How To Cook Mess-Free Bacon For A Crowd

source: The Panicked Foodie

My apologies to all the vegetarians out there – but bacon is just so darn good. Whether you’re cooking bacon for breakfast or incorporating it into a recipe, salty, flavorful bacon is one of the best meats, in my opinion. Today, we’re going to talk about the best way to cook bacon in large amounts. This method is perfect for cooking large batches of bacon without making a huge, greasy mess.

source: MyFitnessPal Blog

While I do have fond memories of my dad frying up bacon in a pan on weekend mornings throughout my childhood, cooking bacon in a pan on the stove is not the easiest method. For starters, a frying pan is only so big, meaning you’re probably only getting about five pieces of bacon into the pan. The grease also splatters everywhere, leaving you with a big mess to clean up.

source: A Spicy Perspective

The best way to cook bacon is actually in the oven on a baking sheet. Your oven distributes heat the most evenly, and because you can cook on baking sheets, you can cook big batches of bacon at a time. All you need is your bacon, a baking sheet, and some aluminum foil.

source: Worthy Pause

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F. Then, line your baking sheet with the aluminum foil, being sure you have just enough foil to go over the sides of the baking sheet. Place your bacon on the sheet in a row so that no piece of bacon is touching the one next to it. This is the secret for achieving perfectly cooked and perfectly crispy bacon.

When the oven has preheated, pop the baking sheet in the oven. For slightly less crispy bacon, check on it around the 17-18-minute mark. For crispy bacon, keep it in the oven for at least 20 minutes. When the bacon is cooked to your liking, remove the sheet from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes.

source: Budget Bytes

Using tongs, move the strips of bacon to a plate or tray lined with paper towel to absorb the grease. When the grease cools and hardens on the pan, all you need to do is fold up the aluminum foil and toss it straight into the trash. Most times when I cook bacon using this method, I don’t even have to rinse the baking sheet after because it’s remained completely clean.

Now that you know this no-mess, extremely simple way to cook bacon, I hope you enjoy this salty, crispy food even more than before – especially because it won’t involve any greasy cleanup!