Technique: Make Perfect, Crisp Bacon In The Oven

Nothing says lovin’ like bacon from the oven; it’s no fuss, no mess and quick.

EASY & DELISH | The holidays are all about group meals like big breakfast spreads and brunches. Both of these multiplate affairs are always improved when sizzling strips of bacon are on the menu, though slaving over a sputtering frying pan to cook up a temperamental batch is a task fewer and fewer of us choose to tackle. But what if you could cook perfect bacon for a crowd while sitting in the living room balancing a Buck’s fizz in one hand and a cheesy blintz in the other? You can if you bake your bacon instead of frying it.

Oven-baked bacon tastes as good as pan-fried and is so simple to make I can’t believe I only recently learned how to do it. My foodie friend Toozi walked me through the following process at her house.

Toozi’s Crisp Oven Bacon

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Line a cookie sheet with tin foil to capture the drippings (not absolutely necessary, but nice).
• Place strips of bacon on top of the foil or on a wire rack set on top of the foil (do this if you want your bacon max-crispy).
• Pop the tray(s) in the oven and come back for the first check 15 minutes later.
• Check on the bacon frequently until it reaches the degree of doneness you like.
• Before serving, place cooked bacon on paper towels to absorb any unwanted fat. —Ruth Rainey

Photos: iStock, via tablespoon.com