How to Cook Bacon

 First of all, cooking baking does not have to be the messy, smelly disaster that often accompanies pan frying. Cooking the bacon in an oven eliminates the mess (and no, it won’t splatter all over the oven), and leaves you free to concentrate on other parts of the meal. It requires no fussing and constant watching like pan frying. Some people like to cook bacon in the microwave, but I think you’ll find that baking it in the oven is easier and doesn’t really take any more time. When you use the microwave, you need to rearrange the slices for even cooking and it requires much more attention than simply popping it in the oven.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place bacon slices on foil. Do not overlap. Some people like to use a baking or cooling rack set on top of the baking sheet, but this is really not necessary. Place the pan of bacon in a cold oven and turn the heat on to 400° F. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of your bacon and your individual oven. When bacon is cone, remove it to another sheet pan lined with paper towels to drain.

Variations:

Before baking, sprinkle bacon with brown sugar or drizzle with maple syrup. Another option would be to grind fresh black pepper over it.

Tip:

When cooking bacon make sure to add a few extra pieces. Take them out when they are slightly undercooked; drain and cool. Store in a zip lock bag in the freezer. You can then take the bacon out whenever you need some for a burger or sandwich, put it in the microwave for 30 seconds and it will taste just like it was freshly cooked.

Be sure to save the bacon grease in a heat-proof container. This grease is excellent for use in making grits, Fried Hominy Grits or to make a bacon Puffed Swedish Pancake.