In Frauhahn's thread about too hot to cook, I mentioned that I bake bacon on a fairly regular basis to have available to sandwiches and stuff. More than a couple of people have asked how I bake bacon so here it is -

We love bacon but hate the mess that it makes when you pan fry it. And my husband likes it crisper than I do, so the baking is perfect for us.

I use the large cookie sheets. I use the Great Value/Walmart brand of Pepper Bacon. Almost the entire two pounds fits on the really big cookie sheets. Then I place wire racks (like the cookie cooling racks) in them. I place the bacon is one layer on the grid. This way the heat circulates and the grease drips into the pan.

I bake it in a 375* oven for about 15 minutes. Then I flip all of the pieces over. I know it is tedious, but you usually end up with 'puddles' of grease and this drains it. After you put the bacon back in, you need to watch it. It only takes about 5-7 minutes to finish the bacon to a done to a soft/chewy texture. That is were we usually stop baking it. That way when my husband heats his up, his gets to the crispy his likes without being inedible and brittle.

I usually lay all of the bacon out on paper towels after it is done baking and then lay a layer of paper towels on top to get the grease. I then put it into a flat Rubbermaid container with a piece of wax paper between each layer. DH likes his bacon hot and crispy for his sandwiches, so he puts it on a plate on a paper towel and microwaves it for about 25 seconds. I like mine warmed but not crisp and about 10 seconds does that.

Let me know how it works for you. We love having it on hand. There are so many times that we use it now when before we didn't because we didn't want to fuss with the prep and mess. And we have both been know to pinch a couple of pieces straight from the fridge.

Do this all the time and it works wonderful!!!!

This sounds like a great idea for us too. I love BLT SALADS.
so good especially in the summer:)

thanks for the recipe

Sounds like a great idea.

I bake my bacon too when I think about it. I prefer it over fried. But we don't eat much bacon as I rarely fry foods. :)

Baked bacon is great! Faster and easier than having to fry it in a pan~

I cook it in the microwave. :mrgreen:

Just lay it out on a microwave-safe plate, cover with wax paper to prevent spatters, and nuke it for a few minutes until it's the desired crispness. (The time will vary depending on how full the plate is.) Turn it over halfway through. Don't overcook. Drain on paper towels.

Fast, easy, and yummy! :-D

Doesn't it splatter all over the oven? If not I'm in !

The only down side to cooking a lot of bacon at one time -

Our whole family LOVES bacon - and it disappears quickly!

This is the same method restaurants use. Thats how their bacon stays flat and straight, or some use the grill press to keep them flat on the flat grill. You can also cook lots of bacon ahead of time and freeze it this way also. We have been doing this since I started working in a restaurant...oh so many years ago lolol

Thanks for sharing. I do not like frying bacon, I plan on trying this recipe tomorrow.

I bake mine on a broiler pan .I wouldn't do it any other way now! warms up perfectly.

We always bake bacon, we don't even turn it.

If you use the really wide alumium foil to line your pan, clean up is super fast and easy!

Does it splatter all over the oven though? I think baking is a geat idea, going to have to try it.

This is a great way to cook bacon, I've been doing it for years. When I worked in food service this was the only way we cooked it. For some reason the bacon doesnt seem to shrink as much either.

My son cooks bacon on the grill outside. He cooks a lot of it and freezes the cooked bacon. Makes life easier to just take some already cooked out of the freezer.

When I was doing chemo, the nurses suggested cooking bacon this way to minimize the smell in the house.

Some smells would cause nausea. Now that we are back to using the skillet, four years later, the smell of bacon frying still gets me sometimes.

I usually buy a two pound package. I take a pair of kitchen scissors and snip three pieces at a time into small pieces. I cook it in my dutch oven on top of the stove until almost crisp, drain on a paper towel and place in a small ziplock. We don't eat a lot of sandwiches but we do like casseroles and I always have it handy. Just sprinkle it on top of salads also. Dutch oven just wipes clean. Try it. I just place my scissors in the dishwasher when I am finished.

Thank you. I will try it.

We do make it in the microwave too. We bake it when we are making it for later use. If you micro and then micro later it is brittle and YUCK. If you bake it first, you still have the opportunity to reheat in the micro to the desired crispness.

There is really no splatter whe you bake it. The splatter on the stove is from the heat/air bubble trying to get out from under the bacon strip. Since the hot air is doing the cooking and it all around (since it is on the rack) you don't have the popping.

And like someone else mentioned, if you line the cookie sheet with a piece of heavy duty foil - and PAM the rack - the clean up is a breeze.

I'll have to try it but am thinking that I'll put the bacon on one rack and cover it with a second one that's upside-down...then just flip the whole thing over instead of turning the bacon individually. Or maybe not turn it at all like some posters said. Either way it sounds like we're having BLT's on Sunday! Yum!

My favorite way to cook bacon! Thanks for the clear instructions!

I use a George Foreman Grill. The ridges let the grease drain off. You do have to turn it over to get both sides brown and I like mine crispy. My husband just likes it anyway. He will even fix breakfast using this method. I have the one with the ridge section with the top over half and the other half of the grill is flat. So while the bacon is cooking he is fixing hash browns, eggs, and toast on the other half. It is a nice treat from him.

OOOH, I haven't had a good BLT salad in ages. Now it's time.

I'm going to have to try this. Whenever I've tried baking bacon, it really makes a mess and I've worried about it catching on fire! I've lowered the temps into the 300+ range but it seems to take FOREVER! But I keep on trying because it's WONDERFUL cooked this way!!!!

Wow thanks !! Just started Atkins and this will be fantastic because I have been making the mess every morning ! thanks again !

Thank you i will try this

My mother loved the way I cooked bacon and did not like the way she cooked. I would cook about 3 pounds of the market bacon and take to her every time I went to visit.

Thanks Jane, going to try that this weekend or maybe on Wed, my day off this week. Yum