Bacon is often served with other items for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, but this universal meat product can be tricky to master in the kitchen. There are many different ways to make bacon perfectly or at least to your satisfaction. Here are step-by-step directions for a variety of bacon cooking techniques, such as how to prepare it on a grill or in the oven. It also provides interesting and uncommon bacon recipes.

Food historians believe bacon to be an ancient food, dating back to the Romans and maybe even further back in time. Just like today, it had a number of uses such as flavoring vegetables with the its extracted lard. The Romans would prepare bacon by first boiling it with dried figs. Centuries later, sometime in the 1770s, the first large-scale bacon curing business was operated by John Harris in Wiltshire.http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodmeats.html#bacon With such a rich history, it is easy to see how bacon is still a staple in many kitchens across the world.

Starting with a good product will make a more flavorful bacon.

1. Look for bacon with a bit more meat than fat.
2. Cook's Illustrated recommends Niman Ranch Dry Cured Center Cut Bacon on the high end, and Farmland for inexpensive bacon.
3. Real Simple Magazine prefers Boar's Head Sliced Bacon. Nitrite-free bacon scored poorly on its tests. Testers found it pale and flavorless. Nitrites typically are used to add specific flavor and color to bacon.http://www.cooksillustrated.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=190http://www.cooksillustrated.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=99http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/0,21770,677141,00.html

Bacon can be cooked a number of ways. One of the most common ways of cooking bacon is on the stove-top in a frying pan. Some people like to cook the bacon and then use the bacon grease to fry their eggs. For cooking bacon on the stove-top you will need:

• Bacon
• Stove
• Skillet
• Utensil for turning bacon

After gathering ingredients and utensils, it is time to start the cooking.

1. Place separated slices of bacon side by side in a cold skillet. The bacon must be in full contact with the pan, so avoid overlaying it.
2. Place the frying pan over low heat.http://busycooks.about.com/od/quicktips/qt/howtofrybacon.htm
3. Pour off the fat frequently; too much fat may keep it from becoming crisp.
4. Turn the bacon frequently to cook it evenly.http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/110/Bacon-Part-II
5. When the fat is opaque and the bacon is still a little wiggly, transfer it to a paper towel with a pair of tongs.
6. Blot grease off the bacon with a second paper towel.http://www.chowhound.com/topics/437152

People tend to either under cook or overcook their bacon. To avoid either of these, heed the following advice:

1. If the fat on the bacon is at all translucent, then it is not cooked enough. Give it more time.
2. If your bacon is very crispy in the pan, you have cooked it too long! Bacon gets crisper as it cools.
3. When the fat goes from generating big bubbles to producing small, foamy bubbles, your bacon is just about done.
4. If your bacon is still a little bendy, and the fat is opaque, then it is just right. Use tongs to remove it from the cooking surface and place it on a paper towel.
5. When you've moved your bacon to a paper towel, use another to blot off the fat for perfectly crisp bacon.http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/437152

1. If you want to add a maple touch, Cook's Illustrated recommends drizzling maple syrup over the slices about three minutes before you plan to remove them from the oven.
2. Want it sweet with a little kick? Mix three tablespoons of maple sugar with one teaspoon of chili powder. Sprinkle the mixture over one pound of bacon before putting it in the oven.
3. One Chowhound user suggests praline bacon: sprinkle each slice with brown sugar and chopped pecans before putting it in the oven.http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipe.asp?recipeids=3409http://www.chowhound.com/topics/437152

Cooking Bacon in the Oven

Some people prefer cooking bacon in the oven. Cooking for Engineers says that baking the bacon produces the best texture and flavor of any method.http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/110/Bacon-Part-II It is also a useful technique if you plan to make large amounts of bacon.

For cooking bacon in the oven you will need:

• Bacon
• Oven
• Tin foil
• Baking pan with a ¾-inch rim

1. Put your oven rack in the middle position.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Line a flat baking pan with tin foil. You'll need a baking pan with a rim that is at least 3/4 of an inch high, to prevent fat from spattering around the stove.
4. Remove your bacon from the packaging.
5. Separate the slices of bacon.
6. Place your slices of bacon side by side on the cookie sheet.http://www.cooksillustrated.com/quicktip.asp?quicktipid=858
7. If your cookie sheet is large enough, you can place some bacon going in the other direction on the top and bottom of your cookie sheet.
8. Check pan during the process and drain grease as necessary.
9. Remove pan when bacon is crisp (15-20 minutes).http://www.recipezaar.com/187790
10. Place bacon on top of paper towels to soak up fat.http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipe.asp?recipeids=860

Cooking Bacon in the Microwave

The quickest way to cook bacon is in a microwave. However, if your microwave has cold spots, you may have underdone or rubbery bits. To make perfect bacon in the microwave, you will want to:

1. Place two paper towels on a plate.
2. Place bacon strips on top of the paper towel. Make sure they don't overlap.
3. Put a paper towel over the bacon to prevent the fat from spattering.
4. Put the plate in the microwave.http://startcooking.com/blog/40/Microwaving-Bacon
5. Microwave for three minutes.
6. If it doesn't seem done, then cook for an additional thirty seconds. Repeat until crispy.http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/3/Bacon-Part-I

Cooking Bacon on the Grill

The best part of grilling bacon is that there is no cleanup because all of the fat drips onto the coals. Follow these directions to ensure perfect, grilled bacon:

1. Heat your grill to a low-to-medium temperature. (The higher the temperature, the more likely dripping bacon grease will catch fire and cause flares.)
2. Place your bacon on the grill grates.
3. Leave the grill lid open.
4. Flip the bacon every five minutes.
5. Your bacon should be done in about twenty minutes.http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/110/Bacon-Part-IIhttp://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/974014