This Is Why Bacon Tastes So Much Better At Restaurants

Crunchy, crispy, and undeniably delicious thanks to its high glutamate content, bacon is the ultimate snack and guilty pleasure. Whether crumbled on top of a mouthwatering Cobb salad or placed next to a stack of pancakes coated in maple syrup, bacon just has a way of making every meal better. But no matter how hard you try to nail the flavor at home, it always seems to taste just a little better when you eat out.

Robert Cornett, executive chef at Rancho de los Caballeros, revealed in an exclusive conversation with Chowhound that there's a good reason behind this. It turns out that experience plays a big role in why bacon tastes better at restaurants. "Most things taste better at a restaurant, to an extent," he said. "It's the practice that makes perfect. We know what our product is, what we like, and more importantly, what the customer expects."

Besides using high-quality ingredients, creative combinations, and refined techniques, most restaurants also rely on commercial equipment that makes large batches far more consistently than anything made at home. "We understand the importance of time, how long to cook, how long to rest, and when it's ready to be served," Cornett pointed out.

When it comes to the difference between thin, thick, and center-cut bacon, Robert Cornett revealed that the secret behind the ranch's delicious meals lies in using thick-cut, applewood-smoked bacon that is always sourced from the same trusted purveyor. This helps build trust, ensure consistency, simplify operations, and lead to better pricing and support.

The chef added that the bacon served at the ranch isn't the same as the kind most people buy. "We use a '10 to 14 slice' of apple-smoked bacon, which means 10 to 14 slices per pound of bacon ordered," Cornett said. "[This] is the average thickness for bacon in the restaurant industry. However, this is noticeably thicker than what one may typically buy from a grocery store."

The best way to cook bacon is also the easiest: All you have to do is pop it in the oven. But when asked which cooking methods or equipment help restaurants achieve that signature smoky bacon flavor — whether oven-baking, griddling, pressing, or using flat tops — Cornett explained that the method depends on how the bacon will be used. "Most of our breakfast bacon is just from the oven, a light rest, and straight out for [the] main dining room buffet," he stated. "For lunch, sandwiches, and burgers, we will cook the bacon until it's about 80% cooked, and finish it on a flat top or a grill to order."