I have the rectangular version of this bacon/meat microwave grill and let me tell you - this is one of the handiest items to have onhand, especially for cooking bacon.I don't know about you, I really enjoy bacon, but it's a pain to cook and it stinks the house up for hours. However, I always jealously noticed how my mother-in-law's bacon always seem to come out perfectly brown, crunchy, and flat. Above all, her kitchen wasn't overly saturated with the bacon smell. When I found out she used one of these Nordic Ware bacon microwave dishes, I was flabberghasted. I went right out and purchase one.
Now I make great bacon without the hassle, extra pans, and the extra permeating odor. The odor is now mostly contained in the microwave.
The trick to having one of these is figuring out the time/power level formula for making bacon the way you want it. For me, it's 7 minutes on 80% power with a paper towel on top to keep it from splattering. I almost always get bacon the way I want it this way. It gets a little trickier when adding more than two slices, but it's nothing mind-boggling.
An extra bonus is that the bacon grease collect on the bottom of the pan (keeps it from interfering with the bacon cooking). Makes it easy to collect bacon grease for different recipes, like collard greens. I usually collect the grease in a jar so I can have it readily on hand for whenever a recipe calls for pork fat or bacon grease.
You can also use this item to defrost meats without making a mess of your microwave. You can either use the grill side, or flip it around and use the flat bottom side to do so. The lip keeps the fluids from making a mess.
It's dishwasher safe, so all you have to do is drain off the excess grease/liquids and pop it in. The more stubborn stains usually slough off with a scrubbie-sided sponge.
This is a great product. I'm very happy to have it.
