The real secret to successfully cooking bacon on the stovetop is to start with a cold frypan, which prevents the bacon from sticking. Lay the strips of bacon in the bottom of the pan, a slight overlap is okay as the bacon shrinks, and place over high heat. Use a good frypan that distributes heat evenly, such as an iron or a Le Creuset frypan.
Cooking bacon on the stovetop is messier that cooking bacon in the microwave or in the oven. A frying spatter screen helps contain some of the mess, but the stove still requires requires a good wipe down.
Once the bacon begins to sizzle and render some fat, lower the heat to medium and continue cooking. Lift the spatter guard and gently flip the bacon. Bacon spatters and to help prevent burning yourself, lift the end of the strip closet to you and turn toward the back of the pan. Hopefully any spattering occurs away from you!
Return the spatter cover, and cook a minute or two more. The bacon cooks quickly at this point, so watch closely to remove the bacon at the floppy or crispy point.
Place the cooked bacon on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb some of the excess fat.
As an alternative to a frypan, use a griddle. The rectangular shape and bigger size accommodates more strips. There’s quite a bit of spattering and unfortunately no spatter screen for a griddle, so a bigger cleanup job.
Whether you use a skillet or griddle, have a plate ready for the cooked bacon and place in a warm oven or warming draw to hold. Finish cooking the remainder of the bacon and your eggs or pancakes or waffles.
Cleanup requires some elbow grease. I use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, which makes the job a little easier.
Watch our How to Cook Bacon on the Stovetop Video Here.
PrintCooking Bacon on the Stovetop
Cook up a batch or two of bacon and hold in a warm (200-degrees F) oven while you finish cooking.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5-10 minutes
- Total Time: 18 minute
- Yield: 2 slices per person 1x
- Category: Breakfast/Brunch
Ingredients
4–6 slices bacon
Instructions
Lay the strips of bacon in the bottom of the pan, a slight overlap is okay as the bacon shrinks, and place over high heat.
Once the bacon begins to sizzle and render some fat, lower the heat to medium and continue cooking.
As an alternative to a frypan, use a griddle. The rectangular shape and bigger size accommodates more strips. There’s quite a bit of spattering and unfortunately no spatter screen for a griddle, so a bigger cleanup job.
Lift the spatter guard and gently flip the bacon. Bacon spatters and to help prevent burning yourself, lift the end of the strip closet to you and turn toward the back of the pan. Hopefully any spattering occurs away from you!
Notes
Use a good frypan that distributes heat evenly, such as an iron or a Le Creuset frypan.
Keywords: bacon, panfrying bacon, frying bacon, cooking bacon, cooking bacon on the stovetop
