2 weeks Ago By Andrew Nuttall
A professional chef has shared his tricks to getting 'perfectly crisp' bacon every time. He said there are three ways to do it - and each will take you just minutes to master. With years of experience under his belt as a professional chef, culinary instructor Frank Proto offers free cooking lessons to the world via his own YouTube channel and by appearing on others like Epicurious .
He is known for dishing out advice on the basics - like cooking bacon. In one video, he demonstrated three different ways to ensure you get that perfectly crisp strip of bacon every time you crave some of the delicious breakfast meat. Since going live on the internet, it has racked up more than 3.
4 million views. He said: "My perfect piece of bacon is crispy along the edges and just slightly chewy in the middle. Even though you think cooking bacon is a simple task, even the simplest of tasks can benefit from proper technique.
" Frank claims that you can cook bacon in several different ways. Each has its own advantages and drawbacks - so it is best to experiment and find what works for you. The 'tried and true' method of plating up bacon that most tend to stick with is pan frying.
It results in delicious, crispy bacon - but it's far from perfect. Frank uses a cast iron pan warmed up on medium heat for five minutes before doing something "counterintuitive". He coats the pan with a little bit of fat to even out the cooking surface, avoiding spots where the bacon may be left under or overcooked.
Then, he insists the first thing you do once adding the meat to your hot pan is "leave it alone". Frank explained: "Most people start fussing with it. Leave it alone, let it start to brown.
" He points out that, while cooking for the next five to 10 minutes, you might notice the pan still provides an uneven heat. Bacon directly on the burner will start to brown and burn faster compared to meat that's stuck to the outer edges. In the end, Frank claimed this method is his least preferred as it required "a lot of tending".
He showed the result included four strips of streaky bacon that had both soft and crisp spots throughout. This was deemed the 'five-star' method by Frank when it comes to bacon - both in terms of taste and efficiency. Using a baking sheet, he explained his 'hands-off' method to prepare large amounts of evenly cooked bacon at once - ideal for big family breakfasts.
All that is needed is a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Frank shared: "I like cooking on the parchment because the bacon basically cooks in its own fat." The chef evenly lay double the amount of bacon he had previously cooked in the pan, stressing this was 'superior in every way'.
He then put the tray of bacon in the oven for 15 minutes at 350°F (180°C) which resulted in 'crispy yet chewy bacon'. The microwave seems like the last place you might think a chef would suggest cooking bacon. But it is possible if you know what you are doing, and can be ideal if you only need a piece or two for a sandwich or salad.
He said: "If you need to get your bacon done in a matter of minutes, the microwave is the way to go. This is the method with the least amount of clean-up. All you really need is a few paper towels and a microwave-safe plate.
" Frank demonstrates laying the bacon on top of a paper towel then covering the meat with two or three more sheets. he says the towels not only soak up the fat that comes off the bacon while cooking but also trap in steam, which helps provide the bacon with a chance to cook more evenly. He ends the video by saying: "Now that you know all the proper ways to cook bacon, you'll never have to suffer through a floppy, elastic piece of bacon ever again.
No matter which technique you choose to use, at the end of the day, you've still got some bacon - and what's not to love about that?".
