Why The Best (And Crispiest) Bacon Starts On A Cold Pan, According To Geoffrey Zakarian

While cooking bacon may seem simple, it's actually pretty easy to make mistakes that leave you with tough, shriveled-up pieces. If you want the thickest and most flavorful slices of bacon, we have some tips. Tasting Table spoke with Geoffrey Zakarian, one of the co-hosts of the recently canceled Food Network show, "The Kitchen," during the New York City Wine & Food Fest and asked for his expert advice on how to get the crispiest bacon. 

Zakarian says that one of the mistakes everyone makes when cooking bacon is preheating the pan. When we asked him what to do instead, he said, "I cook bacon in a cold pan with a little bit of water. It's just how I was taught." He went on to say, "Bacon is a very thin, fat product. So if you hit it in a [hot] pan, it'll just seize up and shrink."

No matter the type of pan you're using for your bacon, preheating it can result in small, shriveled, and burnt pieces that no longer resemble bacon at all. Zakarian says that the best way to prevent curled bacon is to start it in a cold skillet, because "it's better [to] start cold and low. Low and slow for bacon." Some other tips for cooking the absolute best bacon include choosing a high-quality brand and a thick cut so that your bacon strips will stay fat and juicy after cooking. You should also avoid adding any additional fat, like butter or oil, to the pan before cooking. Bacon already has a high fat content, and it will start frying in its own fat as it cooks. Additionally, start cooking the bacon when it's at room temperature rather than just out of the fridge for crispier, tastier strips.  

Another great cooking tip from Geoffrey Zakarian for home chefs is to save that leftover bacon grease when you're done frying up your strips. You can use it in place of butter or oil to saute vegetables, make bean soup, or add rich flavor to anything else you're cooking. After the grease cools but before it solidifies, pour it into an airtight container and store it in your fridge or freezer for later use.