Yes, You Can Make Crispy Bacon In The Microwave — Here's How

If you love the smoky flavor and crisp texture of freshly cooked bacon with your breakfast, you'll also be familiar with the annoying clean up that comes with preparing it. If you don't want to be faced with cleaning that greasy skillet or oven tray, consider using a microwave to cook your bacon instead. It's easy to do, and better yet, it's quick, convenient, and reduces cleanup.

While there are many nifty gizmos out there for microwaving bacon, there's little point in investing in one if you don't make bacon regularly. Plus, they have ridged parts and pieces that are tricky to clean, and they take up drawer or cabinet space when not in use. To make crispy bacon in the microwave without any fancy gadgets, all you need is a microwaveable dish and some paper towels. Simply sandwich your strips of bacon between your paper towels before microwaving for around one minute per slice. Once the time is up, remove your strips, discard the paper towels (which should have absorbed any rendered fat), and enjoy your crispy protein with your eggs and sausage. If you like your bacon to be extra crispy, microwave it again in five-second increments until it reaches the desired texture. Conversely, if you prefer your bacon to be softer, place a microwave-safe lid over your dish while it's cooking to trap the steam inside and check it halfway through to gauge its doneness. Then you can season your cooked bacon to elevate its flavor.

In this recipe for microwave Florentine eggs, two slices of bacon are cooked for a minute and a half before they're added to the eggs to cook for a further two minutes. So, if you want to use your bacon in a recipe like this one, you may want to undercook it slightly so that it will have more time to cook once it's combined with the other ingredients. Also, bear in mind that the overall timing will vary depending on the power level of your appliance as well as the thickness of your bacon (we'd recommend Smithfield Naturally Hickory Smoked Bacon, which came in at No. 1 in our ranking of thick-cut bacon brands). 

The best idea is to start your bacon off with a shorter stint in the microwave and check it early if you're unsure of how long it needs to cook. If needed, return it to the microwave and cook it for longer. There will also be an element of carryover cooking to consider; the bacon will continue to cook after the microwave pings in the residual heat, so you'll need to experiment a little until you master the timing.