Cooking bacon? (skillet, freeze, healthier, cookie)

[Qwerty]

I usually fry bacon but it is such a mess. Does anyone have a good way to make bacon so it isn't messy making it or cleaning it up?

We have used the premade bacon but it is so expensive.

[cricket_factor]

We put it on a cookie sheet with sides on non-stick foil. Bake in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it.

Or you could put it in the microwave between paper towels on a paper plate.

[Alley01]

Bake it - don't fry it. It works out a lot better and ends up being nice and crispy. Any left over bacon you can just store in the refrigerator and just heat up in the microwaver like you would that expensive precooked stuff.

1. Line a baking sheet with foil. This will make cleanup easier later.
2. Arrange bacon slices on the foil and place the baking sheet on the center rack of a cold oven. Close oven door. Turn oven on to 400°F. Walk away.
3. Come back 17 to 20 minutes later. As soon as the bacon is golden brown, but not excessively crisp, it's done. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon slices, and also on how quickly your oven reaches the target temperature.
4. Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the bacon to another sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb the fat. You can pour the liquid fat into a heat-resistant container to save for other uses. I like to pour it through a strainer lined with cheesecloth to filter out any crunchy bits.

Tips:

1. Don't pre-heat the oven! Make sure the oven is cold when you put the bacon in.
2. Keep your eye on the bacon during the final few minutes of cooking to make sure that it doesn't burn. Also, remove the cooked bacon from the hot pan right away. The heat from the pan and the hot bacon fat will continue cooking the bacon.
3. You can slightly undercook the bacon, then cool it and freeze it in a zipper bag. Then, to reheat, cook two slices in the microwave on medium power for 30 seconds or so.
4. Variation: Dredge bacon in flour or corn meal before baking.
5. Variation: Sprinkle bacon with brown sugar or freshly ground black pepper before baking.

What You Need:

• 1 lb package of bacon
• Oven
• Shallow baking sheet
• Aluminum foil and paper towels
• Heat-resistant container for collecting drippings

[Debsi]

Originally Posted by Alley01

Bake it - don't fry it. It works out a lot better and ends up being nice and crispy. Any left over bacon you can just store in the refrigerator and just heat up in the microwaver like you would that expensive precooked stuff.

1. Line a baking sheet with foil. This will make cleanup easier later.
2. Arrange bacon slices on the foil and place the baking sheet on the center rack of a cold oven. Close oven door. Turn oven on to 400°F. Walk away.
3. Come back 17 to 20 minutes later. As soon as the bacon is golden brown, but not excessively crisp, it's done. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon slices, and also on how quickly your oven reaches the target temperature.
4. Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the bacon to another sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb the fat. You can pour the liquid fat into a heat-resistant container to save for other uses. I like to pour it through a strainer lined with cheesecloth to filter out any crunchy bits.

Tips:

1. Don't pre-heat the oven! Make sure the oven is cold when you put the bacon in.
2. Keep your eye on the bacon during the final few minutes of cooking to make sure that it doesn't burn. Also, remove the cooked bacon from the hot pan right away. The heat from the pan and the hot bacon fat will continue cooking the bacon.
3. You can slightly undercook the bacon, then cool it and freeze it in a zipper bag. Then, to reheat, cook two slices in the microwave on medium power for 30 seconds or so.
4. Variation: Dredge bacon in flour or corn meal before baking.
5. Variation: Sprinkle bacon with brown sugar or freshly ground black pepper before baking.

What You Need:

• 1 lb package of bacon
• Oven
• Shallow baking sheet
• Aluminum foil and paper towels
• Heat-resistant container for collecting drippings

Great advice, Alley! You also reminded me to point out that when you are frying bacon you should start out with a cold skillet. I usually fry bacon, but the oven method is delicious and less messy if you are making more than a few pieces.

[CMichele]

I personally microwave slices, on a plate, between paper towels.

But baking spread apart in the oven is good, too.

[Dewdroplet76]

Alton Brown had a segment on cooking bacon. You could probably find it on the web somewhere. I know that he does it in the oven on a wire rack over a cooking sheet to catch the fat but I don't remember how long or at what temp.

[Fontucky]

The relatively small mess made by frying bacon (I use one of those fine wire mesh skillet covers) is offset by the wonderfully essential oleaginous byproduct that renders off said product.

[SuzyQ123]

I may have to try putting it in the oven, I always have the grease pop and burn my hand.

[Alley01]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

The relatively small mess made by frying bacon (I use one of those fine wire mesh skillet covers) is offset by the wonderfully essential oleaginous byproduct that renders off said product.

I have to cook bacon in the cast iron skillet every once in a while to keep the skillet in good condition. But, a lot of the time, I will still do the oven method, but not cook it all the way and just finish it in the skillet. It is all about preference. I like really crispy bacon whereas I know plenty that like it kind of soft. Even with the mesh cover thing I end up getting grease all over the place - little droplets but for a clean freak like me, it gets annoying!!

For those that prefer Turkey Bacon, the oven method is a must. It just doesn't cook up right in the skillet. I like to eat healthier but there is just something icky about Turkey Bacon most to the time.

[gypsychic]

I have been using the oven method for cooking bacon for years now - it comes out PERFECT every time!