Stainless steel, non-stick, cast iron? Small pan, large pan? Magic happens when you wake up to freshly cooked bacon and eggs. Having to wash a pile of pots and pans after breakfast – not so much. Any one-pan recipe is worth its weight in gold. So, what is the secret?
Choosing the right-sized pan for bacon and eggs.
A 12-inch nonstick pan is best for a single serving of bacon and eggs. The pan needs to be large enough to hold 4 rashers of bacon and 2 eggs side by side, while still sitting comfortably over the hob. Select a pan that is too large and you get partially cooked bacon and eggs, requiring constant rearrangement. Choose a pan that is too small and the eggs will run over the bacon.
For a recommended frying pan, please use this link to our recommended cooking utensils page. Alternatively, you could consider getting a bacon cooker if a frying pan is too messy… we have a few tips here.
Choosing between nonstick, cast iron, ceramic or stainless steel for bacon and eggs.
Nonstick pans are best for bacon and eggs. While any pan with enough fat will work perfectly fine, bacon is best prepared by slowly warming up the slices of bacon to melt or render the fat out. The bacon then becomes self-lubricating and will not stick to the pan. However, unless you have enough fat in the pan for the eggs, they will stick on stainless steel, cast iron, or ceramic surfaces.
Stainless steel or cast iron pans are not as smooth as expected and the surface has thousands of little craters. This increases the surface area of the pan tremendously and increases the interactions between the food and the pan, forming chemical bonds. Protein-rich foods are particularly susceptible to this effect.
Oil, especially hot oil, will fill any holes, cracks, and crevices to create a protective layer. This prevents the food from touching the surface of the pan. Once the food hits the hot oil, the surface of the food sears and releases a little bit of water, which produces a sizzling sound when you cook. This water turns into steam and creates a protective layer between the food and the pan.
For a recommended frying pan, please use this link to our recommended cooking utensils page.
Should I add fat or butter to my nonstick pan when cooking bacon and eggs?
No. While eggs need a layer of grease or fat beneath them to prevent them from catching on the pan while bacon cooked in extra fat tends to be greasy. 4 slices of bacon will release enough fat to lubricate any surface after a while, however, a non-stick pan will not catch the eggs.
What is the best pan to cook bacon in?
Bacon can be tricky to cook in a frying pan. Choose a too-small pan and the bacon will not fit in while a standard 10-inch pan will be large enough for up to 8 slices but can be wasteful in energy when making fewer bacon rashers.
Whichever sized pan is chosen, the only pan I would avoid is a cast-iron pan. Ceramic, stainless steel, or nonstick pans will all work fine, as long as one remembers the golden rule of cooking bacon – simply put it in the cold pan and give it time to warm through. Soon enough you will hear the bacon sizzle and it will be loose enough to turn over with no issues.
How do I stop the bacon fat from spattering everywhere?
Unfortunately, when fryign bacon, oil spatters are a guarantee. There is just no good way to avoid water coming out of the bacon and creating a mini-explosion in the pan sending fat into the air.
To make cleaning up easier, consider placing some old newspaper against the wall around the stovetop and laying more newspaper around the hob that you are using. be careful when using a gas flame as you could set this paper on fire! A more expensive approach but safer approach is to line the walls and the hob with some aluminum foil. In either case, once you are done cooking, simply fold up the newspaper or foil and throw it away – always recycle if you can!
Alternatively, you could use an anti-spatter guard, which is simply a lid for your pan made out of a fine mesh, which allows the steam from the food to escape while the fat is trapped.
What is the best pan to cook eggs in?
A nonstick pan is best for eggs as eggs are delicate and prone to sticking and breaking. Whether scrambled, fried, or in an omelet, poorly prepared eggs are always disappointing. Any pan can be used as long as enough fat is between the egg and the pan. In fact, some folks like to toss hot fat on top of their eggs while frying them to create a perfectly soft and gooey egg yolk with no uncooked egg-white.
The size of the pan also needs to be just perfect. The following table is a selection guide based on common pan sizes.
| Number of people fed | Size of pan (inches) | Number of eggs on their own |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 1-2 | 6 | 2 |
| 2-3 | 8 | 3 |
| 2-5 | 10 | 5 |
| 3-6 | 12 | 6 |
For a recommended frying pan, please use this link to our recommended cooking utensils page.
Why do eggs stick to pans?
There are two reasons why eggs stick to pans:
- Eggs are very high in protein and protein will bind to the iron atoms in the pan. Well, they will bind to nearly all metals and pans are made of metal. This is why non-stick pans are popular. Chicken, lean beef and lean fish will stick more than fattier proteins as they cannot release enough fat to lubricate the exposed surface of the pan. Without this extra fat and without adding your own fat, these meats will stick to the iron in the pan.
- Eggs start as a liqud and will run into all the cracks and crevices in the surface of the pan. Once the pan heats up, the metal will expand, closing these gaps while the egg starts to turn solid. With no chance to escape, these pieces of egg will simply burn.
The best way to counter both of these issues is to let the pan heat up first, causing the cracks to close up as much as possible, then adding enough fat or oil to create a tiny barrier between the metal and the protein. let the eggs sit there a while. The cooking action will firm up the proteins and release any parts that were stuck to the pan.
Older cast-iron pans also work well, often without additional fat as they have been seasoned. Essentially, dozens of heating and cooling cycles with only superficial cleaning of the pan has allowed fat to become a plastic-like coating that has bonded to the metal, essentially the same process as a non-stick coating.
Can you cook eggs in bacon grease?
Cooking eggs in bacon fat is perfectly fine. In fact, the bacon fat will add lots of flavor to the eggs. Single-pan bacon and eggs actually tend to taste far better than when cooked separately and it is impossible to avoid this when using a single pan as the fat will spread across the pan.
When cooking larger amounts, simply first cook the bacon first and set it aside on some paper towel. Carefully (hot) wipe off the excess fat so that only a thin layer of fat remains and add the eggs. Scramble or fry them as preferred and push them to one side. When the eggs are almost ready, just return the bacon slices to the pan for reheating prior to serving.
Can I Pair Easy Homemade Biscuits with Your One-Pan Bacon and Egg Solution for a Complete Breakfast?
Looking for a delicious breakfast idea? Why not pair our foolproof recipe for biscuits with your one-pan bacon and egg solution for a complete breakfast. Our easy homemade biscuits will perfectly complement the savory flavors of bacon and eggs, creating a satisfying and delicious meal to start your day.
Can I use butter, oil, margarine or nonstick cooking sprays to grease my pan for bacon and eggs?
Any fat, or even spray-and-cook, can be used when making bacon and eggs. The fat will always help in the cooking process, ensuring that nothing sticks to the pan while adding flavor to the eggs. Neutral oils such as vegetable or olive oil are always popular, while coconut oil can add a subtle taste that is hard to pinpoint. Butter is always a firm favorite as it adds a slight nuttiness to the eggs. Even margarine can be used, as long as it does not contain too much water.
Using a nonstick spray is the easiest way to generate a thin, even layer of fat in the pan. When using oil, butter, or margarine, it is always best to put some in the pan, let it heat through, and then carefully wipe most away to create a thin layer of protective fat.
However, if adding bacon to the same pan, there is no need to add any fat. Simply put the bacon into the cold pan and raise the temperature. The bacon fat will soon coat the entire pan. Simply be patient as the bacon will catch (stick to the pan) at first but will soon separate for easy cooking.