Anyone who has cooked bacon on the stovetop knows the routine. The strips curl, the fat pops, and you end up with a few pieces that are perfect while others still have chewy pockets of unrendered fat. There is a simple fix that tackles the uneven cooking and the splatter at the same time. It starts with something that sounds wrong until you try it, adding a little water to the pan.
The idea comes from America’s Test Kitchen and it has been shared widely by The Kitchn. Instead of dropping bacon into a dry skillet and hoping it behaves, you begin with a thin layer of water. That water keeps the temperature from spiking too quickly in the first minutes, which is when bacon tends to seize and curl. It also sets you up for a more controlled render so the fat melts steadily rather than violently.
Here is how the method works in practice. Lay your bacon strips in a skillet, then pour in enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Put the pan over medium high heat and let the water come to a boil. As it bubbles, the bacon begins to cook gently and the fat starts to release without scorching.
Keep cooking until the water has completely evaporated, turning the strips occasionally. Once the water is gone, the melted bacon fat left in the pan takes over and the bacon can properly fry. At that point, lower the heat to medium and continue cooking until the bacon reaches the texture you want. Because the early stage is calmer, you can usually flip less often and still get even browning.
The biggest advantage is consistency. The water helps prevent hot spots that can burn the lean parts before the fat has time to render. That means fewer strips with blackened edges and fewer strips with rubbery white sections. It also reduces the intensity of splattering, since the pan is not immediately filled with screaming hot fat.
You can fine tune the final result by watching and listening. For a softer bite, pull the bacon when you see small bubbles and hear a gentle sizzle. For a crisper finish, let it go until the bubbles become tiny and the fat looks slightly foamy, and the sizzling quiets down. The method is built on the idea that water “helps gently render the fat.”
This approach also scales up nicely for a bigger breakfast. If you want to cook about 1 pound of bacon at once, you can layer the strips in two levels in a wide skillet. Add about 1 cup of water to get the same effect, then cook until the water disappears and finish as usual. The bacon will shrink as it cooks, so the layering becomes less of an issue as the fat renders.
A few small choices can make the method even better. Use a heavy skillet if you have one, since it holds heat more evenly once the water is gone. Keep the heat moderate after the evaporation stage, because rushing the last few minutes is when bacon goes from crisp to bitter. If you are saving the rendered fat for cooking later, strain it after it cools and store it in a sealed container, since tiny browned bits can make it taste scorched over time.
After you have mastered the technique, it helps to understand what is happening in the pan. Bacon is usually made from pork belly that has been cured with salt and often sugar, then sometimes smoked for flavor. As it heats, the solid fat melts into liquid, and the lean parts brown as moisture escapes. That browning is tied to the Maillard reaction, which creates savory aromas and the deep flavor people associate with well cooked bacon.
Bacon also varies a lot by cut and region, which can change your results. Thin sliced bacon cooks faster and can go from perfect to overdone quickly, while thicker slices need more time for the fat to fully melt. In the United States, the most common style is streaky bacon from the belly, with alternating layers of fat and meat. Other styles include back bacon from the loin, and Italian pancetta which is cured but typically not smoked, and those differences affect how much fat renders and how quickly crispness develops.
If you try the water start method the next time you cook breakfast, you may find it is the easiest upgrade you can make without buying any new gear, so share your results and your favorite bacon texture in the comments.
