How To Reheat Bacon? Simple Yet Totally Effective Ways
In our house, we love the smell of fresh bacon in the morning.
The article will show you how to reheat bacon. Of course, newly cooked bacon is always our cup of tea, but the reheated version is good enough if you know how to do it right.
What you need is to follow the guide, and I promise, you can brighten the day of your family in just several minutes.
So, what are you waiting for?
Can You Reheat Bacon?
The answer is yes certainly, you can do it when you do not like to eat the bacon cold. Personally, if you maintain bacon from last night, you should reheat them again. It is not only more delicious but also good for your health.
Reheating the bacon is the work you should do when you have many things to prepare for your meal or the party. Some people usually prepare bacon beforehand, and then, they reheat cooked bacon for a few minutes in the morning or the time nearly begins the party.
Added to that, when you know clearly how to reheat a piece of bacon, it will be helpful for you in some cases when you have leftover bacon.
What To Prepare
Before you start getting the grip of how to reheat bacon, make sure you have all necessary things to make it done.
Can You Prepare Bacon the Night Before?
Bacon is delicious food and sometimes, precooked bacon is the best way for us to have a salad, fried rice, or sandwiches in meals, especially in breakfast, but still, save time. You can cook and store bacon in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days after the finish while keeping the original taste if you maintain it the right way.
As for the ingredients, you need bacon (of course) and 1 tbsp of olive oil or butter. Cooking spray can also be used as an alternative.
In terms of tools, check the list below for things you will need later:
- Thick-walled skillet/a frying pan
- Tongs
- Aluminum foil
- Baking pan (if you use an oven)
- A glass/Pyrex dish (if you use a microwave)
- Kitchen napkins
How To Choose The Right Kind of Bacon
Prior to learning how to reheat bacon, you should at least know how to get some decent bacon.
Some of us are professional in choosing the best products in the market for our meal, some are not.
Therefore, selecting the bacon that will make delicious dishes may be a hassle for many people.
Sometimes, even when you claim that you know things about meat, it is better for you to equip yourself with the tips below.
What You Should Do
Ask the butcher to cut your bacon from uncut slabs. My experience in shopping and cooking has shown that the best bacon meat is from those whole slabs.
By doing so, you can have the bacon cut to your preference rather than taking what people have left.
Buy the bacon at a butcher’s, not a supermarket. Some people may have concerns about the level of sanitation in the butchers’, so you should have a sanitary and trustful address to go whenever you are in need of fresh meat.
The packaged bacon in supermarkets contains preservatives which are not good for your health.
Buy the bacon which is actually smoked, not added with liquid smoke. Also, choose the center cut bacon. This type has about 30% less fat than the ordinary bacon because the meat is cut straight from the leaner part of the pig’s belly.
What You Should Not Do
Never select the low-cost bacon. It’s not wrong if you want to be frugal, but in the case of bacon, you’d better be careful.
Cheap bacon is usually treated and preserved by chemicals that contain nitrates.
Who has made numerous warning about the tremendous consequences those substances can cause to your body. One of the side effects is high potential of cancers. Are you sure some bucks can justify that?
How To Reheat Bacon – 3 Effective Ways You Should Know
Wait a minute, I know you are eager to learn how to reheat bacon now, but you have to know this.
You should only warm up the meat which has been kept in your refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days, no more. If the leftover bacon gives out the strange smell, get rid of it right away.
Now, it’s time to get straight to the cooking instructions. There are three waysto reheat the bacon using the available tools and utensils in your kitchen. They are utilizing the skillet, oven, or microwave:
Method #1: Use An Oven
Sounds strange, doesn’t it? When you have a large amount of bacon to warm up, an oven is the best tool to help.
You will get your meal quickly without a mess left on the stove. Follow the instructions to get the most delicious reheated bacon.
Step 1: set the oven to 350°F.
Step 2: Lay the bacon in a glass or Pyrex dish. A baking sheet will work the same. Then, use some aluminum foil to wrap the dish with bacon laid on.
Step 3: Let the meat heated for 10-20 minutes. The more bacon you put in the oven, the longer you have to wait. Finally, check it last time to make sure the meat is warm up to your expectation. Take it out, unwrap and enjoy your meal.
- Notes: With an oven, you can reheat even the newly-taken-from-fridge bacon. However, be patient and wait some more minutes so you can rest assured that your meal is perfect. In case, your bacon in a nachos, this method is worked well with reheating nachos.
Method #2: Use a Microwave
One downside of the way is that you have to utilize much of paper towel. However, it comes with great benefits.
Using the microwave means no grease loss, easy to clean up, no unexpected accident with the hot tray, and so on.
The instructions are quite simple:
First, over a plate with paper towels or kitchen napkins.
Secondly, place the bacon on it, put the plate in the microwave.
Thirdly, set the microwave at 400°F.
Reheating bacon using the microwave is much quicker than using the oven, so mind your clock when you set the time.
- The kitchen napkin is a necessary tool, since they help to prevent grease splattering in the microwave. You will find it easier to take the bacon out of the microwave then, owing to the towel cover.
- Using the medium-low temperature with suitable heat.
- Provide some sauce in the reheating process to make sure your bacon is not dry out.
Does the bacon texture change when reheated in the microwave?
The answer that you are looking for is: “No.”
If you reheat your bacon following my instructions, I bet that the texture of your bacon will not change as long as you store it correctly in the fridge or freezer.
Some people think that if they reheat the bacon, their bacon texture will be changed and not keep the original taste. However, according to a study by Barbara Miller, who comes from the National Center for Toxicological Research in Jefferson, Ark, reheating bacon by the microwave or oven does not change its texture and the nutrient that it contains in your food.
Method #3: Use A Skillet Or A Frying Pan
If you ask me what is my favorite method to reheat my bacon, the answer will be using a skillet.
Put it on the stove, wait some minute and then, you will have a hot, tasty plate of bacon for your breakfast.To get started, get a non-stick skillet.
Normal skillet will do anyway, but I strongly recommend a cast-iron, non-stick one owing to its outstanding features.
You can also use a frying pan, it will bring about the same result. For gas stoves, there are pots and pans which are more beneficial than others, which you should keep in mind.
Put the skillet on the stove, lay out the bacon slip in it and turn on the heat. You can let the skillet or the pan be jammed with bacon, since it has the tendency to shrink when it is cooked.
If you use the leftover, you might let the bacon cook itself in its own grease or put a tbsp of olive oil or butter in for better effects.
- Notes: Reheating bacon using a skillet is quick and effective, yet it won’t work with frozen or too cold meat. If you have just taken the bacon out from the fridge, choose another way or your breakfast will likely be cold or hard inside.
How To Store Cooked Bacon
1. Store In The Fridge
- Step 1: When you finish cooking your bacon, you should put it cool and get it in a plastic bag. Your bacon had better be stored two hours after cooking.
- Step 2: Store your bacon in the refrigerator. By the way, you can use it for up to five days.
Tip: Your bacon is also in better condition when you put it in the plastic bag or box, airtight containers, or aluminum foil paper.
2. Store in the frozen
- Step 1: Before storing the bacon in the freezer, you should put the bacon into individual portions on specialized paper.
- Step 2: Putting them into a zip-top bag before storing them in the freezer.
If you store them this way, your bacon will be used for up to six weeks, even it will still be safe beyond that time.
Tip: Storing in the freezer is the best way to store cooked bacon which has been kept constantly frozen at 0 °F will maintain the quality for a long time.
