How to cook bacon in a microwave: a step-by step guide

There are plenty of accessories you can buy that are designed for cooking bacon in the microwave, like this silicone tray at Amazon or the aptly named Bacon Wizard, at Amazon. But without paper towels you will get bacon grease splattered all over the inside of your microwave. And although we can offer you plenty of advice on how to clean a microwave, you’ll probably want to avoid covering it in bacon fat every day. Plus, buying a special accessory purely to cook bacon is yet another thing to clutter up your kitchen, so we think paper towels and a plate is the best, cleanest, and easiest option. 

There’s no set rule on the thickness or type of bacon. Most bacon slices will cook in the microwave. Some, like super thinly sliced bacon, will crisp up faster though. So if you’re cooking very thin or very thick bacon for that matter, you’ll need to keep checking it to avoid under or over cooking it.

You don't have to limit it to four slices. But, if you want to cook more bacon, add it in layers with two paper towels between each layer. Make sure there are gaps or paper towels between all slices otherwise it’ll stick together. To cook, follow the 1 minute per slice of bacon rule. But be aware that the more bacon you try to cook, the less likely it is to cook and crisp evenly. So if you can, you’re often better off cooking it in batches, instead of trying to cram it all into the microwave at once.

When you cook bacon on the stove, you usually add oil to the pan to stop it sticking. When microwaving bacon, there’s no need to add oil. In fact, any oil that’s cooked out of the bacon will immediately soak into the paper towels, meaning your bacon will be less fatty and greasy. Furthermore, because the paper towels catch all the fat splatters, this is by far and away, the least messy way to cook bacon. Simply throw the greasy paper towels into the trash and wash your plate or dish.