Are you achin’ for some bacon?
It just doesn’t have the same ring to it when written.
Does anyone not love bacon? We love bacon as much as the next family and frequently cook a pound of it to have with fried eggs, rolled up into breakfast tacos, or added to sandwiches or burgers or salads. Generally, we pan fry our bacon because it gives us a lot more control over the doneness level. I like bacon to be chewy but not rubbery and mrChaos likes it a little more done and cispy. Pan frying a pound of bacon takes probably 30 minutes of active cooking time-standing at the stove, checking, flipping, rotating, removing pieces that are done and adding new ones. It is a bit of a pain especially when everyone is clamoring for their eggs to be done and the toast needs to be started and is there any butter?
We decided recently to experiment with different bacon preparations. The microwave is ok, it tends to over or under cook the bacon but is ok in a pinch for a couple slices. I have found a minute per slice to be a good guideline. Baking the bacon was the next frontier then. How nice would it be to just lay out a pound of bacon on a tray, set a timer, then wander off to do whatever it is that needs to be done?
We did two baking sheets for one pound of bacon-one with a rack and one without. The bacon cooked on the rack was thinner and crisper and could be difficult to remove from the rack without tearing. It was mrChaos’s favorite. The bacon cooked directly on the baking sheet was thicker and chewier and a bit greasier-definitely my favorite. Pan frying is still our favorite method, but the baking method is a close second and we will probably continue using it both with and without a rack.
Bakin’ Bacon
makes 1 lb, cook time 20-30 min- 1 lb bacon
- Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil (that’s the best part of this method, no clean-up, just crumple and toss), do not skip this step because you do not want to have to clean up baked on bacon grease.
- Place bacon either directly onto foil lined baking sheets or onto cooling racks placed on the baking sheets depending on your preference.
- Arrange baking sheets in a cold oven, turn heat to 400°F.
- Check bacon frequently after about 15 minutes or whenever your oven beeps to let you know it is ready.
- Remove bacon once it is cooked to desired doneness. We removed it in a couple of batches, the first batch was the end pieces that were done faster than the pieces in the center.
- Blot on paper towels, serve or store.
Posted in Breakfast, Easy, Fast, Sides, Snacks/Appetizers
February 8th, 2009 at 6:18 am
I’ve been baking my bacon for a lot of years. The best thing that I’ve found for baking the bacon on is Reynolds release foil. The bacon never sticks.
February 8th, 2009 at 9:03 am
My mom tried baking bacon a couple months ago and told me about it. I have to say that I was really excited about this discovery! I HATE standing at the stove frying bacon with grease splattering everywhere, and it seems the bacon never comes out just right for me. Baked bacon is perfect for me!
February 8th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Oh wow, I love me some bacon! This looks and sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
February 8th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I’ve been baking bacon for a few months and decided it’s the only way to go. The bacon stays flat, you don’t have to constantly watch it and you can bake it as crispy as you like. It’s so much easier than the pan method and it’s all done at one time.
February 8th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
I, too, prefer to bake it. My hubby can make it in the pan on the stove and get it perfect. I turn my back to grab something off the counter and it is toast!.
February 9th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I love tips like this. It’s just me and the man, so bacon tends to go bad before we can use a whole package. I know – criminal. I started freezing it though, and now that I have a better way to cook it, it’ll be making many more appearances.
February 9th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
A friend of mine just told me she always does her bacon in the oven. I never, ever would have thought to do that but you can bet I’m going to try it! What a great idea!
February 11th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I’m with you, I prefer it baked directly on the pan without using a rack. Yum.
February 11th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
My favorite way to do this is to flip the bacon once halfway during cooking, and to rub the top with a mixture of brown sugar and cayenne. The sweet and spicy combo, along with the bacon’s natural saltiness, is unbelievable.
I have one friend who won’t come over for dinner. He only comes for brunch because he knows that’ll be on the menu. (I don’t know why he doesn’t make it himself. Lazy bum.)
March 5th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
I found a Velveeta-branded container in my mom’s cabinet that turned out to be the *perfect* size for storing cooked bacon!
May 18th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
try using your goerge foreman. It’s the only thing that I cook on it!
October 16th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Minor FYI for those NOT in the know:
But the LARGE or WIDE heavy duty foil so ONE sheet of foil cover the sheet pan. If you try to use multiple sheets of foil… you may as well not bother.
Bacon fat LOVES to travel.
June 23rd, 2010 at 5:34 pm
The only way we do our bacon, anymore, is to bake it. I learned a couple of years ago about baking it. We love it. I learned to do it almost exactly like you have said..only that after 6 to 8 minutes of bake time, you turn your baking sheet around and then bake for another 6 to 8 minutes and the bacon comes out perfect almost every single time 🙂