Today, we are mastering a life skill: baked bacon in the oven. Here’s how to cook bacon so it’s crispy, even, and less messy. You’ll call yourself a bacon perfectionist!

The oven is the best way to cook bacon

The secret to perfectly fried bacon is that it’s not fried, it’s fried.it is baked.

Roasting bacon is that rare culinary situation where the method that produces excellent results (roasting bacon) is actually Easier Compared to the traditional method (pan frying).

• cook evenly. The oven-safe rack allows heat to circulate evenly around the bacon, a key component to bacon excellence.
• hands-free. No need to stand over the stove tending to bacon. It cooks in the oven unattended.
• safer. Oven bacon won’t get splattered with hot oil when you fry it.
• worth going to the restaurant. Ever wonder how your favorite brunch, burger or BLT place makes bacon slices that are flat, thick and crispy? I use my last piece of stake, the bacon is already baked. This is the method most restaurants use.
• Larger batches. Cooking for a crowd? Bake two pans at a time.
• easy clean up. Let the grease harden on the foil, then discard it. simple!
• healthier than frying. The grease from the bacon will drip off and collect under the rack, which means it won’t come into contact with the bacon or get into you. I also pat the bacon to remove excess grease and keep it crispy.

infer: Oven-baked bacon is easier, healthier, and better to make than deep-fried (air-fried bacon is another great way).

Ready to delve into how to cook the perfect baked bacon? let’s do it!

quick note. While grilled bacon is arguably healthier than fried bacon, it’s still bacon.

Enjoy it in moderation as a delicious part of a balanced diet.

Whenever we eat bacon, I like to serve it with other lean proteins, fruit, whole grains or vegetables to make a complete meal.

How to Cook Bacon in the Oven

the only ingredient

• High quality bacon. This might sound obvious, but I can’t stress enough how important it is: the better quality bacon you buy, the better it will taste when you end up roasting it. I promise it’s worth it!

Tips for Buying Bacon

• Buy bacon from the butcher’s counter of the grocery store. It’s usually only a dollar or two more than the prepackaged stuff, but it tastes noticeably better.
• Opt for thick cut bacon (no soft bacon here!). It’s easier to spread on sandwiches, better sprinkled on salads, and more satisfying when chewed on its own.
• For flavor, focus on the quality of the bacon first. Applewood-smoked bacon is always good, but any flavor is delicious as long as it comes from a good source.

Tips for Perfectly Baked Bacon

• Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Some recipes suggest baking bacon at a different temperature or starting it in a cold oven, but I’ve found that preheating 400 degrees F is the best temperature for baking bacon. It cooks bacon evenly and without splatter, no matter the thickness of the bacon.
• use shelf. Not only does the rack make the bacon healthier, but it also helps it get crispy and cook evenly.

how long to bake bacon

The cooking time of the bacon in the oven will vary depending on the thickness of the bacon and desired crispness.

• for thinly sliced ​​bacon. Regular thin-cut bacon is usually baked at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. You can let it bake a little longer if you want it extra crispy, but keep an eye on it.
• for thick cut bacon. Thicker bacon will take 14 to 20 minutes, depending on your thickness and how crisp you want it.

The time it takes to cook bacon will also vary depending on how many slices you make at one time.

If your pan is very crowded, you may need to extend the bake time by a few minutes.

Cooked Bacon Storage Tips

• storage. Cooked bacon will keep for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator. If it starts to smell strange or changes in appearance, throw it away.
• reheat. Place bacon slices on a baking sheet and re-crisp in a 350°F oven.
• freeze. Store baked bacon slices in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Remove and thaw sections as needed.

How to Use Bacon Bacon

Now that you’ve mastered the life skill of how to make oven baked bacon, it’s time to put it to use!

• Use it in any recipe that calls for cooked/crushed bacon. Besides the most obvious ending (swallowing slices straight off the plate), baking bacon in the oven is ideal whenever you have a recipe that calls for the addition of cooked crumbled bacon, or if you want to make a standard recipe The method is a little decadent. These Roasted Brussels Sprouts are delicious with a sprinkle of bacon, just to name one.
• Potatoes. Classic baked potatoes, air fryer baked potatoes, or Crockpot potato soup are even better with bacon.
• salad. Crumbled bacon makes this salad delicious and extra tempting. Try a BLT Chopped Salad, Seven Layer Salad, Cobb Salad, or add it to an Apple Walnut Salad.
• top pizza. Dice it up and use it on naan pizza, ricotta pizza, and Brussels sprouts and bacon pizza.
• sandwiches and burgers. A slice of crispy bacon is always a great addition to BLTs, air fryer grilled cheese, turkey burgers, and more!