Cooking Bacon in the Oven

Bacon makes for a great breakfast treat, however, cooking bacon for a large group in a frying pan can be a time-consuming task. However, cooking bacon in the oven is much easier as compared to cooking it in a frying pan. These days people have taken to cooking bacon in the oven in a big way, due to the fact that it is not a greasy affair like it is when bacon is cooked in a frying pan. If you are fond of crispy bacon, then cooking it in the oven is the best way to cook it. One of the most common question people have is how long to cook bacon in the oven. Bacon takes anywhere around 18 to 20 minutes to cook. The other, often asked question is cooking bacon in the oven - temperature to be used. Normally you can cook bacon at 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Now let's see how to cook bacon in the oven and microwave.

How to Cook Bacon in the Oven

Traditional Recipe

The best way to cook bacon in the oven is to line a baking sheet with foil, to make clean up easier.

• Spread foil on the baking sheet and place the baking sheet on the center rack of the oven.
• Let the bacon bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes, till the bacon is golden brown in color. The time may differ depending on the thickness of the bacon slices.
• Once the bacon is ready, remove it from the oven and spread it on paper towels to absorb the fat.

With Parchment Paper

If you do not want the fat from the bacon, cooking bacon in the oven using parchment paper is the way for you to cook bacon. It is also easy, very convenient and splatter free method to cook bacon.

• To cook bacon in the oven, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• On a large cookie sheet spread parchment paper.
• Now place a row of bacon strips in a row on the parchment paper.
• At 350 degrees Fahrenheit, let the bacon roast for about 15 to 20 minutes, till it is crisp and well cooked.
• Remove bacon to a plate lined with paper towel and dry out any remaining bits of fat and you can relish the cooked bacon.

In the Microwave

Cooking bacon in the microwave is one of the easiest way to cook bacon. Also it is a lot less messier. Let's see how to microwave bacon.

• Line a microwave safe dish with several layers of paper towel.
• Lay bacon strips across on the paper towels. You can place as many as 6 bacon strips on the paper towel.
• On the bacon, place a few layers of paper towels, so that the fat is absorbed in the paper towels.
• Cook the bacon in the microwave on high for about 3 minutes. However, the exact time required to cook can change depending on the size of the bacon slice.
• Check if the bacon is cooked and remove it from the microwave into a plate and place it on paper towels, so that the remaining bit of fat is also absorbed into the paper towel.
• Allow the bacon pieces to sit for about a minute to a minute and half. The bacon will become crispy and delicious and you can enjoy the bacon with eggs or pancakes or with sandwiches.

Now that you know how to cook bacon in the oven, I am sure you agree cooking bacon in the oven is less time-consuming and less messy as well. There are some tips I would like to give you before I end this article on cooking bacon. During the last few minutes, it is important you keep an eye on the bacon, to ensure that the bacon does not burn. Once the bacon is ready, do not leave it in the oven or on the baking sheet, as the heat from the baking sheet or oven will continue to cook the bacon and it may get burnt. If you want to store cooked bacon, then it is recommended you under-cook the bacon and cook it in the microwave before you want to eat it.