Many recipes call for bacon to be cooked crisp and crumbled.   Rather than cooking, draining, cooling, then crumbling into a recipe, it’s much easier to cut the bacon prior to cooking into 1/2 inch pieces, then frying in a skillet until crisp, stirring often.

An even easier method is to purchase a package of cooked and crumbled bacon from the salad aisle of the grocery store; this precooked bacon is a great timesaver.

Although it takes more actual time, (but not hands-on time) cut the bacon, transfer it to a large skillet, and turn the heat to low.  Stir every 15-30 minutes or so; it doesn’t take much watching and will cook evenly with no splattering or popping.  This method works especially well when cooking a large amount of bacon that is to be cooked crisp and crumbled. 

If I need to cook strips of bacon for breakfast, BLT’s, or burgers, I line my broiler pan with bacon strips and bake at 400° until it’s as crisp as I want, anywhere from 15-25 minutes.  There is very little splattering and the bacon grease goes down into the bottom part of the pan.

Microwaving bacon works well when you need just a few strips; I put several layers of paper towels on a plate, lay the strips of bacon on paper towels, then top with a couple layers of paper towels.  Depending on how many strips, microwave on high, checking every minute, until the bacon is crisp.  It will continue to cook a little after it has been removed from the microwave, so don’t overcook it.