Whether you’re tired of setting off your smoke alarm or cleaning up greasy splatter, making bacon in the microwave is a great alternative to stovetop and oven methods. The best microwavable bacon cookers can help accomplish this task, but their designs vary. To help you decide which cooker to buy, here are some things to keep in mind.
Depending on whether you host brunch regularly, or just want a few pieces of crispy bacon for a BLT or salad, decide how many slices you want to cook. Some microwavable bacon cookers make up to six slices, while others can cook up to a pound.
For the crispiest results, look for a cooker that’s designed for grease to run off of the bacon. And for cleanup, opt for a dishwasher-safe model and let the steam of your dishwasher do the work.
Even in a microwave, there still remains the unavoidable issue of splattering. Some bacon cookers have perforated covers to help mitigate the mess, while others have a more open design. No matter which you choose, you can keep the surfaces of your microwave grease-free by wiping them down right after use.
Whichever design you pick, the best microwavable bacon cookers produce perfectly-crisp bacon without the undesirable pitfalls of preparing it the traditional way.
1
The Overall Best Microwavable Bacon Cooker
The overall best microwavable cooker is this vented option from Progressive International. Simply made from two separate pieces of microwave- and dishwasher-safe plastic, the base piece is lined with ridges so that grease drains from bacon slices during cooking. Small slits in the cover allow steam to release so bacon doesn’t come out rubbery, but keeps most splatter at bay for easy cleanup. While it can only cook a small volume of bacon at a time (between four and six slices), this design is also good for heating other items in the microwave, such as sausages and leftover pizza. Nearly 1,000 Amazon fans rave, saying, "If you own a microwave, you should own one of these, too."
2
The Best Bacon Cooker For Large Batches
For the true bacon-lover, or brunch host/hostess, this microwavable cooker from Emson Bacon Wave is the best choice. Its wide, slatted design allows 14 slices of bacon to be cooked at a time, and since it’s stackable (kind of like an ice cube tray), if you buy a second cooker, you can prepare almost 30 slices of bacon at once. Like the other designs featured here, the bacon is elevated during cooking to allow grease to drip off into a lower tray. While it’s better than having to babysit a pan of sizzling bacon, loading this cooker can be a bit time-consuming as each bacon slice must be skewered on both ends. But since it's dishwasher-safe, cleanup is simple. One fan raves, "I have tried many different methods to cook bacon. This bacon cooker is my absolute favorite! I am on my third one because I cook them to death over time... I make bacon every single morning using this tray and love it."
3
The Best Bacon Cooker For Crispy Bacon
This vertical design from Presto takes a different approach entirely, but is very effective for draining off fat from bacon for crispy results. Three vertical racks hold up to four slices of bacon each (12 strips of bacon in total), which are draped over during cooking. The fat that cooks off drains into a generous collection tray below for disposal or pouring into a heat-safe container. Between uses, the racks can be removed from the tray and stacked inside of it for easy storage. And its dishwasher-safe parts makes cleanup a breeze.
Bustle may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was created independently from Bustle's editorial and sales departments.
