If you like crispy, dry bacon, you'll be happy to know there's a quick way to cook bacon without making a greasy mess. Just make sure to cook enough bacon, because you'll want to come back for more!
Step
Method 1 of 2: Tissue Paper Method
Step 1. Prepare a microwave-safe dish, preferably glass or Pyrex
Place several layers of tissue paper on a plate. The paper towels will soak up all of the bacon grease, leaving a dirty-free kitchen, meaning no dirty dishes to wash.
Step 2. Lay up to six slices of uncooked bacon along the paper towels
Don't overlap the bacon, or the bacon won't cook evenly.
Step 3. Place a piece of tissue paper on top of the bacon strips
This will prevent the splattered oil from dirtying your microwave.
Step 4. Cook the bacon
Microwave the bacon for about 3 minutes on the highest heat, or 90 seconds per slice. Note that the time may vary by microwave and according to the amount of bacon being cooked.
Step 5. Dry the bacon
Remove the bacon from the plate and place it on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
- Allow the bacon for about 1 minute to cool.
- Quickly remove the bacon from the paper towels or the bacon will stick, leaving strips of tissue paper on the bacon.
Step 6. Eat bacon
Bacon cooked this way is dry and delicious, and won't have as much fat as pan-fried bacon, so it's actually healthier. Enjoy crispy bacon with eggs or pancakes, on a bacon and tomato sandwich, or as a snack.
Method 2 of 2: Microwave Bowl Method
Step 1. Place the microwave-safe bowl on top of the microwave-safe plate. In this method, the bacon is hung over the rim of the bowl
When cooked, the oil drops into the bowl and onto the plate below for easy cleaning.
Step 2. Hang the bacon strips over the rim of the bowl
Place as much bacon as you want around the rim of the bowl. If you don't want the bacon sticking together, keep some space between each slice; otherwise, don't worry about it.
Step 3. Cook the bacon
Place the bacon-wrapped bowl in the microwave. Cook bacon on highest heat for about 90 seconds per slice. If you cook a pound of bacon, this may take up to 15 minutes.
- To avoid smearing the microwave with oil, you can line the bacon with some paper towels.
- Rotate the microwave plate for 10 minutes. This will ensure that the bacon cooks evenly. Or, if you don't like your bacon dry, remove it at this point. Careful! The plate was hot and the hot oil had hatched onto the plate.
- Keep checking for dryness to see if that's to your liking.
Step 4. Remove the bacon from the microwave
You may need to use oven mitts, as the bowls and plates will be hot. Carefully remove it from the microwave and place it on a heat-safe surface. Use tongs to remove the bacon strips from the bowl and place the bacon on the paper towels.
- If you allow the bacon strips to cool in the bowl, the bacon will form a "U" shape when served.
- Be very careful not to spill the bacon grease when you remove the dish from the microwave.
Step 5. Save the oil
If you wish, the oil can be saved for cooking. Pour the oil into a storage container right off the plate, or place it in the refrigerator (as shown here) and allow the oil to harden by cooling and scraping. This oil makes fried eggs so delicious!
- Discard the fat if you don't want to use it for cooking.
- Be careful handling bowls and plates, as bowls and plates are very hot.
Tips
- Check your bacon several times so the bacon is cooked just right.
- If you have a setting for cooking bacon in your microwave, use that.
- For really "no cleaning" cooking, follow the "tissue paper" method, but don't use glass plates, use a paper plate or two (*paper*, not foam or plastic, it will melt) - to keep things completely clean completely clean, place the paper plate upside down on the tissue paper creating a "shell" over the bacon. We're done, remove the bacon, and throw away the rest - just be careful because the oil will still be very hot.
- If the bacon feels too chewy, you haven't cooked the bacon long enough.
- Keep an eye on the bacon while it's cooking. The bacon heats up quickly and you may need to stop the microwave before the time runs out.
- If left too long the bacon will become too dry, but still delicious.
- Make sure the bowl you are using can withstand the heat or it will break.
- You can open the microwave to check your bacon without worrying about 'letting the heat out'. When the microwave oven is turned on the oven will instantly become hot.
- To make the bacon drier, cook it for an initial period (usually 3 minutes), and then let it sit for a few minutes to allow the oil to cool slightly. Then cook again for a minute or as long as desired - giving the bacon time to "rest" keeping it from cooking too fast and giving the oil time to soak into the paper towels between cooking sessions.
