Have you ever wished you could make bacon for your whole family at once without getting burned? I used to dread making bacon until I learned how to do it in the oven. It’s the key to keep it from shrinking, too.
Crispy, delicious bacon is one of life’s greatest pleasures. But it can be frustrating when those lovely long strips of bacon shrink into tiny crunched up pieces while cooking. If you prefer your bacon long and not shriveled, have no fear. With the right techniques, you can cook bacon to crispy perfection without the dreaded shrinkage.
In this article, we provide 10 tips to help you cook bacon so it stays flat and maintains its size and shape, including:
- Choosing the right bacon
- Proper preparation
- Baking instead of frying
- Using a bacon press
- Cooking low and slow
- Avoiding moving or flipping
- Adding water to the pan
- Laying strips correctly
- Letting it rest
- Blotting excess grease
Follow these guidelines for beautiful plump bacon every time.
1. Choose Thicker Sliced Bacon
Thinner sliced bacon tends to shrink more than thick cut bacon during cooking. When possible choose a thick sliced artisanal bacon ideally at least 1/4 inch thick per slice. The thicker the better to prevent shrinking. Stay away from thin breakfast bacon styles.
Look for thick cut bacon options at your local butcher shop, farmer’s market or high end grocery store. Brands like Nueske’s, Whole Foods 365 and Trader Joe’s carry good thick sliced bacon varieties.
2. Prepare the Bacon Properly
To set your bacon up for success:
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Keep it cold. Take bacon straight from the fridge to the cooking surface. Cold bacon holds its shape better.
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Use a wire rack. Place a cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet. This elevates the bacon allowing air circulation.
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Separate slices. Make sure strips aren’t touching each other. Overcrowding causes shriveling during cooking.
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Blot excess moisture. Gently pat bacon dry with paper towels right before cooking. Drier surface = less shrinkage.
3. Bake Don’t Fry
Cooking bacon low and slow in the oven results in the least amount of shrinkage compared to stovetop frying. The indirect heat lets fat render slowly without curling the bacon up.
To bake:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Place prepared bacon on wire rack set on baking sheet.
- Bake 18-24 minutes until desired crispness.
- For less shrinkage, bake at lower 325°F for 30-35 minutes.
Baking gives you more control to prevent under or overcooking.
4. Use a Bacon Press
A bacon press is a cast iron or other heavy flat weight that presses bacon flat during cooking. Using one helps prevent the bacon from buckling and becoming wavy.
Place the bacon press directly on top of the strips while they bake or fry. The press holds them in place, inhibiting shrinkage.
A small cast iron skillet also works great as a makeshift bacon press in a pinch.
5. Cook Low and Slow
If you do cook bacon on the stovetop in a skillet, use medium-low heat between 250°F to 325°F. Low steady heat renders fat slowly without causing shriveling curlicues.
Higher heat makes the fat bubble and boil, which ruffles and wrinkles the bacon. Gentle heat keeps in smooth and flat.
6. Avoid Moving and Flipping
Once the bacon hits the heat, try not to move or flip it until completely cooked.
Shifting and handling the bacon during cooking can disturb the strips and cause them to buckle.
Let it sizzle untouched until ready to transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
7. Add Water to the Pan
Adding just a small amount of water to the bacon pan helps reduce shriveling. The water creates steam which cuts down on excessive grease splatter that can ripple the bacon.
Use around 1-2 tablespoons of water per batch. Pour it carefully around the bacon in the pan once it starts sizzling. The water evaporates harmlessly leaving flat bacon behind.
8. Lay Bacon Correctly in the Pan
Pay attention to bacon placement in the pan. Lay strips perpendicular to the pan ridges rather than parallel.
This prevents the ridges from causing creases and wrinkles across the bacon as it cooks.
9. Let Bacon Rest Before Serving
After cooking, transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate to drain and rest for a few minutes.
The cooling period firms up the fat and brings out the crispness. Handling bacon immediately after cooking often causes breakage.
Letting it set avoids shrinkage-inducing rough handling right after cooking when the bacon is most fragile.
10. Blot Excess Grease
Before serving, gently blot bacon with fresh paper towels to soak up any excess bacon grease sitting on the surface.
Excess surface grease can cause the bacon to shrink up and wrinkle as it cools. Blotting wicks it away maintaining flat integrity.
Follow these 10 shrink-preventing steps for beautifully flat, crisp bacon every time. While a slight reduction in size is normal, these tips will help you avoid serving up tiny bacon bits. Let us know how these tricks work for you! We’d love to see pictures of your big, beautiful bacon creation.
Put Bacon in a Cold Oven
Bacon shrinks and curls up in response to extreme heat which makes the protein contract. To get flat, crispy strips of bacon, put the pan into the oven without preheating it first. If you put the bacon in a cold oven and then turn on the heat, it will slowly reach the right temperature for cooking without shrinking.