This Is How to Keep Your Bacon From Shrinking

Bacon is usually regarded as one of the most delectable frequent breakfast items. Some individuals eat it every morning, while others eat it just on special occasions.

No matter how frequently you eat bacon, you’re going to want it to pan out perfectly every time. Some folks, though, have difficulty getting it exactly right.

For instance, you may observe that your bacon shrinks as you cook it. Is there a way to prevent this from happening?

Continue reading to find out how to protect bacon from shrinking. When you want to cook a memorable meal for your family, this should make it simpler for you to enjoy it to the utmost.

Cook the Bacon in the Oven

When you think of frying bacon, you probably think of doing it on the stovetop. Many people prepare bacon in a pan on the stove, which is great if that’s what you like.

However, baking the bacon in the oven will reduce the likelihood of shrinkage. When frying bacon in a pan, it shrinks substantially more than when baking bacon in the oven.

As a result, you may wish to just roast the bacon on a baking sheet. Lay the bacon strips out on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven.

Set the oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit to cook the bacon. This ensures that the bacon cooks evenly.

It will only take around fifteen minutes to fry the bacon. You should have crispy, delicious bacon that hasn’t shrunk too much.

When baked in this manner, the bacon will still shrink somewhat. There is no way to keep bacon from shrinking entirely.

Rinse Bacon with Cold Water

Before cooking, rinse the bacon with cold water to prevent it from shrinking too much. If you don’t do this, the bacon will likely shrink significantly when cooked.

If you rinse the bacon with cold water beforehand, you may minimize shrinking by up to 50%. That is a major change that you will undoubtedly notice.

Another concept in the same ballpark is to cook the bacon in a cold pan rather than a hot one. In a similar way, it may assist to minimize shrinking.

If you take the time to do this, your bacon should be larger. However, it should be noted that this may not be the greatest option.

Why Rinsing the Bacon Might Not Be a Good Choice

When you rinse bacon with cold water, you’re removing any seasonings or rubs that may have been added to the pork. This will have a negative impact on the overall flavor of the bacon.

When you rinse the bacon with cold water, you’re not doing anything to improve its flavor. Many would argue that this is a futile undertaking.

To be honest, it’s hardly worth worrying about the fact that bacon shrinks when cooked. This is a common occurrence that you do not need to attempt to avoid.

To fully comprehend this, you must first understand why bacon shrinks in the first place. This will allow you to better appreciate the circumstance and savor the bacon.

Why Bacon Shrinks

There are many reasons why bacon shrinks when cooked. Bacon is high in fat, and the fatty parts of bacon will melt throughout the frying process.

It seems to reason that if anything melts away, the size of the bacon will be diminished. This is a very common occurrence over which you have no control.

Running cold water over the bacon may assist prevent some shrinking, but it isn’t really helpful. You’re not improving the bacon by doing this.

Most forms of bacon available at a typical grocery shop are high in fat. These bacon varieties will shrink more than others.

It’s also true that several varieties of bacon are high in water. Water is utilized in the curing process, and any surplus water evaporates or cooks away.

So you’ve discovered that cooking a lot of bacon causes it to shrink significantly. What can you do to keep your bacon from shrinking too much?

Buy High-Quality Bacon

Purchasing high-quality bacon is in your best interests. If you want bacon that doesn’t shrink too much when cooked, the only true solution is to purchase superior bacon.

You can get bacon that doesn’t have as much fat as the cheaper grocery store bacon. Better bacon will also include less surplus water from the curing process.

In general, the finest bacon may be found by going straight to a butcher shop. You’ll be buying bacon straight from a reputable local supplier.

Quality is important to local butcher businesses. For the most part, they will provide you with superior cuts of meat than you can get at large grocery store chains.

If you like bacon, it is worth your time to look out a local butcher. You should be able to get superior bacon that is less prone to shrink dramatically.

It should be remembered that even high-quality bacon will shrink somewhat. All bacon contains fat, therefore you can anticipate it to shrink somewhat when cooked.

Can You Keep Bacon From Shrinking in the Microwave?

Bacon seemed to shrink very dramatically in the microwave at times. If you wish to reheat some bacon in the microwave, you may be concerned that it will shrink significantly.

However, there is a tip that might help you minimize shrinking to a minimal. To begin, line the plate with paper towels.

Choose a microwave-safe dish and line it with paper towels. It is advised that three or four paper towels be used for this.

Place the bacon on the platter now, making sure it does not contact the plate itself. Put another paper towel on top of the bacon to prevent the microwave from becoming nasty from spatter.

The bacon should taste nice and not have shrunk too much. It will still shrink somewhat, but not as much if you take these measures.

Can You Keep Bacon From Curling?

Another thing that some people dislike about bacon is that it curls. Cooking the bacon in a precise manner should assist to avoid this from becoming a major problem.

Line a sheet tray with parchment paper (or another option). Place the bacon on the tray in a single layer, being careful not to overlap it.

You don’t want the bacon strips to come into contact with each other. Before putting the bacon in the oven, lay an upside-down cooling rack on top of it.

For this, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the bacon for around fifteen minutes. The bacon should come out perfectly flat, and you may use it whatever you choose.

If you want completely flat bacon, then this little tip should come in handy. The cooling rack pushing down on the bacon will prevent it from curling, and the bacon should still be tasty.

When using bacon as an ingredient, this is absolutely worth doing. For example, if you want to manufacture bacon strips for bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches, this approach is ideal.

It’ll also be wonderful for getting straight bacon strips to top hamburgers with. Baking bacon in the oven is a fantastic option.

How Often Should You Eat Bacon

Most dietitians advise against eating bacon all of the time. Of course, you get to choose what you want to eat.

Just be aware that eating too much bacon might be harmful to your health. It is not recommended to consume an excessive amount of red and processed meat in one day.

You could eat bacon every few weeks if you want to keep things secure. Eating bacon for breakfast every day may be a little much.

Of course, many individuals adore bacon and would not want to begin their day without it. You will be allowed to make your own choices as long as you recognize that it is not the healthiest meal.

However, eating bacon every day is known to increase your risk of some forms of cancer. Because there are implications for consuming too much bacon, it is recommended to err on the side of caution when it comes to bacon intake.

Bacon Desserts

Some individuals like bacon so much that they have begun to eat it with sweets. Some may find the combination of bacon and sweets bizarre.

Others may find the concept appealing. There are whole recipes that make use of bacon to create unique sweet delicacies.

The bacon pecan bar is one such bacon treat. Anyone who like sweets such as pecan pie will want to try this one.

Another fascinating alternative is to top vanilla ice cream with bacon chunks. Many folks will like the contrast between bacon bits and sweet items.

However, depending on your sensitivities, it may not be for you. In any case, it’s an intriguing idea to investigate if you’re seeking for new ways to eat bacon.

Final Thoughts

Learning more about this subject should put you at ease. No matter what you do, you can never totally avoid bacon shrinking.

This does not preclude you from taking actions to decrease the shrinking of the bacon. It is better to cook the bacon in the oven rather than in a pan.

This procedure is substantially more likely to prevent the bacon from shrinking significantly. If you like, you may use an upside-down cooling rack to prevent the bacon from curling up.

It is also advised that the baking sheet be lined with parchment paper. It will aid in the finest possible outcome of the bacon in the oven.

If you choose to run cold water over it, you may minimize shrinking by up to 50%. However, this may not be worthwhile.

Many bacon fans have pointed out that this would wash out the bacon’s spices. As a result, it is a less-than-ideal solution to the bacon shrinking problem.

Bacon shrinkage is a normal occurrence that you should not be concerned about. Bacon shrinks because it includes fat, which melts away throughout the cooking process.

When you cook the bacon in a pan, more of the fat melts away. Also, since it includes water from the curing process, bacon will shrink.

Purchasing high-quality bacon may help to minimize shrinking to a minimal. High-quality bacon will be less greasy and will contain less water.

Such bacon is available at your neighborhood butcher store. If you consider yourself a bacon enthusiast, it is surely worthwhile to seek for the greatest bacon in town.

After you’ve learned all there is to know about bacon, you’ll be able to determine how to proceed. Hopefully, you’ll be able to eat bacon with your family again soon.

Just remember to eat bacon in moderation. It’s a nice cuisine to consume on occasion, but it’s probably not the ideal food to eat on a regular basis.