How to make perfect bacon every time

Here’s what you don’t want to do: Toss a half dozen strips of bacon on your least expensive frying pan, then run up to bark at your oldest to pack his homework and tease out a rat’s nest from your daughter’s hair. Because guaranteed, by the time you get downstairs, those half dozen promising strips are toast. Or burned matter that won’t even look decent next to toast.

So we’re going to offer you a few appliances that will help, but we’re cheaters, and bargain hunters. Our favorite methods on the go, when you’re running between tasks? Wrap those strips in a few slightly damp paper towels, flatten them out on a microwavable plate, and pop them in the microwave for a few minutes. If you’re really OK with cheating, we love paper plates for this task. If you like that bacon crispier, it takes only a few pushes of a button to up the crispness.

With our microwave method, you can cook until the strips are just soft enough to wrap around scallops, shrimp, even delicate asparagus if you’re planning an evening get-together.

Another trick? Find a lidded cookie sheet, line with aluminum foil, lay out those strips (the advantage here is that the sheet will hold at least a dozen strips) and pop them in the oven at 375. Check every 10 minutes or so, and you’ll have bacon fit for, well, your hungry family. The advantages of both of these methods? The strips remain flat. Nothing is harder to deal with than twisted, curled bacon that’s difficult to serve, or even cook with.

But if you’re looking for a way to speed up the morning process we suggest:

For some, the best way to fry bacon is on a good-old-fashioned griddle. We liked the Presto Griddle, which will sizzle that bacon perfectly, but keep your fingertips away from frying as well. Presto Griddle Cool Touch, on sale $24.99 (plus 4% Cash Back), Macys.com

We all know that tricky thing bacon does. Settle those strips neatly in a pan or griddle, and let the curling and twisting commence. Bless you, Cast Iron Bacon Press. Gently set this down, let that bacon sizzle a bit, flip, repeat. Cast Iron Bacon Press, $7.99 (plus up to 3% Cash Back), Bedbathandbeyond.com

Let’s face it: Bacon is mostly fat. And if you’re watching your waistline, who needs that? Melt a bit more of that fat off than you would in a skillet with the Emson Bacon Wave Microwave Bacon Cooker, which can handle 14 slices at a time. Emerson Bacon Wave Microwave Bacon Cooker, $9.99 (plus up to 3% Cash Back), Bedbathandbeyond.com

Back to the stovetop, we have an all-in-one bit of magic for the cook: The Bayou Classic Cast Iron Bacon Pan. We love that the pan is the perfect size and the press fits like a glove. Bayou Classic Cast Iron Bacon Pan and Press, $45.99 (plus up to 3% Cash Back), Bedbathandbeyond.com

Want it done quickly? Why not deep fat-fry the bacon? We suggest, for speedy cooking, the Hamilton Beach Cool Touch Fryer, $39.99 (plus up to 1% Cash Back), Target.com