After reading the other posts I thought I start by sharing my tips or cooking beacon....and look for new idea from your wonderful people!
I cook it 2 different ways.
One in the oven and the other on my "George Forman" type grill.
When in the oven I put the beacon on a broiler pan (so the grease drips thru) and put it in a COLD oven, then turn the oven on to 375, when it reaches temp , leave it for 5 minutes and then I turn it off and leave the beacon in there until the oven is cooled off...I got this idea from food tv, and believe me I thought it was weird too but man it's awesome beacon and I can cook a bunch of it an once with out the splatter. (I think this is how resturants so it)
The other is I put it in the "GF" type grill, when the grill is cold load it with the beacon--then plug it in and leave it in there for about 5 minutes after the grill is all warmed up.
Again, perfect beacon.
I just don't like doing it on the stove because I create such a mess with the grease splatter.
Any other tips out there for the beloved beacon??

Hi there,
I just throw it in the microwave....it works great...put lots of paper towels under it and on top to soak up the grease...my microwave is 1000 watts and it takes one minute 45 secs to make it perfect. I like my bacon fairly crispy. I cut my pieces in half.

The only problem is because it is so easy I eat too much!!

My wife and I have just started eating bacon again. And fortunately, it is a food that is allowed on this diet. But I must say, I've never cooked beacon before. Is that a locator beacon or like a lighthouse beacon? (haha, just kidding)

I too however, am getting tired of the big mess I always make cooking bacon. I think i'm going to try the oven idea.

What do you guys (and gals) do with the bacon grease that's left over. When I was a kid, my parents used to cook with it, is that a bad thing to do on Atkins? but for sure, you shouldn't throw it down the sink drain, right?

-Rem

I usually buy the already cooked microwaveable BACON.

I just zap it with paper towel on top...It's the best and less messy and comparable in price too.

Ah bacon grease.... Well before my LC'ing days I used to use it to grease my corn stick pans...something about corn bread and bacon that is sooo yummy, or fried potatoes, or... but no stop thinking that way sorry I was having one of those moments.

I do save my bacon grease though, sometimes mix it with bird seed and put it in a pie pan for the birds, but not often...I think I read somewhere that the salt that might be in it wasn't all that good for them.

Often I make a sweet and sour dressing for veggies or salad with some melted bacon grease, vinegar, salt, pepper, and splenda...great on leaf spinach with chopped egg and sliced red onions, and of course crumbled bacon on top...

also occassionally I use it to add a more complex flavor to pork steak, I fry the steaks in a small amount of olive oil, and then add a small amount of bacon grease, just as you would add butter, to add another flavor or richness to the dish.

and yes you are right...don't pour it down the drain....and if by mistake you do follow it with a large amount of boiling water...my DH made a complete mess of our garbage disposal pouring bacon grease down it...guess who had to clean it up...and it wasn't him

I can't wait to try the oven method, as I am sick and tired of cleaning up the stove after cooking it.

Debra

I use a splatter guard over the pan. If you cook yours in the microwave, buy yourself one of those open sided baking soda boxes and stick it in there to absorb the smell afterward. It'll keep you from being overwhelmed by smell when you go to cook the next thing. I also have a degreaser spray product I bought from a door to soor salesman last year and it removes grease with one spray and rinse it away. It's called Quick Job Cleaner. I wish the house would not always smell like our last meal, tho!

Oh yeah, I often pour the bacon grease in a can, but then use that same pan (unrinsed) to cook the scrambled eggs, Yummy!!! No need for butter or spray oil for non stick!

I save the grease for our dog. I read in book that if you feed your dog dried dog food, you need to give him extra fat, that a diet too low in fat can lead to itchy skin. I put the grease in a jar, refrigerate it, then use about a tablespoon per day in the dog food. I usually melt it for her, then stir it into her food. We feed her Nutro, which is relatively high in protien. She had a skin problem when we first got her, and now it has completely cleared. She also is pretty slim and trim. (Hey! Atkins works for dogs, too!) The downside is she goes absolutely nuts when we cook bacon.
Sometimes I use the grease to fry my eggs, just for a little different flavor.

Peach

Actually I literally toss the beacon fat--after it's hardened, into the dishwater, right before I turn it on. I figure the water in there is so hot that it will melt plastic, so it has no problem passing the fat along. And my glasses look just fine --no greasy resude.
Give that a shot!

Wow, I had never thought to cook bacon in the OVEN, what a great idea!! I pan cook bacon for breakfast every morning, and then fry scrambled eggs using some of the leftover grease. Mmmmm! Eggs taste so much yummier that way.

Oh, and when I need to throw away bacon grease I pour it into a milk carton that we keep on the counter for that and little scraps of trash.

I cook it in the over in several batches- usually 3 pounds at a time. Then I throw it in the freezer.

While were talking about bacon though, I started using turkey bacon a year or so ago, as well as ground turkey for my daughters sake- she really prefers it. The whole family enjoys it.

Should I be using straight bacon or is the turkey kind ok on Atkins?

I preheat my oven to 350 and bake it for 15 to 20 minutes. It's great. I sometimes use the bacon fat to fry my eggs. Sometime I bake hamburgers in the bacon fat. If I have extra bacon fat. I save it in a jar in the fridge.

And here I thought I was being naughty using the bacon grease for my eggs! I gotta say, eggs are soo much tastier with a little bacon fat.

I am going to have to try that salad. Sounds fab!

If you can get fresh scallops, wrap them with raw bacon, add a toothpick to hold them together and deepfry them in some vegetable oil in a skillet. These are awesome!