One of life’s simple pleasures for me is preparing a cup of tea on a leisurely morning while the scent of sizzling bacon fills the kitchen. However, achieving perfectly crispy bacon can sometimes be a challenge. While bacon may appear easy to cook, I have never been a fan of frying it in oil due to the resulting greasy and limp texture that can ruin a breakfast sandwich.
Recently, while scrolling through social media, I came across a chef who claimed that bacon could be made more delicious without any extra ingredients, just by using water. The concept of cooking bacon in water may sound unconventional, but the idea is that the meat releases its own fat, allowing it to crisp up and develop a richer flavor.
Intrigued, I decided to test this method to see if it was simply a passing internet trend. After trying out the technique, I can confirm that it indeed enhances the taste of bacon significantly.
The process of cooking bacon using water was surprisingly easy. I laid the bacon strips in a cold skillet and added enough water to cover them. I then placed the pan over medium-high heat until the water started to boil, and subsequently reduced the heat to medium.
After waiting around five to eight minutes for the water to evaporate, which took a bit longer than traditional frying, I seized the opportunity to make a cup of tea while the bacon cooked.
Once the water had completely evaporated, the bacon began to sizzle and quickly turned crispy. I cooked it to my desired level of crispiness, turned off the stove, and assembled my breakfast sandwich. The first bite impressed me with how flavorful the bacon was.
Curious about why this method worked so well, I discovered that bacon is prone to burning and cooking unevenly when fried in oil. It appears that bacon naturally releases its own fat, and introducing additional oil can lead to the fatty parts burning before the meat cooks through, resulting in unevenly cooked bacon with a chewy texture.
By using water to cook bacon, the process occurs at a gentler pace, allowing the fat to render evenly and ensuring that every part of the bacon crisps up properly, resulting in a superior texture throughout.
Although the water cooking method takes a bit longer than frying, the results are worth it. The bacon turns out golden, crispy, and with a delightful smoky flavor. Gone is the greasy residue associated with frying, and I doubt I will ever go back to cooking bacon in oil as it simply tastes richer and better with just a small amount of water.