Cook Your Bacon In The Instant Pot For A Splatter-Free Breakfast

Almost every home cook has their preferred way of making breakfast bacon. For some, cooking these sous vide guarantees melt-in-your-mouth results, while others like to use the oven to get extra crispy results. Still, none of those methods might be as creative as using an Instant Pot to cook bacon. It not only cooks your food relatively quickly, but it also leaves you with minimal dishes to clean up.

To make bacon in an Instant Pot, look no further than its sauté button: one of the most overlooked functions of this useful kitchen appliance. Simply slice the strips so they fit at the bottom of the machine's container, and sear them for approximately seven minutes. The Instant Pot's bowl will catch all the grease splatters from the bacon, and unlike the oven, you won't have to wait around as everything preheats. To make sure both sides crisp up evenly, you'll need to flip each strip halfway through the cooking process.

When you're done, transfer your bacon from the Instant Pot and use a paper towel to blot away the excess grease from its surface. You'll be left with one dish to clean (the appliance's detachable bowl), which you can either scrub by hand or place in the dishwasher.

If you're planning to make a large amount of bacon, the Instant Pot can be just as useful and efficient as the oven. After your first round of searing in this appliance, the bowl should be so warm that it shortens the amount of time the rest of your food needs to crisp up. You'll still need to keep an eye on your pork strips though, as searing them in the Instant Pot for too long will result in burning.

Also, don't throw out the bacon drippings from the Instant Pot immediately. Instead, take the time to filter any burnt residue through a sieve and some cheesecloth. You'll be left with a purified cooking fat that can pack lots of smoky, umami flavors to a wide variety of breakfast dishes, including scrambled eggs and even cornbread. Regardless of whether you decide to stash your leftover bacon grease, you can use baking soda to clean the bacon grease from your Instant Pot in a flash. This common household item will quickly soak up the residue and make cleaning a total breeze.

Lastly, feel free to continue using your Instant Pot after you've made your bacon for the rest of your breakfast items. While most people associate this appliance with savory dinner stews, you can easily make frittatas, hard-boiled eggs, and even oatmeal. Add your bacon, and you have an easy one-pot meal to start your day.