1. Don’t cook bacon straight from the refrigerator. Allow the bacon to rest on the counter for at least 20 minutes so it’s not so cold.
2. Start with an UNheated skillet, do not preheat the pan.
3. Place the bacon slices flat in the pan. Press down with spatula so the whole strip makes contact with the pan.
4. Don’t over crowd the pan. Too much bacon in the pan will cause it to steam instead of fry. For example, in a 12 inch pan you should cook six slices at one time. If bacon slices are too long to fit in your pan, cut the bacon in half before cooking.
5. Cook bacon slowly, use medium low heat.
6. You’ll be cooking the bacon in batches, and for best results drain the pan between batches before cooking the next batch of bacon.
7. Flip bacon occasionally with tongs to cook bacon evenly. Since most pans don’t heat evenly, switch the bacon slices around to different parts of the pan when turning it.
8. If the bacon renders a lot of fat and it starts to cover the slices, pour off the excess fat into a cup, bowl, old coffee can, etc. , and continue cooking.
9. Once bacon reaches desired doneness, transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate to soak up the grease.
10. When making bacon crumbles, chop the bacon into small pieces while raw instead of crumbling after cooking. Cook until crisp, stirring occasionally.
To make clean up easier and reduce splattering, use a wire-mesh splatter screen over the skillet.