How To Cook Bacon in the Microwave

Line the bottom of the dish with paper towels: I recommend at least 4 layers of paper towels to soak up all the grease from the bacon.

Lay the bacon in a single layer: If needed, slice your bacon in half so that it fits neatly in your dish. Lay as many slices of bacon in the bottom of the dish as will fit. The slices can be close together, but don't let them touch or they'll stick together during cooking.

Cover the bacon with paper towels: Cover the bacon with another 2 layers of paper towels. Make sure none of the bacon is visible — if any is visible, the grease will splatter in the microwave and make a mess.

Add more layers of bacon (optional): If you'd like to cook more bacon, add them in additional layers with 2 paper towels between each layer. Be sure to add a final 2 layers over the top.

Microwave for 1 minute per slice of bacon: Place the dish with the bacon in the microwave and shut the door. Microwave on high power for 1 minute per slice.

Check the bacon: Take a peek under the top layer of paper towels and check the bacon. Microwave in additional 30 second bursts until the bacon is just shy of being as done as you like it — the bacon will cook a little more once you remove it from the microwave, so stop cooking when the bacon isn't quite as done as you like it. Depending on your preferred crispiness, the thickness of the bacon, the power of your microwave, and how much bacon you're cooking, the exact cooking time my vary. If some pieces are done before others, remove the finished pieces and continue cooking the remainder.

Transfer the bacon to a plate: The bacon tends to stick to the paper towels if left to cool in the dish, so transfer them to a plate as they are done. If the bacon is still dripping with fat, lay them on a paper towel to finish draining.