One of the most popular breakfast meats in America, and all around the world, is bacon.
In several lunch and dinner preparations, particularly those that call for eggs, bacon is usually included to create a tasty, meaty addition to the dish.
The problem with bacon, and other types of meat, is that they quickly lose their freshness, especially if you lose track of time.
While bacon can be frozen to keep it fresh for longer, if it is not completely defrosted before cooking, it may be challenging to prepare.
There’s nothing worse than craving a bacon sarnie, only to remember that the bacon is currently solidified into an icy block in your freezer.
If only there was a way that you could quickly defrost it within a matter of minutes…
Wait, there is!
In this article, we will teach you how to defrost bacon using the quickest and easiest method: using a microwave.
We have also included other ways to easily defrost bacon further down in the article.
So, let’s get started. Here is how you can defrost bacon in a microwave.
Is It Safe To Defrost Bacon In A Microwave?
Yes, if you do it properly, defrosting bacon in the microwave is entirely safe.
In fact, it’s possibly among the greatest defrosting techniques available.
Microwaves can quickly and evenly distribute heat into your food, providing equal defrosting throughout.
As you just need to heat your food in the microwave for a few minutes as opposed to the many hours using other techniques, it also significantly cuts down the time it would take to make your dinner.
In no time, you’ll be ready to cook eggs, bacon and toast or bacon grilled cheese, both of which are featured in our best Gourmia air fryer recipes!
To ensure that your bacon is thoroughly thawed, you need to pay attention to a few factors:
- Don’t overheat the bacon, as this will cause the bacon to cook rather than defrost.
- Don’t underheat the bacon, for obvious reasons…
- Take a look at the wattage and power settings of your microwave before attempting, as this will affect how quickly/slowly the meat will defrost.
- Make sure that there is no aluminum foil attached to the bacon. Foil, or any metal, should never be placed inside a working microwave!
How To Defrost Bacon In A Microwave?
Below, we have listed 4 simple steps to help you safely defrost bacon in the microwave. Make sure you follow each step carefully!
Step 1: Wrap It Up
Once you have taken the bacon out of the freezer, remove it from its original packaging, or the packaging that you used to wrap it up.
You will then need to grab some paper towels.
Wrap each piece of bacon up with the paper towels, as this will absorb any liquid, e.g., excess fat, from dripping/spitting everywhere during the defrosting process.
Step 2: Spread It Out
Next, spread each wrapped up piece of bacon out onto a microwave-safe plate.
Ideally, none of the pieces should be overlapping each other, as this will slow down the process.
If the bacon has frozen together in a clump in the freezer, you may need to leave it naturally defrost for a couple of minutes so that you can successfully separate each piece from the pile.
Step 3: Set Up The Microwave
As we mentioned earlier, you will need to check the power settings of your microwave before defrosting anything.
Check the wattage, and suss out how long you will need to heat the bacon for it to defrost, not cook.
Some microwaves already have specific defrosting settings installed, such as a ‘Meat’ setting.
If your microwave doesn’t have one of these, we recommend that you heat it for around 2-3 minutes on the defrost setting.
Step 4: Put The Bacon In The Microwave
Lastly, place the bacon in the microwave, and let it do its thing!
You should stick around until the beeper goes off, checking every so often to make sure that it is defrosting nicely, and that it hasn’t started to cook.
The bacon will begin to turn a lighter color when it begins cooking, so pull it out of the microwave as soon as you notice these signs.
Other Ways To Defrost Bacon
Using a microwave is, undoubtedly, the fastest and easiest way to successfully defrost bacon.
However, if you don’t have a microwave on hand, there are a couple other ways that you can complete this task.
Defrosting In The Fridge
This method takes the longest, by far, but it gets the job done.
All you need to do is remove the bacon from the freezer, place it in your refrigerator, and leave it there overnight.
By the morning, the meat should have completely thawed.
Defrosting In An Oven
Using an oven is very similar to defrosting bacon in the microwave, and it only takes a couple minutes longer.
In fact, you can fully cook bacon in an oven, which you cannot – or, at least, should not do – in a microwave.
Simply preheat your oven to around 300 degrees, and lay out the bacon on a tray, making sure they’re not overlapping.
Then, place in the oven for around 5 minutes. You can leave it a little longer if you want to fully cook it, instead of just defrosting.
Using Hot Water
This is a great method for if the bacon has completely frozen together, and you cannot separate the pieces.
Run some hot water over the frozen bacon, and it will eventually begin to thaw enough for you to prize the pieces apart.
Using Cold Water
Additionally, you can place the frozen bacon in an ice bath, or a bowl of cold water, and the meat will eventually begin to defrost.
This may take a little while longer, but it is still an effective method for thawing bacon.
Final Thoughts
Overall, bacon should successfully thaw inside a microwave for 5 minutes per pound when performed correctly.
The results will be significantly better, and the bacon will defrost more rapidly if the slices are separated before being put in the microwave.
You can achieve this by pouring some hot water over the frozen meat beforehand.
Whatever technique you choose to use to cook the bacon, we agree that thawing it in the microwave is the quickest and surest way to get consistently good results.
Did you know you can also cook turkey bacon in the microwave for a time-saving, low calorie version of the classic?
We hope you found this article helpful.
I enjoy trying new recipes, creating my own, and dabbling with new techniques all the time. My husband loves to protest when I make him my guinea pig, but it’s all for the love of food!
My cooking philosophy is that great tasting food doesn't have to be complicated or time consuming to make. I'm a home cook with over 20 years of experience feeding myself and others. I've learned from a variety of different people, things I've learned online, and some trial and error as well.
I enjoy cooking a variety of foods, from convenience to comfort foods, as well as international cuisine. You can rest assured that all of my recipes have been actually made, thoroughly tested, and most importantly: tasted! I want you to enjoy my food as much as I do!
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