Best Microwave Bacon Tray Cooker

I’ve found the best microwave bacon tray. It cooks bacon in the microwave. No more splattered bacon grease popping out of a frying pan! Actually, I’ve had this bacon tray for a number of years. I just had to post about this for the benefit of those searching the net for the perfect microwave bacon tray. Well, here it is..

I just finished cooking a tray of bacon this morning. It cooks nice and crispy in the microwave – if you do it right, which I will explain in a minute.

We bought this microwave bacon tray (grill?) (cooker?) as an experiment. I was skeptical about it, and didn’t hold much hope that it would cook bacon the way I wanted it (crispy).

After a search, I quickly discovered what appears to be the most popular microwave bacon tray. The price was right, so I bought it and gave it a try.

By the way, you can use it for other things too. Like heating up a few slices of leftover pizza. Or cooking up some sausage links in the microwave.

Here it is, if you want to check it out:
Microwavable Grill
(amzn)

How To Cook Bacon On A Microwave Tray

It’s easy. And once you get used to how it works in your particular microwave oven, then it will be easy after that.

How Many Bacon Slices Fit On The Tray

I typically fit 6 slices on the tray. Here’s a photo of the tray loaded up:

How Long To Cook Bacon On A Microwave Tray

On average, start with 1 minute per slice (that’s for a full tray). Check it, and you may need to add more time. With my microwave, I usually go 7 minutes for 6 slices. But that depends on a few things…

As you know, there are different ‘power’ microwave ovens (watts). Yours might be 1,000 watts. Or maybe 1,200 watts. Maybe less, maybe more. The point being that this will affect how long it takes to cook your bacon in the tray.

The other thing that affects how long it takes, is the bacon itself. How thick, or how thin it is. Some bacon is cut pretty thin. Others, pretty thick. You will get used to it, and afterwards you’ll know how long it takes.

I usually fill the microwave tray. It might take about 5 or 6 slices laid flat. I’ve found that you can overlap them a bit too, and squeeze another slice or two on the tray.

Mrs.J likes her bacon pretty darn crispy (but not burnt!). I like mine a bit less crispy. But you know who wins this one… that’s right, Mrs.J. So I cook the bacon to a relatively dark crisp. Be aware that once it’s good-n-crisp, if you keep microwaving it, it’s going to burn! Your nose will let you know!

6 minutes for tray of 5 bacon slices

With the caveats mentioned above, a tray of 5 typical bacon slices takes about 6 minutes in my microwave (for crispy). Again, it depends on the bacon and how many slices you’ve crammed on the tray.

My microwave happens to be 1,200 watts. But I set it for 80% power level when using the bacon tray (which essentially lowers it to approx. 1,000 watts). I believe the instructions suggested doing that – if your microwave power ratings is over 1,000 watts (but the manual is long gone now..).

Experiment! You’ll find out what works with your set up. While you’re getting used to it, stop the microwave and lift the cover during the time when it may be getting closer to finishing (careful – hot steam inside) to check the bacon cooking progress.

Bacon Tray Vented Cover – No Grease Splatter!

The tray cover has vent slots and a sort of grip in the middle for lifting (see the product photo above). Despite the vents, it does not splatter out. Nice!

Tip: If your fingers are wet (e.g. you just washed or rinsed your hands) it’s difficult to lift the tray cover (slippery). Dry your hands first.

How Does Microwave Bacon Taste?

Simply put, it tastes great. I really like how the tray collects the bacon grease while leaving the bacon itself crispier. It doesn’t sit there and cook in its own grease. Rather, it sits atop a grill of sorts. Nice…

How To Clean A Microwave Bacon Tray

In case you’re wondering if it’s a pain to clean the tray… No it’s not! Here’s how I do it:

After removing the cooked bacon, pour the bacon grease into a leftover aluminum can. Do not pour bacon grease down the drain because it will wreak havoc downstream so to speak… especially if you have a septic system! Don’t do it!

The grease will solidify in the can, and you can just toss it in the trash. I also SAVE some of my bacon grease. This provides some yummy grease for frying eggs!

Bacon Grease Container
(view on amzn)

Next step in the cleanup process… Set the tray in the sink. Pour a bead of dish-washing liquid (Dawn is awesome) across the grill as shown. Then, with hot water from the faucet, add and swish around enough water to fill the tray for soak.

Note: You could skip this soaking step if going directly into a dishwasher. However we have found this interim step does help, even for the dishwasher.

Let it sit for awhile (at least 5 or 10 minutes, or longer). This loosens up the bacon residue particles a good bit. Then I simply dump it out, rinse again with hot water and put it in the dishwasher. Perfect results every time. A hand wash will be easy too.

That’s some modern survival for ya! No more splattered bacon grease!

[ Read: 20 Other Uses For Soap ]