What makes bacon curl?

October 21, 2019 12:16 PM

What are the factors that will cause American-style bacon to curl as it's cooking?

Cooking the Sunday bacon yesterday I noticed that it was curling more than usual. I happened to have a different brand of bacon from what I usually buy and attributed it to that, but it got me thinking about what makes bacon curl (or not) while cooking. The factors I thought of were water content, the level of heat, and the thickness of cut. Is there anything I'm missing? Anything else that would cause two brands of bacon to curl differently under substantially similar cooking conditions?

(I'm cooking in a skillet.)

posted by nickmark to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Best answer: The fatty bits shrink more than the meaty bits, so the meaty bits become warped as the edges are pulled in by the fat's shrinkage - imagine putting a sweater knitted from part wool and part cotton in a dryer. Every slice of bacon has a unique distribution of meat and fat, so the warping is also unique.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:20 PM on October 21, 2019 [9 favorites]

Yep, and the thickness, edge geometry, marbling ratio, speed of heating, timing of flips all matter too.

Edge effects are fairly dominant, if you take scissors and cut 1cm slices perpendicular to the edge, all the slice, you’ll get very little curling. In contrast, a hypothetical circular piece with a uniform center of muscle and outer ring of fat would curl up into a spherical cap if heated without flipping.
posted by SaltySalticid at 12:57 PM on October 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I think the uneven direct heat of the skillet contributes as well to the phenomenon showbiz_liz describes. Sheet pan bacon is always flatter (but no less delicious).
posted by fiercecupcake at 1:33 PM on October 21, 2019 [2 favorites]

Sheet pan bacon is even better when you put in just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan to start. It renders off the fat in a way that it is much more likely* to crisp up in an airy way, almost bubbly, almost...I guess almost like a cheeto puff/cheeseball.

*I find that some bacon achieves this and some doesn't, and I think it's partially a quality/processing factor that you may not be able to reliably control, but try it with some slightly expensive thick-cut.

You do absolutely have to use a pan that does not buckle, if you're going to do this method, or your pan will pop in the oven and bathe the inside with bacon fat water and it is extremely not good.
posted by Lyn Never at 1:44 PM on October 21, 2019 [2 favorites]

Starting with a cold pan, i.e. putting the bacon in the pan before you turn on the heat, helps reduce curling. Cooking it over low heat also helps (you should use heat low enough that it's safe to cook the bacon while naked, since there's no spattering fat that could burn you).
posted by chromium at 1:45 PM on October 21, 2019 [2 favorites]

Fat rendering and overall percentage; the fat shrinks, the non-fat doesn't shrink much. Like pulling a thread from clothing and seeing the clothing wrinkle up to grab at the negative space.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:54 PM on October 21, 2019

Er so exactly what Showbiz_liz said.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:55 PM on October 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Another good way to stop bacon curling in the pan is to take away their little brooms...
posted by HarrysDad at 2:07 PM on October 21, 2019 [28 favorites]

Response by poster: I think that’s mostly for Canadian bacon, though, right?
posted by nickmark at 6:12 PM on October 21, 2019 [20 favorites]

Baked bacon (lay strips on a cooling rack that's over a rimmed baking sheet; baking is suspended over the fat collecting in the baking sheet; bake at 350 until done, about 20 to 30 minutes) is much flatter. Just a data point.
posted by JawnBigboote at 6:15 AM on October 22, 2019 [1 favorite]