I Tried 5 Bacon Brands in the Same Skillet & One Shrank to Half Its Size
Some shrinkage is normal when cooking bacon—but if your bacon is mostly water, it’s going to shrink down to mostly nothing, leaving you bereft. Breakfast is ruined, everyone is disappointed, it’s a disaster! Thankfully there are some truly excellent bacon brands on the shelves these days, offering shoppers thick juicy bacon that crisps up nicely without shriveling away to nothing. I picked five different brands to see how they looked after cooking, and was overall quite surprised at the conclusion (which you will understand after reading on). Here are how five different bacon brands fared after being cooked in a skillet, ending with the one brand that shrunk the most.
Hoffy Premium Bacon
Hoffy Premium Bacon kept its size very nicely after being cooked, but the slices were so thin I had a hard time separating them. It cooked up fast and crispy, and the flavor is delicious. A solid bacon choice that won’t leave you wondering what you paid for.
Coleman Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon
Coleman Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon is another option that kept its size to an impressive degree. The applewood gave this bacon a nice savory sweetness that came through with every bite, and the ingredients are top-notch. A very good choice of bacon to keep on hand.
Oscar Meyer Original Hardwood Smoked Bacon
Oscar Meyer Original Hardwood Smoked Bacon was the largest piece of bacon from the bunch—it almost didn’t fit in the pan. Surprisingly enough, it kept its shape pretty well but keep an eye on this one because it will burn fast if you’re not careful.
Applegate Uncured Sunday Bacon
Applegate Uncured Sunday Bacon didn’t shrink away during the cooking process, but kept its shape for the most part. The flavor was a little funky but the texture was just the right balance between fatty and lean, without excess greasiness.
Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon
Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon shrunk to about half its size, but that didn’t affect the flavor or quality of the product. What was left was solid meaty bacon instead of stringy sad parts, so it wasn’t a huge negative as far as I was concerned. Major points for clean ingredients, too!