Bacon is not only a breakfast staple; you can add it to any meal. But the messy grease splatter is enough to deter some bacon lovers from frying it up.
A new kitchen product puts a lid on it and claims to cook your bacon to crispy perfection in the microwave. Consumer expert Amy Davis tested the Bacon Boss for this As Seen on TV Tuesday.
The Bacon Boss is just a hard plastic tray with chambers or grooves where the grease collects and a plastic lid with a handle you crank to press the bacon down. The makers claim the box pressure lid seals in the juices, so there's less mess, but you still get crispy bacon. Davis' husband is a doubter.
"It's better in the frying pan," Joel Eisenbaum said. "It's crispier. It's just better. In the microwave, it's soggier. You can tell when anything's microwaved."
Davis made two batches of bacon. She could only fit five strips on the Bacon Boss. The instructions say you cook it one minute for every strip. She made five more strips on the stove.
The bacon from the Boss device was noticeably crispy and flat. Some pieces stuck together. That was the only clue that Eisenbaum used to determine which bacon was cooked in the device.
"I've never seen them stuck together like that. Just for that reason, I'd say that's the bacon-ator," he said. "They both taste the same. they're both good. Is one easier to make?"
On the stove top, Davis has to clean the pan and all of these grease splatters from frying the bacon; but she just emptied the bacon grease from the Bacon Boss and tossed it right in the dishwasher.