Bacon 101: How to cook bacon in the oven

September 28, 2:48 PMMidland Food ExaminerMary Ann Lien

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Lien

Lien

There is nothing difficult about cooking bacon. Throw it in a pan and fry it up on the stove, right? The traditional approach is quick, although popping grease and a messy pan and stovetop to clean lacks appeal. Slow-cooking bacon in the oven is an alternative method that is simple, produces excellent results, and clean-up is a snap.

How to Cook Bacon in the Oven

1. Line a rimmed sheet pan with aluminum foil (the foil is optional but makes clean-up much easier) and place one or more metal cooling racks on top.
2. Lay out strips of bacon in a single layer. The strips can butt up next to each other, but do not overlap them.
3. Place the pan in the oven and cook at 225° F for approximately 3 hours, plus or minus depending on how crisp you like it.

The result—flat, evenly browned bacon that snaps with crispness yet is never hard as pan-fried bacon can be if cooked too long or at too high a heat.

 Don’t have three hours to wait? The bacon can be baked at higher temperatures for a shorter period of time, although the higher the oven temperature the greater the risk of burning, so it will need to be monitored toward the end of the cooking period. Regular sliced bacon can be cooked to a medium-crisp in 30-40 minutes at 375° F. Thick sliced will require a bit longer cooking time.

 Tips:

• Use your oven’s time bake function to start cooking at a preset time and you can have hot, fresh bacon ready when you wake up in the morning or come home in the evening.
• Use stackable racks (pictured) to cook large batches and it can be stored in zip-lock bags for weeks in the refrigerator or longer in the freezer. Zap for 10-20 seconds on high in the microwave for instant hot, sizzling bacon for breakfast, add to salads, soups, and sandwiches, crumble over vegetables and casseroles—you name it!
• If you use bacon drippings for other purposes, this method of cooking renders pure white fat, undamaged by high cooking temperatures. Simply pour the warm drippings through a layer of paper toweling or a coffee filter into a clean jar and store in the refrigerator. The foil can then be thrown away leaving no messy pan to scrub, and most cooling racks are machine washable.

Classic BLT                        Wikimedia

Here are a few delicious ways to use your easy, oven-baked bacon:  A Derby favorite, The Kentucky Hot Brown combines turkey, bacon, and rich cheese sauce in a decadent, open-faced sandwich.
Try one of these three Hamburger Variations with Wine, Cheese, and Bacon.
Baked Beans Casserole combines an assortment of beans, sausage, and bacon for a hearty dish.
 

Add bacon to a Classic Patty Melt or delight a loved one with a special brunch featuring Praline Pear French Toast with Bacon.