water method cooking it... I accidentally made too much coffee. So I decided why not let it go to waste and let's use it instead of water... oh my God. Every coffee/bacon lover has got to try this combo.
😖
God will judge you
Great video. I'd like to see a video talking about the best ways to cook chicken, maybe focus on chicken breasts. How to avoid them being too dry, but safely cooked.
Oddly, or not, mushrooms are also great with the same water method. I even do diced bacon and mushrooms at the same time sometimes. Great way to start a pasta.
agreed, boil your mushrooms!
The good thing about mushrooms are that they are nigh indestructible, so you can practically do ANYTHING to them and they can turn out alright :)
I start bacon in a cold dry pan then put it on medium heat and flip several times. Cooking it slower over a medium heat allows for the bacon to render its fat as well as cook to a crisp without any scorching or burning. Then, after draining the fat from the pan to save it for cooking later, I put water in the pan and bring it to a boil to de-glaze it for easy clean-up, no scrubbing required. Also, when cooking over a medium heat the bacon sizzles but doesn't pop violently. I prefer my bacon mostly crisp with a slight chew still in it, not extra crispy.
I added water to my oven bacon last weekend. I was equally skeptical but my wife and I were so surprised as to how much better the bacon was! It does dilute the salt a bit but still tasted great
It's impossible to ruin bacon. I've eaten blackened bacon, that my sister set on fire, still bacon.
Yeah, I've tried to water and skillet idea a few times and I can't say that I'm a fan. It reduces the mess but I found a significant loss of flavor. I stick to the oven method because it's less fussy than using the pan. It's still the best way in my opinion.
Curious what the effect would be of using salted water, which presumably would lessen the outflow of salt from the bacon.
I wondered why he didn't try this method after stating he likes the water method best but is an oven guy.
I use the oven method but use a wire rack so water would just steam mine lol
@@apathetic25 Bacon on a wire rack makes bacon that melts in your mouth. The absolute best way to cook bacon.
I wish you did an air fryer trial! know it’s probably in the spot near where the oven is on the chart but it’s the most convenient way I find to cook a lot of things.
I learnt about the water method because I needed bacon fat for other parts of a dish
I would either overcook the bacon or do it slowly and it would take forever
Another note about water is the heat transfer.
Parts of the bacon that is directly exposed to the pan will brown quickly even on a low heat
By using water you can increase that surface area for that heat (you can use oil too but it will cause it to spit more)
The moisture that's locked in the meat has a chance to dissolve out and once it's evaporated, the meat is already dehydrated so you're left with lots of rendered out fat and less spitting
I bake my bacon but on a cooling rack over the cookie sheet. The fat renders onto the pan and stays clear.
My friend (who makes the best bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches) refuses to have water anywhere near bacon because of spitting. He even makes sure the washed pan is dry. I’ll have to try the water method at home first.
I get the juices flowing and tilt the pan, allowing the bacon to fry in its own grease. It cooks the fat so good!
I used to do it on the stove, then I transitioned to oven, with parchment paper because, it's not as messy and way easier to clean up, the bacon doesn't shrivel up/still has some chew to it instead of the crunch, and it's only 15 minutes. Granted I try to do more turkey bacon than normal bacon to try and be a little bit healthier, when I do normal bacon, I use either Applegate Sunday Cut or Greenfield Natural Meats Bacon, both try to do better practices at pig farming.
And yes, I find Vital Farm eggs taste better than normal store bought eggs, even if they are expensive.
I found your channel about a month ago, and you never disappoint. Awesome video-- great useful content, great personality, and good editing. I'm hooked. I get hungry and am throughly impressed and inspired every time I watch.
I either bake them on a couple of big baking sheets, or just put the whole pack in an iron skillet and stir them. If you use the iron skillet method it starts slow but finishes fast so you have to pay attention.
YES. I have decided iron skillet is the best method for cooking bacon, which I learned through the deliciousness of it being prepared this way by my ex-bf's father at their weekly family breakfasts. Also where I discovered THICK SLICED bacon is the way to as well. It is probably similar to the water method, given that the rendered fat usually is deep enough to keep it moist even as it begins to brown. It fits nicely when you cut the bacon in half down the middle and just put the whole slab in the pan. This ensures the edges of the fat cook first and helps it not to curl/wrinkle/warp as much so when the slices separate they are nearly straight and the shorter length is easier to manage without getting tangled up together. Can come out evenly chewy or crisp, but even the crisp is more moist and it is not as crumbly.
It even burns more evenly this way because by the time it browns, the fat has melted into a pool deep enough to keep it submerged and thus frying all around at once instead of whatever side is touching the pan getting seared while the top is exposed to air until it is flipped. The timing is perfect if you take it out just before you think it will be ready, as it usually takes a minute to fish it out and it will cook a little more just from the fat that doesn't drip off right away. If I take it out too soon, it can always go back in, but too late is a done deal and a tragedy if you miss and it overcooks...
I find that the second half of the package is even better because it goes right into that hot fat immediately deep enough to submerge. Because of this, rather than the first half going into the pan dry, I now make sure to save the rendered fat when cook it and always start with that leftover fat heated up so that the first half of the package also gets the benefit of being surrounded by liquid from the start as well. It comes out perfect every time, even when I have to make do with thin sliced bacon. It is much less brittle but still crisp. Starting with the fat makes a huge difference especially with the thinner slices that otherwise dry out too quickly, but the thick slices are even better.
This whole thing is making my mouth water. Fortunately, there is some in the freezer, and I am going to go make some right now.
This is also the most perfect way to season that iron skillet too. Nothing sticks to the pan when the fat is melted first and wiping it with a paper towel after leaves it perfectly smooth and oiled for next time. BACON RULES. I could never believe in a religion that forbids bacon...
I'll always choose the oven method just because it's pretty much set and forget while I'm cooking other things. Especially since I also enjoy chewy bacon while my girlfriend enjoys it more crispy.
The water method is also amazing for cooking mushrooms. You add just a bit of water, around 1/4 or so for a cup of sliced shrooms. Then let them cook until the water evaporates, stirring on occasion.
There are so many ways to cook bacon in an air fryer, I'd like to see you try that. I cook mine that way and the results are probably as good as a frying pan. I'm sure you could come up with a lot of variations.
I love that vital farms is sponsoring you. Our family has been eating their eggs over the last year and they are a superior product and totally worth the price. The yolks are deep orange, and I have yet to find a better tasting egg, even better than my neighbors!
LMAO, better tasting eggs, lol, right!
@@lowvpro9651 definitely true with eggs. The pale yolk eggs have less flavor and the whites are usually runnier. You can always tell how healthy a hen is
Vital farms have better chemicals.
I get farm eggs from a friend's farm. Cheaper than store bought and cheaper than Vital Farms and better than store and probably better than VF
I’m getting these next trip to the grocery store. Thanks for the input!! Always admire the packaging. 😊
there you are
Crap, they found me.
*runs*
Here i am
Do I know you?
Didn't know you were looking for me
Wherever you go,
Im an oven guy, too, but with one important difference: I start in a cold oven. I discovered this by accident, tryimg to save time preheating my oven to bake biscuits. put the bacon in the oven and set the temp for 375 F. by the time the oven reaches temp, the bacon should be almost done, depending on how crispy you like it, but retains a little more internal moisture and flavor han when I've used a preheated oven.
I've been using the water method for about a year now and while I like the end result, is has an extra benefit, which is that it yields more fat to store for cooking other dishes. I get about a half of a cup of bacon fat from a large pan lined with bacon, whereas I was only getting about 1/4 cup without using the water.
yup, making my eggs in them the following morning, gosh . . . and people thought I was crazy for using water for my bacon and boerewors.
That actually pointed out some different ways to use for cooking as well. Microwave the bacon if you need bacon bits, or to add crunch to a BLT. I will have to give some more research, but maybe boiling the Bacon but not letting the water boil out would keep it tender enough to wrap around a chicken for a chicken cordon bleu. I generally like crispy bacon, so pan frying would be my preferred method. Plus, I keep the bacon grease for other pan fryiing. (try asparagus fried in bacon grease:). Yes, I am southern. :)
As soon as you mentioned collagen I knew where this was gonna go and it seemed so obvious that the water would be a good idea, but I’d never thought of it as a factor at all until you did. Good content as always :)
Same here... now I think the thing I'm still trying to figure out is flavor differences. I can cook bacon from the same pack on a flatop top (blackstone) and it tastes one way, but doing it on a cast iron skillet it tastes different (possibly fat and how it drains away) vs. oven with and without cooking racks in the cookie sheets... they all tasted different, and honestly the flattop has been the favorite of everyone in the family so far...
but WHY does it taste different
Don't know about you guys, but I fry bacon at 'low fire' - which not only insures completely cooked bacon, but makes it quite easy to have a FANTASTIC combo of tender, and crispy, and all points in between.
I love the fact that the water one disappeared between the unveil and the result discussion 🙂
Yeah I was kind of wondering how he wasn't resisting eating them all before that and right then that one disappeared
I've never tried the water method, but considering the principles that makes it tick, it's no surprise why the Kenji Lopez inspired method I use yields such superb results: about 147 F sous vide overnight (thick sliced, bought already vacuum sealed in its original package) followed by 4 to 5 minutes on medium high on a cast iron pan till the edges of bacon have crisped golden.
I find that sometimes the packaging is less tight than desired (and also, I'm always worried about the plastic melting a little. But, yea, throwing this into a sous vide and forgetting about it has always felt ideal in a lot of ways haha.
"Ain't nobody got time fo dat"
@@mikebravo3527 This takes less time than most other methods. 2 minutes to drop a package of bacon in a container of water and set the sous vide time & temp, then ~5 minutes to brown & crisp it in a pan. Plus you have the whole package pre-rendered, and you can just grab a couple slices anytime you're ready for bacon, and they'll take less time to cook every time.
Yikes. I don't know if I would trust pork at 65c overnight.
Very good. Just one thing I may add; different bacons cook differently. Some bacons, imho, are my preference and are very easy to achieve a good Maillard reaction by simply placing into a cast iron pan, turning up the heat only to a precise level that will allow the fat to render, the water to evaporate, and reaction to take place without pyrolysis occurring. Also, I turn the bacon strips over early on and shortly after the fat begins to render and water is released; doing so discourages cupping making for more evenly caramelized, flatter strips. Also, hope this doesn't sound nit-picky, but the chemist who the Maillard reaction is named for was French, so the pronunciation of Maillard is somewhat more akin to _my-YAR._ Nonetheless, an excellent video.
for me it is: place bacon in a cold cast iron pan and then place a heavy cast iron bacon weight on top and put that on a gas stove on a low to medium heat, do other things but keep an ear on it because in about 5 minutes the water will have cooked off and it will start to sizzle. then I lift my weight and give them a flip and crisp the other side, which will not take very long at all. the bacon weight tends to keep the moisture on the bacon for longer extending that middle collagen breakdown step.
The reason why microwave is super crispy is because of the way microwaves heat. Microwaves only heat the water in the food, not an external heat source like the pan or an oven. So what you are doing is rapidly cooking the meat through evaporation. This gives the collagen no time to denature, making it very crispy, and little time for the fat to render. If you need bacon in a hurry and don’t need that much taste, the microwave. If you want the most flavor then one of the other ways is best. 😊
14:23 I love how it just cuts to the rest of the water bacon vanishing haha. That was clearly Ethan's favourite one
Interesting. Growing up I always cooked bacon in a pan, in my late 20’s, I started baking bacon in the oven. I’m going to try the water trick now. ☺️
The thickness of the pan and temperature control with the flames plays a big part in cocking the perfect bacon. The thicker the metal, the more heat it retains. Also, you don't have to put the flame on high as it will more likely burn the bacon. That's why there's a difference between amateur cooks and professionals. The professionals know their tools, ingredients, and temperature control to make a perfect dish.
deep dives into single ingredients are so insightful. I'm still planning a trip to my local store to hunt for SM tomatoes. One personal ingredient I've spent some time learning about is coconut milk. I found it when I started making coconut curry but then learned about using it in a lot of other things like my morning coffee. I googled and went through a few of the top brands before I realized that I actually preferred the ones with guar gum over the fancy all natural ones that seperate in my fridge.
What does this have to do with cooking bacon? Totally irrelevant comment.
He just wanted to use the well ovwrused crap phrase "deep dive"
Two people in the replies who know all about being irrelevant.
This was so much more helpful to me in learning how to prepare bacon than anything else. Love this.
I'm intrigued by the water method, but I've been cooking mine in the oven for a few years now to great results. One difference between what I do and what Ethan did is that rather than place the bacon directly on the sheet pan, I place it on a cooling rack on the sheet pan. This equally exposes all sides of the bacon to the heated oven air. The result is perfectly crispy melt-in-your-mouth bacon. (No chewy bacon for me!)
Yes, this is my method too… raise the bacon out of the fat, and then cook it low and slow
I've always been sceptical of oven methods because most people don't elevate it. Causing the bacon to be chewy... I like the sound of your bacon!
I always joke I want my bacon burnt just right! 😂
this is my preferred method as well.. the biggest benefit for me is cooking in the oven is way easier and less messy!
This. If you're not cooking it on a wire rack, you're just wasting your time. Anywhere in the cooking spectrum its still perfect.. even overcooked, but for crispy bacon.. there is no other way to go. Basically crumbles in your mouth and dissolves on your tongue.
So i've been wondering about cooking it on a cooling rack in the oven. Might give it a shot, wasn't sure if cooking it out of the grease would cook it weird or not.
cold oven, on a cooling rack, line the cooling rack with foil so you can capture the fat for use in cooking, set to 350 and the fat renders out and the slices are exactly where YOU want them between 30-40 minutes. Yum.
I like to microwave for 2-3 minutes and then finish in a pan, mainly for speed, but indistinguishable from straight pan fried.
I don't have a single 'perfect" slice of bacon. It really depends on what I'm doing with it. What I'm doing with it will also determine if I buy thick vs. thin. Sometimes chewy is great, sometimes crispy, sometimes it's that in between. Even with bacon bits in some cases slightly soft works.
The perfect slice of bacon is the one you're eating
@@plwadodveeefdv Clearly you're not eating my bacon 😂😭
I like it floppy, but occasionally wind up with fully crispy. I only cook bacon 2-3 times a year, and rarely the same thickness. No consistency on my experience for timing.
There is no room for thin bacon in my life. I don't even believe that is real bacon, that is shrinkflation to the extreme. Thick cut bacon is real bacon.
I love it because you can have crispy and floppy at the same time- the bacon is crispy on the outside but tender on the inside.
@@KJ4EZJ I for the most part agree, but there are some dishes where a paper thin pancetta (which I count as bacon) are the only way to go.
Exactly! I like my bacon to have some chew when it's in a sandwich. If it's on its own, though, it's better crunchy
I was planning on getting bacon for the first time in a while this week so this is perfect timing!
I'm switching back to Vital Farms. Love the 360 cam! I used to use them exclusively but switched back to Costco eggs when I needed to save some money on the grocery bill. But the few bucks are honestly worth it to me for what they offer and for the lifestyle of those chickens. Thanks, Ethan!
Message about the sponsor: Vital Farms has the best tasting eggs. Period. Pricey but worth it. Best Eggs Benedict ever!
I find them a bit pricy, I get local pasture raised eggs about half of what vital farms charges.
I would also argue that adding your entire slab of bacon to an extra large, heavy pan all at once will yield better results. Regular, commercial bacon is normally fanned-out in the package. By placing the entire slab in the pan with the fat side down, you are able to render more of the fat in the beginning. You can then start separating the pieces and the increased volume of rendered grease in the pan will cook the bacon more evenly and completely, plus the whole pack will be ready to eat at the same time.
You got a 2 foot by 2 foot pan over there?
That doesn't work for breakfast for two, unless they are NFL linemen.
Wow! I’ll definitely have to try it with water next time! I normally cook my bacon in the oven for best flavor and texture, 400° 11 minutes thin cut and 18 min for thick cut. It never fails me! 👌🥓
R😢😅
Same
The method that makes the best bacon for my taste is to place a rack over a sheet-pan in the oven. It comes out evenly cooked and crip. I do the whole package at once and refrigerate the unused part for easy reheat. The rendered fat can be poured into jars for other cooking.
I do the same, and if someone wants it more crispy, I just broil it at the end for a minute or two.
Leftover bacon???! Never heard of it.
Vitamin B
The ending caught my by surprise, I was expecting to be in the 1/3 mark of the video and have many more experimentations to figure out exactly what is the best method for each circumstance and taste.
That graph explains so well what happens with the food!
I've been buying Vital Farms eggs and butter for a few years now. Love what they're doing and their eggs are fantastic! Also, I've been watching food and cooking videos on TH-cam for a long time and none of them has ever made me crave something as bad as this one made me crave a perfectly cooked slice of bacon.
I love how he has added a magic trick in this video at 14:20, making the rest of the water cooked bacon magically disapear!!
I, too, noticed that magically disappearing bacon. Glad to see someone else thought it funny😄