Baking Bacon: Special Pan Needed?

You don't need a special pan to bake bacon – you can use a glass baking pan, a steel or aluminium baking sheet, or even a cast iron pan. However, it's recommended to use a rimmed sheet pan to catch the grease.

To bake bacon, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminium foil. Place the bacon on the baking sheet, ensuring the slices don't overlap. Cook the bacon for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how crispy you like it.

Baking bacon is a great way to cook it evenly and minimise mess.

Oven-baked bacon: the best way to cook bacon

Baking bacon in the oven is the best way to cook bacon. It's super easy, creates less mess, and allows you to multitask in the kitchen.

What you'll need

• A rimmed baking sheet or tray
• Parchment paper or aluminium foil
• Paper towels
• Oven gloves
• Tongs

Step-by-step guide

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet or tray with parchment paper or aluminium foil. Lay the bacon slices on the baking sheet, making sure they don't overlap.

Cook the bacon for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how crispy you like it. Check on it after about 10 minutes, as some ovens cook faster. If you're using a metal rack, there's no need to flip the bacon.

Remove the tray from the oven and transfer the bacon with tongs to a paper towel-lined plate. If you want to save the bacon grease, let it cool slightly before pouring it through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof container.

And that's it! You now have perfectly crispy, oven-baked bacon. Enjoy!

The benefits of cooking bacon in the oven

Benefits of Cooking Bacon in the Oven

Less Mess

Cooking bacon in the oven is a lot less messy than frying it in a pan. The bacon grease won't splatter all over your stove, and you won't have to deal with hot spots on the pan that can cause some slices to burn while others are still undercooked.

Evenly Cooked Bacon

The oven's heat surrounds the bacon, slowly sizzling it to perfection. This results in evenly cooked bacon, with no undercooked or burnt pieces.

Multitasking

Once you put the bacon in the oven, you're free to focus on other tasks in the kitchen, like whipping up some eggs or making a batch of pancakes. You don't have to worry about constantly flipping or monitoring the bacon as it cooks.

Cook for a Crowd

The oven is a great way to cook large batches of bacon at once, making it ideal for feeding a crowd or cooking bacon for use in other recipes. You can cook multiple baking sheets at the same time, depending on your oven size.

Easy Cleanup

Cleanup is a breeze when you cook bacon in the oven. If you line your baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, you can simply lift up the lining and pour the bacon grease into a container for storage. No need to scrub greasy pans!

Customizable Crispiness

You can easily adjust the crispiness of your bacon by playing around with the oven temperature and cooking time. For extra crispy bacon, use a metal cooling rack placed over the baking sheet to allow the bacon to cook from all sides.

What equipment do you need to make bacon in the oven?

To make bacon in the oven, you'll need a few pieces of equipment. The most important is a rimmed sheet pan or baking tray, which will catch the grease from the bacon as it cooks. You can line your pan with parchment paper or aluminium foil for easier cleanup, but this isn't necessary.

You'll also need an oven, of course! Preheat it to around 400°F (200°C). Some recipes suggest a slightly lower or higher temperature, but this is the most common recommendation.

Finally, you'll need some paper towels to soak up excess grease from the cooked bacon.

Optional equipment includes a wire rack, which can be placed on the sheet pan to lift the bacon out of the grease, resulting in a less crispy but also less greasy end product. You can also use tongs to handle the bacon and transfer it to a plate when it's done.

With these tools, you'll be well on your way to making delicious, crispy bacon in the oven!

What's the best temperature for cooking bacon in the oven?

Cooking bacon in the oven is a great way to make a large batch of evenly cooked, crispy bacon without the mess of using a stovetop. The best temperature to cook bacon in the oven is 400°F (200°C).

To cook bacon in the oven, first, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Then, line a large baking sheet or tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place the bacon side-by-side on the tray, ensuring the slices do not overlap.

Cook the bacon for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on your desired level of crispiness. For regular bacon, cook for around 14 minutes, and for thick-cut bacon, cook for about 18 minutes. Check on the bacon after 10 minutes, as oven temperatures can vary.

Once the bacon is cooked to your liking, remove the tray from the oven and transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate using tongs. If you want to save the bacon grease for future use, let it cool slightly before pouring it through a fine-mesh strainer into a heat-proof container.

How to cook bacon in an air fryer

You don't need a special pan to bake bacon, but there are a few different methods you can use. One popular method is to use an air fryer, which is much quicker than cooking bacon in the oven, and less messy than frying it in a pan. Here's how to cook bacon in an air fryer:

Lay the bacon slices in a single layer in the air fryer basket. If they are too long, you can cut them in half. The slices can touch, but they shouldn't overlap or layer on top of each other. You may need to cook the bacon in batches.

Air fry your bacon at 350°F for 7-9 minutes for regular cut bacon, or 10-12 minutes for crispy bacon. If you like your bacon softer, air fry for 7-9 minutes, and for thicker bacon, cook for 9-10 minutes. For thicker bacon that's crispy, you may need to cook it for up to 12 minutes.

Remove the bacon from the air fryer and transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to soak up any excess grease. If you are cooking another batch, carefully pour out any excess grease, wipe out the bottom of the air fryer basket with a paper towel, and repeat the process.

Frequently asked questions