When you stock up bacon from the butcher’s counter and stash in your freezer, it is essential to know how to defrost it the right way. Whether you are microwaving bacon or cooking it on a stovetop, the right amount of thawing will give you the best results when cooked.
How do you defrost bacon in the microwave? Defrosting bacon in the microwave can be done by setting the appliance on the defrost setting. Place the bacon on a microwave safe plate, and defrost for one minute. Flip the bacon over and rotate it on the plate, then continue to defrost for one more minute or until the bacon is completely thawed.
A microwave thaws bacon quickly, effectively and saves time in the process. This article will detail everything you need to know about defrosting bacon in the microwave, including tip and tricks to improve the results along the way.
Can you defrost bacon in the microwave?
Yes, you can defrost bacon in the microwave. Defrosting is essential to be done as frozen bacon will take longer and will not cook evenly when used directly from the freezer.
If you try to cook frozen bacon, then the slices will not cook evenly, and there is no chance to get the bacon crispy. The frozen bacon will release too much water content and will not be able to fry in the rendered fat.
So, defrost the bacon first, and then start cooking.
Is it safe to defrost bacon in the microwave?
Yes, it is safe to defrost bacon in the microwave. Thawed bacon should be cooked right away and should not be refrozen as this could jeopardize food safety guidelines for time-temperature control.
Thawing a package of bacon in a microwave should not take more than a few minutes. However, the following precautions have to be followed.
Here are guideline to safely defrost bacon in microwave:
- Defrost the bacon in the microwave on the defrosting mode for best results.
- When defrosting bacon in the original packaging, pierce the wrapper with a fork to make a few holes in the packet. This is essential to avoid the build-up of steam within and to package that will cause it to explode.
- Use short increments of time when defrosting bacon in a microwave. Setting the timer for too long may cause heat to build up inside the appliance that will cause the food to start cooking.
- When defrosting for too long there is a concern over the plastic melting. So, do not leave frozen bacon to defrost in the packaging for an extended amount of time as this could be a potential hazard for your food.
Does the bacon texture change when defrosted in the microwave?
When bacon is defrosted in the microwave for the right amount of time with respect to its weight, bacon texture will not change at all.
If you defrost very aggressively with high heat, the texture and flavor can vary. Extra defrost time can result in the cooking of bacon in a microwave.
Defrosting is not cooking, the process uses low level heat that will thaw the frozen food, not cook it. The best way to defrost bacon quickly is to separate the slices so that each piece is allowed to thaw rather than trying to warm the center of a dense block.
How long does it take to defrost bacon in the microwave?
Defrosting bacon takes around 5 minutes in a microwave. Microwaves typically have a defrost or low power level that will be activated when thawing frozen food.
You should never microwave frozen food on high because it will burn the outside and the inside will be frozen and raw.
Generally, microwaves have a defrost function that will use a low power level to gently warm the food without focusing intense heat that cooks the food. By activating this setting and inputting the weight of the bacon, the defrost time is predetermined by the microwave.
You can place the bacon either in the original packaging or remove from the wrapper and microwave on the defrost setting.
To weight bacon, you can also use a kitchen scale or the package should have the weight printed on the label.
How do you defrost bacon quickly?
Since bacon is a delicious addition to breakfast or even serves as a topping on a main dish, defrosting is expected to be quick. But, how can we defrost bacon quickly?
Bacon takes a long time to defrost when it is taken out of the freezer and placed into the fridge. The package of bacon can be soaked in warm water, but that will even take too long to fully thaw.
The quickest way to defrost bacon is to make use of a microwave. In about 5 minutes you can completely thaw a pound of bacon in the microwave.
Let’s take a look at the fastest way to defrost bacon:
- Remove the bacon from its packaging.
- Wrap the bacon in a couple sheets of paper towel. This is done to absorb the excess fat that drips from bacon while microwaving.
- Place it on a plate that is safe to be used in a microwave.
- Spread this bacon openly as this will defrost the bacon much quicker.
- If the bacon is clumped in a thick bunch, then defrost for about two minutes before spreading it out evenly.
- Spread it out by separating each strip of bacon so that they are not overlapped on top of each other.
- Place a paper towel on the top of the bacon to avoid oil spitting in the microwave when it starts to heat up.
- Set the microwave with the right weight to assess defrost time for the frozen bacon.
- Microwave for less time by flipping, rotating and separating the layers to expose the frozen core of the dense block.
Tips to Defrost Bacon in the Microwave
Microwave is the most effective way to defrost bacon quickly. You can put the frozen bacon directly into the microwave on the defrost setting, or you can follow a few helpful words of advice to improve the final results.
Listed below are some tips to defrost bacon in the microwave:
- If you are looking for some bacon pieces for snacks or breakfast, defrosting the entire packet is not recommended. Refreezing after defrosting is not a good idea because it jeopardizes the safe food handling guidelines.
- Separating a bacon lardon, bacon cube or sliced bacon and then defrosting it is best. Cook it right away after defrosting for perfect bacon.
- Defrosting in a microwave needs to be done such that the center doesn’t remain frozen. Defrosting for a few minutes and then separating the layers is recommended before continuing any further.
- Separate the bacon pieces as best as possible before defrosting in a microwave.
- Place a paper towel above and below the bacon while microwaving. This will help to absorb the rendered oil and prevent it from splattering off the bacon during the process.
- Lower the microwave power to around 30 percent and microwave about 5 minutes for every pound.
- Flip, rotate and check every few minutes for effective defrosting. Defrosting is not cooking, so you want to minimize the time and proceed with high heat cooking once it has thawed.
Best Way to Defrost Bacon in the Microwave
Bacon can be defrosted in the microwave directly from frozen either in its original packaging or by slicing it as lardons. Read the defrost instructions on the packaging of bacon thoroughly and follow the manufacture recommendations for proper microwave use.
Here are steps to defrost bacon in the microwave the best way:
- Setup- Make use of a paper towel and a microwave-safe dish. Setup a double layer of paper towels on the plate first. Bacon has to be placed on top of these towels to absorb the bacon grease and moisture content. Cover the strips of bacon with another set of paper towel on the top.
- Microwave setting – Each microwave comes with different defrost settings. It could be defrosted by weight or just plain defrost or without any defrost setting and just a low power level gauge. By weighing the bacon or determining by the package weight of the bacon, you can set the defrost time. If there’s no defrost setting, the microwave power has to be set on “low” or below 30 percent power level.
- Time to defrost- Defrost time in a microwave for 1 lb. is around 5 minutes minutes. Depending on the bacon weight, it is around 1½ minutes for ¼ lb. of bacon.
- Check- Turn the bacon strips over and check for proper defrosting. If it is rotating, adjust and separate the strips accordingly.
Defrosting Bacon: Final Thoughts
Bacon can be defrosted appropriately in a microwave by following a few simple steps.
The best tip to avoid burnt or uneven defrost of bacon while defrosting is to check on the conditions often. The set it a forget it mentality may result in unsatisfactory results.
Either unwrap the bacon from the plastic packaging and wrap it in paper towels, or leave it in the container and poke a few holes so that the steam can vent and avoid the risk of an explosion.
Keep the defrosting time to a minimum by flipping and rotating the packaging every minute, or by separating the slices of bacon so that they are equally exposed to the low level heat.
When done effectively, it should take 5 minutes per pound to defrost bacon in the microwave. If the slices are separated at the halfway point, then the results will be even better and the bacon will thaw quickly.
No matter how you end up cooking the bacon, thawing in the microwave is the fastest and most effective method to produce consistent results.