The Best Way to Cook Turkey Bacon

When preparing turkey bacon for our tasting, we found that the package instructions either were vague and inconsistent or called for cooking the strips in a dry (no fat) skillet, which didn't produce the nicely browned, crisp-tender texture we were after. So we experimented to come up with a method that we liked. We tried cooking the strips on an aluminum foil–lined baking sheet in a 400-degree oven, a method we often use when cooking pork bacon, but the results were leathery. The better approach was to pan-fry them in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. The oil ensured that the turkey bacon made full, even contact with the heat, but the results weren't greasy; in fact, when we poured out the spent fat, we collected nearly the full 2 tablespoons we'd started with. The browned, crisp-tender results rivaled pork bacon enough that by the end of testing, we made a couple of turkey bacon converts.

Method for four strips of turkey bacon: Preheat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in 12-inch skillet (traditional or nonstick) over medium heat until shimmering. Place strips in skillet and cook, turning strips every 2 to 3 minutes and adjusting heat as necessary, until bacon is deeply browned and crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer strips to paper towel–lined plate and serve.