Bacon is a wonderfully versatile ingredient that can be incorporated into countless dishes, from creamy scrambled eggs and juicy burgers to a hearty quiche, a loaded baked potato, or even draped over pancakes for that irresistible sweet and salty hit. When it comes to preparation, though, bacon lovers tend to fall into two distinct camps — those who prefer an evenly crispy, well-rendered rasher, and those who favour a slightly chewier texture.
Personally, I fall firmly into the crispy, well-rendered rasher camp, yet my method for achieving that perfectly cooked bacon is far from consistent. More often than not, I reach for the air fryer, though occasionally I'll cook bacon in a pan. To settle the debate once and for all, I put three methods to the test — frying pan, oven and air fryer.
The winning method required no clearing up afterwards, though it wasn't without its drawbacks.
Pan Frying
The most traditional approach, pan frying simply involves cooking rashers of bacon in a preheated pan. For this method, I brought the pan up to a medium heat before laying the bacon strips out in a single layer — you'll comfortably fit around four rashers at a time. I cooked the bacon until it turned crispy, which took roughly eight to 10 minutes. Throughout the process, I turned the bacon regularly and adjusted the heat as necessary to prevent it from catching and burning. If you prefer your bacon with more chew than crunch, then this is the technique for you. Although there was a slight crispness to it, it was barely noticeable.
With this approach, oil was necessary to prevent the bacon from sticking to the pan, and the end result was far too greasy. On top of that, this particular cooking method left quite a mess on the hob.
Air Frying
Cooking bacon in an air fryer offers the benefit of a largely hands-off process, though it does involve certain trade-offs. Beginning by preheating the air fryer to 180C, three bacon rashers were arranged vertically in the basket — the maximum number that would fit. The bacon was cooked for approximately seven minutes, turning halfway through. This suits anyone who enjoys bacon with a mix of textures. Certain sections will be pleasantly tender while others will be thoroughly crisped up.
Although this is a perfectly decent option, it wasn't the standout favourite amongst all three methods.
Baking in the Oven
Frustratingly, only three rashers remained to put this method to the test, though it's ideally suited to those cooking a large batch of bacon simultaneously. For this approach, the oven was preheated to 180C Fan and the bacon was laid out on a lined baking tray. Bake until crispy, about 20 minutes, turning the bacon over halfway through cooking. The ultimate technique for achieving evenly crisp and uniform bacon, particularly when preparing large quantities, is baking it in the oven. This became my preferred approach as it ticked all the crucial boxes: minimal supervision required, flawlessly crispy results and virtually no mess.
It's also among the most straightforward techniques, proving that occasionally the simplest, no-fuss approaches deliver the finest outcomes. The sole drawback to this approach was that oven-cooking bacon requires twice as long compared to alternative methods.
