Do You Add Oil When Cooking Bacon?- [Query Answered!]

Who wouldn’t love themselves strips of sumptuous bacon? But, cooking them is a completely different scenario. 

You may come across several difficulties when cooking some mouthwatering bacon. The first dilemma you might face is, whether or not you should add oil.

So, do you add oil when baking bacon?

The answer is no. Oil is not required when frying bacon because the fats start to render. The same applies if you are frying or baking your bacon. And in the case of roasting too. But, you should save the unused fat. This can be used later for cooking other foods that can use the bacon essence. 

But a real chef wouldn’t stop here. He would crave details to further master his culinary skills. And I’ve covered the necessity of oil, cooking procedures, top to bottom. So, if that interests you, read along.

Without further ado, let’s delve right into it! 

Do You Actually Need Oil To Cook Bacon?

Bacon strips are made using pig or beef meat. Both of which overflow with juicy fat content. And this high-fat presence obviates the need to use any external oil.

Speaking of bacon, you can cut perfect bacon slices using good beef jerky slicers. 

However, if you don’t wanna go through the hassle of slicing, check out these pre-sliced smoked bacons.

The fat part can be identified by looking for the white portions of the meat. Now let’s look at how this works.

The Mechanism 

As we’ve discussed, bacon has its own share of fat. When cooking this fat melts into the frying pan. The bacon is then fried in this rendered fat oil. 

Thus, there is no apparent need for external oil when cooking bacon. 

How To Cook Bacon Without Oil?- 3 Easy Steps!

The procedure of cooking bacon without oil is as simple as it gets. Ive jotted down a three-step guideline to the perfect homemade bacon stips. 

The 3 Steps

You’ll be surprised to know how easy it is to cook such a heavenly dish. Let’s look at the steps of making some delectable bacon.

Step 1 of 3: Choosing The Pan 

Start with the pan you should use. Choose a cold, non-stick frying pan. Well if you are confused, take a look at some of our non-stick frying pan recommendations.

These will allow you to cook seamlessly, and you can flip the strips like a professional.

Step 2 of 3: Greasing The Pan 

Now, take your bacon strip and gently rub it on the frying pan you chose. This sets up the pan by leaving a small layer of fat on its surface.

This layer of fat will melt and provide the initial grease. The purpose of this grease is to provide mobility so that the bacon does not stick. 

Step 3 of 3: Cooking the Bacon 

Now, place your bacon and then turn the heat on. Once a few minutes have passed, you will notice the fat melting and the grease spreading.

Start by cooking at medium heat. Wait till the fat gets rendered out. Afterward, you lower the heat and cook at your pace until it’s well cooked. 

You might wonder how long do you cook bacon for? 

The cooking duration will vary depending on the thickness. It can range from 2 to 10 minutes. Extra crispy and thick cuts take around 10 minutes. However, the time also varies due to the cooking method.

If you’re receiving a strong smoky flavor, you might have overcooked it. You can remove the smokiness in your meat by reducing your cooking time. But please remember to always remain cautious and 

Precautionary Measures

Cooking your perfect bacon strips will require you to be mindful. Due to the high amount of fat present in bacon strips, we are left with lots of rendered oil during frying. This can get very messy. 

This means that oftentimes, hot oil will splatter out. There is a chance you can get spot burns because of this. So tread with caution. If you’re a beginner, wear a cooking apron and gloves. 

Keep in mind, the rendered oil and putter are out all over your stovetop and pan. So be prepared for extra cleaning work or possibly even a fire hazard. Cleaning grease stains from stove tops caused by this can be really difficult. 

If you have any fire sources close to your pan, you might face grease fires. Grease fires start when oil from the cooking splatters to some fire source. 

If this happens, DO NOT try to throw water on it. This would exacerbate the problem.

Throwing water will actually spread the fire. Instead, try suffocating the fire. 

• Start off by turning off the fire source. 
• Next, cover the flame. This can be done using metal lids or cookie sheets. 

What this does is essentially stop the oxygen flow to the flames. Thus, the flame will subside. But, you can actually count on a fire extinguisher to get the job done too!

After you’re done cooking with appropriate safety measures, don’t drain the rendered oil. We have covered why in the next segment.

What To Do With The Rendered Oil?

This rendered oil is basically the liquified form of bacon fat. So after cooking, it will solidify again in a few minutes. 

Therefore, don’t pour the excess rendered oil into the sink. Otherwise, it will solidify and clog your drainage pipe. That can be a huge hassle.

What you can do instead is store it in a plastic container. This fatty oil is very useful for cooking other items. Especially fried eggs which go perfectly with bacon making for a mouthwatering English breakfast.

This detail of storing the excess fat oil signifies that oil for bacon is absolutely unnecessary. 

What About Lean Bacon?

Surprisingly, what we’ve said all along applies to lean bacon as well. Now, lean bacon refers to bacon with less fat. But this amount of fat is enough to cook it as well.

So, whether you’re using regular juicy bacon or lean bacon, using oil isn’t necessary. The main goal of the rendered oil is to ensure the bacon isn’t sticking to the pan.

 And the little amount of fat in lean bacon is enough to provide that mobility. 

So, do you need to add oil when cooking bacon? 

The answer is definitely no and this applies to both regular and lean bacon. Almost all types of bacon have enough fat content to render oil for cooking. 

But in case you absolutely need to use oil, you definitely can. Feel free to sprinkle a few drops. 

But can you cook bacon with olive? 

It is not recommended. You can use it but it will make the pan too greasy as bacon fat also renders oil. If you need to use oil, it’s best to use neutral-flavored oil instead.

Is Cooking With Butter a Better Alternative? 

Butter is commonly thought to be a better alternative to oil. But, can you cook bacon with butter? 

Let me break the news, it’s not a good choice. The bacon itself doesn’t cook properly, and you will end up having a hard time cleaning.

If you want to use butter, you need to spread it on the surface. But the problem is, butter takes a long time to melt. On the other hand, bacon takes around 2 minutes to start rendering fat. 

As the butter on the surface takes longer, the bacon over it doesn’t cook properly. So all you get is a buttery mess. 

Thus the conclusion is, butter is not a good alternative for frying bacon. Thankfully, you don’t need it!

That basically covers the necessity for oil or any alternatives when cooking bacon. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to steam bacon?

Cooking Bacon in a steam oven is a great option. This retains moisture, keeping its tenderness, while also maintaining its crispiness near the corners. You also have to face a lesser degree of a mess. So cleanup is also reduced if you cook bacon in oven. 

Can we cook eggs in the rendered oil from bacon fat?

Yes, definitely! Crack your egg on the rendered oil. Season the eggs with pepper and salt and flip to the other side when firm. When the other side is cooked too, you’re good to go! This is a perfect tip for making the perfect English breakfast.

How do chefs cook bacon?

Renowned chefs have their own bacon recipe. Start by preheating their oven to 357 degrees. The bacon strips should be placed on the parchment paper. Cook for 10 minutes and flip to the other side. Cook the other side for 10 minutes. Enjoy your crispy and juicy bacon strips! This will bombard you with compliments.

Final Thoughts

With that, we’ve reached the end of our article. That’s all we have on do you add oil when cooking bacon? We hope our article has been of value to you.

If you’ve found this article interesting, browse through our other articles. 

Until then, take care and good luck!