This Easy Bacon-Buying Trick Leads To Crispier Results

Achieving peak, crispy bacon that's tender and still delivers a good crunch sounds straightforward enough. If only it were that easy. Tips on how to pull off crispy bacon run the gamut from first microwaving your bacon briefly before frying to ditching the frypan altogether and poaching your bacon in a shallow layer of water instead. If you're a home chef intimidated by nuanced cooking methods and looking to buy your way into a more sure-fire crispy bacon solution, consider tossing thick-cut, extra-fatty bacon into your shopping cart.

Known as "streaky" bacon in the UK, this cut comes from the belly of the pig, so the strips are extra fatty. That fat renders, which is a melting-down process that cooks out the moisture of the fat, then turns a golden brown (due to the Maillard reaction). All of that fat brings the flavor and juices that keep your bacon from getting tough or a dreaded dry, rubbery result. Try that with extra lean bacon and the cooking process is slightly thrown off, since there's so little fat to render. Thin, lean bacon cuts can also burn more easily, without that protective fat to work through.

Even after grabbing the right cut of bacon from the grocer, you know from experience that cooking it to your preference is personal. Ever considered boiling your bacon? It's a method that lines up bacon strips in water that is brought to a boil, evaporates, and then the bacon, theoretically readier than ever for a nice, friendly frying, turns out crispy but not burnt. The method has mixed reviews, but some seem to love it. Another bacon frying favorite is to utilize a cast iron skillet. It delivers a flavorful result, and its throwback vibe makes it a sentimental, if messy, choice.

You could also abandon your frypan altogether and cook your bacon in the oven. This is a great solution for multi-taskers who like to toss a baking sheet of bacon strips into the oven and then get lost in other kitchen tasks until the oven timer dings. Oven bacon means easy clean up (just remember to line your baking sheets with tin foil). However, you may find conflicting advice when it comes to using a wire rack. Some say the rack makes the bacon crispier, while others claim that separation from the rendered fat gives you dry bacon edges. To elevate your bacon or not to elevate your bacon, that is a question that is best answered a la trial and error in your home kitchen.