How to Bake Perfectly Crispy Bacon in the Oven

Choosing the Best Bacon

Quality Counts

Your baking bacon is only going to be as good as the bacon you use, and the quality of this ingredient can really make the difference. You want high-cut bacon slices with a fine ratio of meat to fat; that way, you end up with a meaty feel and crispiness the higher the fat content will make. You should buy unsweetened bacon for less added sugar and flavor and get the pure bacon flavor.

Choose the Bacon That Is Smokier

Another factor to look out for when selecting bacon is smokiness intensity. The smokiness is highly intense in some bacons, while others may just have a mild taste. Choose a bacon whose taste will complement your sense along with the other tastes incorporated in the dish. Be aware that the flavor acquired from smoking will be a bit stronger when the cooking is done, thus note it down when picking on one.

Check on Packaging

Packaging and special recommendations from the manufacture: Read the label so you may know that before baking the bacon you pre-cook or thaw before baking it. Most do require thawing, however not all must be done because after reading some labels of such bacon some can directly baked in the fridge without further step.

Step 2 : Prepare the Bacon

Heat the Oven

Before cooking your bacon, preheat your oven to the preferred temperature. Most recipes state that baking bacon at a temperature of about 400°F (200°C) helps balance crispiness and juiciness. Preheating the oven ensures even cooking of the bacon and gets a delicious golden-brown color.

Line a Baking Sheet

Then, you lay parchment paper or aluminum foil on the baking pan. This will prevent them from sticking and mess that makes cleaning up hard afterwards. Spread the slices of bacon in one layer across the lined baking pan and try not to overlap, let each slice have enough little space so air flows and circulates in between as well for uniform crisp cooking.

Optional: using wire rack

For even crisper bacon, you may position a wire rack on top of the lined baking sheet and lay the bacon slices out on the rack. You will see that when the bacon is elevated above the baking sheet, fat can drip away during the cooking process so that your bacon will be just crispy enough and less greasy. This will be more beneficial in case you will cook several batches of bacon at one time or when you prefer to have bacon with fewer fats.

Baked Bacon

Watch Over Cooking Time

Once you have preheated the oven and spread out the slices of your bacon across a baking sheet, start baking. As the baking time is depending on both the thickness of your sliced bacon and your preferred degree of crispiness, monitor the bacon closely. While most bacon usually cooks at a preheated temperature for 15 to 20 minutes in total.

Flip the Pan

In case you feel it necessary to flip and promote even browning on one side, try flipping and rotating the baking sheet from half of your cooking period. This also keeps some hot spots away and provides for even browning as other hot spots will cook on other parts. When using your oven mitts to safely flip the pan in relation to the very hot oven and sizzling bacon:

The bacon cooks, shrinking slightly and getting golden brown. Check the edges of the bacon slices more often, as they do cook faster than the rest of the bacon. Just use a pair of tongs to lift up a corner of a bacon slice and peek at the crispiness inside. When the bacon turns golden brown and crispy as you want it, you can take it out from the oven.

Serving and Serving

Squeeze on Paper Towel

Once the bacon has finished baking, place the bacon on a plate, lined with paper towels and let the grease drip out. You can use extra paper towels to blot up the top of the slices if you need to extract excess grease, but then your bacon will be staying crispy, not soggy, as it cools.

To Your Tastebuds

Once the bacon has been allowed to drain, you're ready to enjoy it how you like. Serve with your favorite breakfast dishes or chop it up and mix it into salads or sandwiches. Crumble it on soups and casseroles for an added flavor pop. The possibilities are endless, so get creative and experiment with different ways of enjoying your perfectly crispy bacon.

Store Leftovers Properly

Leftover bacon is best kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Lay the bacon on a microwave-safe plate lined with paper towels to reheat; nuke it on high for 20 to 30 seconds, or until heated through. It also can be reheated in a skillet over medium heat until warmed to your liking.