Mouthwatering and delicious, bacon is a popular breakfast option that you can also enjoy for lunch, dinner, and any meal of the day.
If you love savory breakfast, perhaps you consider the cured meat for your daily meals. Although cooking bacon is relatively straightforward, it still takes time. An excellent solution is to cook it in a huge batch and reheat it whenever you need it.
Perhaps, you got some leftovers from Sunday brunch. In either case, you might be wondering: What is the best way to reheat bacon to make it crispy?
This article discusses three simple ways to warm up the cured meat for a quick, delicious addition to your meals!
Reheating Bacon in the Oven
If you have plenty of bacon slices, you can reheat them in the oven in one go. It takes a little longer to heat up the oven, but it’s totally worth the wait. If you freeze bacon before and want to reheat frozen bacon, the oven is the best way.
Preheat your oven to 350 ºF.
In a foil-lined baking sheet, arrange the slices in a single layer. Leave enough space in between.
Bake for ± 5 – 10 minutes until nicely reheated and crispy. Feel free to adjust the cooking time depending on how they were initially cooked.
Check them after 5 minutes. Make sure they won’t overcook and get burnt. Continue reheating if necessary.
Once ready, remove and transfer them to a paper towel to soak up the excess fat.
Serve immediately!
Note: You can also follow these steps to reheat turkey bacon in the toaster oven too. You can also place a tray below to catch the fat. The shelf life of bacon grease is pretty long and you can use this fat for cooking.
How to Heat Up Bacon on a Stovetop
Another alternative is to reheat bacon strips in a skillet. It’s faster than the oven method and yields a similar result.
Preheat a skillet on medium-high heat.
When it is hot enough, place bacon strips on the pan. No need to add oil because the meat will release some fat as they reheat.
Reheat for 1 – 2 minutes and flip to the other sides. Cook for another minute.
Once evenly reheated, remove them from the pan immediately.
Place them in a paper towel. Let them cool for a few minutes and serve!
How to Warm Up Bacon in the Microwave
This method is a go-to for heating up any kind of leftovers. It’s quick, convenient, and perfect to deal with a small portion. You’ll get the delicious strips of bacon ready in under one minute!
Here is how to do it:
Line a microwave-safe plate with a paper towel. It helps to absorb any excess grease coming out of the meat as it reheats.
Arrange pieces of bacon on the plate in one layer. Leave some space in between. Reheat in rounds if you have a big batch to reheat.
Reheat over high power for about 10 – 15 seconds. Check if they are uniformly reheated. If not, continue reheating for another 5 seconds. This amount of time should be enough to heat them up without overcooking them.
Once ready, remove and place them on a new paper towel. Allow them to rest for a few minutes.
Serve and enjoy!
How to Reheat Bacon in an Air Fryer
Here’s how to warm up bacon using an air fryer:
Preheat your air fryer to 370F
Place the bacon slices on the tray (or mesh rack for extra crispiness) for 3-5 minutes depending on how crispy you want them to be. Enjoy
FAQ
Can you eat cooked bacon cold?
Fully cooked bacon can be enjoyed cold, as long as it is appropriately refrigerated and it’s not left out for an extended period (longer than 2 hours).
Does cooked bacon need to be refrigerated?
Yes. It is perishable and should be refrigerated in 2 hours of cooking (1 hour if the temperature is above 90º). Place leftovers in a shallow, airtight container or wrap tightly in aluminum foil.
Can I eat bacon left out overnight?
It depends on the types you have. Leftover cooked bacon needs prompt refrigeration to prevent bacterial contamination. Discard if it’s left out overnight. Pre-cooked, store-bought bacon that you pick up at an unrefrigerated shelf can stay out of the fridge as long as it is unopened. (*)
Can you reheat bacon twice?
Ideally, any leftovers are supposed to be reheated only once to ensure safety and quality. As long as the cured meat is handled and reheated correctly, you can reheat it multiple times. Please bear in mind that its quality decreases after each reheating. (*)
Can bacon go bad in the fridge?
Yes. Leftover cooked slices of bacon only stay for 4 – 5 days in the refrigerator. It should be discarded if refrigerated longer than that because some harmful bacteria may grow slowly in the fridge, making leftovers unsafe to eat. For more extended storage, you can freeze bacon for up to 1 month.
Reheating leftover cooked bacon is not a hard nut to crack. The key is not overdoing it because the meat will turn too crispy and hard to chew. You can reheat it in the oven, skillet, or microwave.
There you go, four quick ways to reheat cooked bacon. With some simple steps, you can freshen up the cured meat for your meals. Follow our tips to reheat leftover bacon so they will taste as tasty as fresh off the pan!
Rosa graduated with a master degree in Food Safety from Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands. Recently, she started a consulting agency to facilitate the improvement of food safety, quality, and sustainability.
