Table of ContentsPreheating Your GriddleHow Will You Know That Your Bacon Are Ready?An Electric GriddleWays to Store Cooked BaconSigns Indicating That Your Bacon Is SpoiltConclusion
Bacon has proteins and vitamins, among other nutrients that are vital for the health of your brains and heart. It also improves your moods and makes you more energetic. Due to their high sodium content, you should eat them in moderation. Wait until your neighbor decides to cook the bacon. Its aroma will call you from the bed. Instead of salivating because of the neighbor’s bacon, why not cook yours? Could be you have never cooked one before. This post is yours.
Cooking bacon on a griddle is very convenient. Why use a griddle? You don’t have to be an expert in using it. Its low learning curves make it easy to use. Its non-sticky surface not only ensures that your food doesn’t burn but also makes it easy to clean after use.
Your bacon could have high-fat content. If you put it in a small pan, the fat may get hot and splash. You might get a severe burn. The griddle has a surface area. If the grease gets hot, the chances of splashing and burning you are low.
The large surface also helps you flip over the bacon easily using a tong. It’s also convenient if your family is big. You cook many slices of bacon at once. You can prepare/grill a variety of dishes at once.
Table of Contents
Preheating Your Griddle
Start by preheating your griddle. The best temp to cook bacon on the griddle is between 300-350 degrees F. You can’t risk either overcooking, burning or undercooking your bacon. Don’t add bacon until your griddle is hot. You can test it by splashing some water on it using your fingers.
Bacon has its fats and so no need adding more. Remember the griddle gives a crispy taste to your bacon. Adding extra fat is not healthy and may hinder the bacon from getting crispier. When cooking with a cast iron griddle, you can season it without adding excess fat. Pick bacon with fatty part and rub it around your griddle.
Upon satisfaction that your griddle is hot, pick the stripes of your bacon using a tong and lay them flat. Ensure that the bacon fit and have enough space to cook. Overcrowding your bacon is a bad idea. You will end up with overcooked and undercooked bacon.
Are your pieces too long? Leaving them hanging on the side isn’t good either. The hanging side won’t cook. Slice them into two to help them fit.
How Will You Know That Your Bacon Are Ready?
Note that, cooking the bacon requires your full attention. If you fail to flip them regularly, one side may end up burnt, and the other one undercooked. Is the fat accumulating around your bacon? A spatula will help you scrap it off.
After 10-15 minutes though time may vary depending on how hot the griddle is, your bacon should be ready. Do they look reddish-brown and crispy? What are your instincts telling you? If you can’t rely on it, you can check if it’s ready by using a food thermometer. If the bacon is ready, it should have a temperature of 160 degrees F and above.
An Electric Griddle
If you decide to use an electric griddle, no need for preheating. Place your bacon on the electric griddle and heat it at a temperature of 325 degrees F. Your bacon will cook evenly without having some uncooked bits. Drain any excess fats through the hole beneath. The fat in the bacon will spread and will protect your electric pan from getting sticky. You can cook multiple batches of bacon with your electric griddle comfortably.
Ways to Store Cooked Bacon
After eating to your satisfaction and leaving some on your bacon griddle pan, what should you do? After all that effort you can’t afford to throw the leftovers away. Again that’s wastage of energy and resources. The best option is to freeze or refrigerate your bacon.
Allow them to cool. Place them in an airtight-sealed container. A zip-lock bag is an alternative. The bacon will be okay for the next three to four day. The next option is freezing them.
If you want them to last longer, freeze them. The bacon will last up to 4 months. Place your leftovers in a freezer-proof plastic bag. Wrap it further using a freezing bag. Seal the bag completely and freeze it. Mark the day you froze to ensure that it doesn’t exceed four months in the freezer.
Signs Indicating That Your Bacon Is Spoilt
The taste of freshly cooked bacon and that of a frozen one is not the same. That doesn’t mean that your bacon is spoilt. But once the bacon exceeds the required time when storing it, the best option is to dispose of it. If you fail to freeze/refrigerate it properly, it will spoil before the days are over. One of the signs that your bacon is not fit for consumption is the odor. Instead of producing that sweet smell of meat, it will produce a bad smell.
If you check carefully, the beautiful reddish-brown crispy color will change to greyish or greenish. You may even see some molds growing. Those are enough signs, so don’t dare taste. You may get food poisoning. Giving spoilt bacon to your pet isn’t a good idea either. Dispose of it well since it can harm your pet.
Conclusion
A griddle is an ideal cooking appliance that will help you whenever you want to cook bacon. Other than saving your time since you can cook more at once, it also helps to protect fats. Its non-sticky surface makes it easy to wash after use. Flipping your bacon over without the fear of the fats splashing is also a plus. The results are also amazing. You will get yummy reddish-brown crispy bacon that you can enjoy with a variety of dishes. Avoid wastage by freezing or refrigerating the leftovers. Don’t let them exceeds the storage date. If they do, dispose of the bacon safely. Watch out for any sign of spoilt bacon. Eating the spoilt ones can cause severe food poisoning.