A cooking teacher has shared a technique for making bacon crispier and more flavourful by cooking it in water instead of oil. Chuckie Hessong, a cookery class instructor and founder of Laughing Rooster Eats, said the method produces better results and avoids the mess often associated with frying.
Why oil can spoil bacon
Frying bacon in oil is a common choice, but it can cause the meat to cook too quickly. The edges may char before the pink centre is properly cooked, leaving bacon that is burnt, soggy and excessively greasy. Oil can also overwhelm the meat's natural flavour and lead to grease spattering across the hob, smoke in the kitchen and a scorched pan that needs considerable scrubbing.
Bacon contains significant amounts of fat, which should melt away from the meat during heating, allowing the bacon to cook in its own rendered fat. Adding oil to the pan makes the white fat cook more rapidly than the pink meat, resulting in burnt edges while the centre remains undercooked.
How the water method works
Chuckie said: "Boiled Bacon creates a meaty, crispy, tender bacon - every time without making a big ol' mess of my stove or stinking up my house, hair, and clothes."
Adding a small amount of water to the frying pan helps the fat render correctly, ensuring every part of the bacon cooks evenly and produces perfectly caramelised results. It prevents burning, improves texture and stops the oil from scorching the pan, meaning less scrubbing after breakfast.
Step-by-step guide
Start by placing the bacon in a cold frying pan - overlapping strips are fine, as they will shrink during cooking. Add just enough water to barely cover the bacon, taking care not to add too much, or the bacon will boil instead of fry.
Place the pan on a high heat until the water starts bubbling, then reduce to medium and wait for all the water to evaporate. Once the bacon begins to sizzle, let it cook for approximately two minutes until it reaches the preferred level of crispiness, turning halfway through. Remove the bacon from the pan and place it onto a buttered roll or slice of bread. The bacon should be golden-brown, juicy and considerably more flavoursome than usual.
