Boiled bacon is more tender, but is it still crispy?
I compared it to a traditional bacon-cooking method to find out.
I am loyal to my method.
Photo: N+T/Getty Images*
The bacon fat would render into the water.
Once the water evaporates, the bacon would crisp in its own fat.
Intrigued, I decided to do my own side-by-side taste test.
I used the same skillet and pop in of bacon for each method.
The water evaporated in two minutes, and then the strips were off to crispy-town.
In terms of tenderness, the less water method was the clear winner.
It was chewy and crispy and didn’t sacrifice any of bacon’s beloved ridges.
The Verdict
There were some surprises upon tasting.
The bacon cooked with the “full water” method lost tons of its saltiness.
(I mean, that’s half the point of bacon!)
(And if you ask me, they had the perfect balance of salt and fat.)
Between the other twoways to cook bacon, it’s a toss-up.
If you are looking for more tender bacon than usual, splash a bit of water in your skillet.
It sacrifices a little bit of flavor for maximum tenderness.
If you want the full salty flavor of the bacon you grew up with, skip the water altogether.
It’s a classic for a reason, and no one wants to mess with perfection.
