Chewy Bacon

Microwave has been in your kitchen for many years now, and it has a lot of advantages and disadvantages. But looking at the advantages, it turns out to be one of the most versatile appliances out there, especially if you want to cook bacon.

With the help of a microwave, you don’t have to be skilled at cooking to serve up delicious chewy bacon.

How do you make bacon chewy in the microwave? You only need to line a microwave-safe plate with paper towels. Then set your microwave setting to high for about 2 minutes to cook the bacon, and you will see that it will be cooked and chewy.

In this article, you will find more information about properly microwaving chewy bacon. It will also discuss the tips, tricks, and step-by-step procedures to achieve this kind of texture.

Is Chewy Bacon Safe To Eat?

First things first, chewy bacon is safe to eat as long as the bacon has been cooked to an internal temperature of 165F. You can cook them using your pan or a skillet and using a microwave oven as well.

Microwave cooking has been appearing on many cooking sites as it can be less harmful than frying. It is because the fats are not exactly exposed to the direct heat of your pan while cooking.

On the other hand, it can be quite challenging to determine the exact temperature to cook bacon. It is why many people are cooking it until it is crispy enough for everyone’s enjoyment.

Bacon is known to be a cured meat, but even still, it should be cooked before you serve it to your family. Microwaved chewy bacon is heated to internal heat, and that is why it is safe to eat.

The bacon becomes chewy because of the technique it was cooked, not because of any cooking failure. It is worth mentioning that bacon is not the best food item that you should be consuming regularly. The reason is that it has a lot of fats that can negatively impact your health.

On the other hand, keeping your intake of chewy bacon to a minimum is recommended. Aside from that, it would help if you only ate bacon once every two weeks.

The science behind that is because bacon consists of extremely high levels of fat and preservatives like salt. These might be essential nutrients, but eating too much can hurt your overall health.

What Makes Bacon Chewy?

When dealing with different outcomes of bacon will heavily rely on the technique of cooking. There are specialized techniques that make your bacon on the chewy side, and keep in mind that it is the temperature that plays a role here—the chewiness results from the bacon that retains most of its fats.

In contrast, you can also microwave your bacon and can end up being crispy. The fat then is used to crispy the meat, which will end up being crunchy in texture as a whole.

You only need to decide which method you want to cook your bacon. Cooking it in the microwave is a perfect choice as it does not burn, has no spattering, has low shrinkage, and saves you some time.

Microwave Tips

Many people opt to cook their bacon in the microwave solely because it cooks quickly. It is also a good way to skip cleaning a lot of mess after cooking.

When cooked on the stovetop or inside the oven, there is a grease splatter, and it can be everywhere. It is the reason why most people prefer cooking bacon using the microwave than the stovetop.

If you plan to cook your bacon in a microwave, you need to consider a lot of factors and things that can impact your cooking time:

• The first one is that you must use a microwave-safe plate when reheating your high-fat foods like bacon in your microwave. Fat heats to a higher temperature than the water, so the dangers when microwaving is greater if not using a microwavable dish.


• Rotating the plate is essential while using your microwave as it can reduce the cooking time, and you will end up even cooking.


• Paper towels are used to absorb the excessive amount of fat and moisture in your bacon while microwaving. Also, it acts as a cover-up to keep the splatter from dirtying the inside of your microwave. 


• You should know that the power required by your microwave is called wattage. The wattage of your machine can be found inside its door. You might want to refer to the owner’s manual for a better understanding of how it works.


• The amount of bacon you are going to cook is another aspect that you need to consider. When you are planning to cook 2 to 3 slices of bacon, the microwave can cook it faster than when you are cooking 8 to 9 slices at a time.


• The thickness will also play a role when cooking bacon inside your microwave. If the bacon is very thick, it will take longer to cook compared to the thin ones.


• You need to make sure that all the slices are properly flat on your microwave-safe plates and don’t overlap. It will make sure that your bacon will cook evenly and won’t be sticking together.


• If you want to achieve a better result, then having a microwave bacon cooker can elevate the bacon above the grease and allows it to cook for perfection.


• It only takes about 2 minutes to microwave chewy bacon, and if you check the doneness and it is not cooked, add another 15 seconds interval.

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Cooking Bacon

Although eating bacon might not be the healthiest way to enjoy life, it is still imperative that many people like to eat them. Having the perfect quality and doneness of the bacon has been a dilemma for many people.

Maybe your bacon does not get crispy enough, or maybe it curls up itself and won’t cook evenly. Here are some common mistakes you can avoid to achieve the results that you want:

1. Trying To Cook Cold Bacon

As you are probably aware, bacon is meat, and it is a fatty one. The secret to the meat and fat cooking evenly is the temperature. So, take note of this factor when preparing bacon.

You need to start around the same temperature and let your bacon sit at a certain room temp for about 15 minutes.

Once it is at the right temperature, it will help the fat render more quickly when cooking it. As a result, you’ll end up having a crispy and not burnt one.

2. Starting Bacon In A Hot Pan

When frying bacon, you always need to have a hot pan to ensure you will end up with crispy bacon. But that is not the case for bacon, as you will end up with the opposite effect.

The secret to perfectly cooked bacon is that you need to render the fat without burning the meat parts slowly.

Start by having a cold pan and then heat it on medium-low. Once it starts to sizzle, bring it up just a little bit to medium heat. Once most of the fat goes down, you are close to perfect your bacon as it can cook into a crispy one or a chewy one.

3. Crowding The Pan

If you see steam coming off your pan, that’s because there are too many slices of bacon close to each other. If it happens to be steaming, you will end up with floppy bacon and not crispy or even chewy.

4. Piling Your Bacon On Top Of Each Other In The Pan

There is a great chance that your cooked bacon all jumbled up with doesn’t render properly will never get crispy. As a result, you will end up with a failed one. The reason is that your bacon needs some space for it to be able to cook properly.

5. Buying Cheap, Thin, Sad Bacon

Bacon is good, but it is even better if you get the right one that is not cheap, sad, and thin. Yes, bacon might not be a healthy choice, but you should treat it as an indulgence.

When you buy thinly sliced bacon, you do yourself a disservice, and once you purchase the thick ones, you are treating yourself.

Conclusion

To sum it up, bacon is good whether it is crispy or chewy as there are many ways to enjoy it and not just one. It is one of the good things about bacon; they are universal and versatile as you can enjoy them the way you want them.

Using a microwave is an excellent choice if you are always on the go. The best thing about it, you can either go crispy or chewy in texture in just limiting the temperature and the time you cook it. Go on and enjoy your bacon however you like it but always be mindful about your health.