Culinary School Lesson: Bakin’ Bacon (Oven Bacon)
In my “What I Learned in Culinary School” series, I’ll be sharing tips and tricks that I learned from two years of working with some of the country’s best chefs. This will include big things like learning to work efficiently, and small things like how to make oven bacon. All of them will be applicable to your home kitchen, making you a faster, better, and more confident cook.
I’m gonna keep it short and sweet today, with a little trick that I’m guessing 80% of people who like bacon already know. However, before I went to culinary school, I was in the 20% of people who had never thought to do this. Granted, for a long time, I wasn’t a big fan of bacon. And I think two major reasons for that were how smelly it makes your house when you cook it, and how big of a mess it is (grease splatters everywhere!).
With this oven bacon method, your house will still smell bacon-y, but maybe a smidge less so than with the old frying pan method. Some of the smell is kind of contained to inside your oven. And those grease splatters? Hey – better in the oven than on the counter. My oven has seen way worse.
Ok, so here we go. Let’s get started with this oven bacon. This will only take a minute. Well, 18 minutes.
- Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. Please make sure the pan is rimmed, or you’re going to have a huge bacon grease mess on your hands. Lay your bacon out on this pan in a single layer. If you need two pans, use two pans. They can be a little closer than I’ve done here, but just make sure the bacon pieces aren’t overlapping or anything.
- Bake your bacon at 375° for 18 to 20 minutes or until it reaches your desired level of crispness. You don’t even need to flip it. Just let it do it’s thing for 18 minutes. When it’s done, use tongs to transfer the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate.
For more tips and tricks from my school days, be sure to check out my culinary school archive.
Cooking bacon is smelly, but eating it is oh so wonderful! ja
Hahaha so true!!
Cooking bacon is smelly, but eating it is oh so wonderful! ja
Hahaha so true!!
I’ll join you in the 20% that didn’t know or never thought of this, years of spatter, grease, dread when cooking it, well next time I will use this method. Like it so much better. Thanks. It’s one of those slap your head moments, why didn’t I think of that??? I do love bacon!!
I know, I seriously wondered “how have I never thought of this?!?” when I learned. I hope it changes your life a little bit 🙂
Oh it will next time I can actually turn my oven on (so hot here) that is how I will make bacon. It’s a revelation.
I’ll join you in the 20% that didn’t know or never thought of this, years of spatter, grease, dread when cooking it, well next time I will use this method. Like it so much better. Thanks. It’s one of those slap your head moments, why didn’t I think of that??? I do love bacon!!
Hello! Can you also bake bacon on a baking rack that’s been set inside a rimmed pan? I’m looking for a way to crisp up bacon yet have them almost entirely grease-free, if that’s even possible with….bacon.
Hi Tiffani – Oh definitely, I think that would work really well, and allow the excess grease to drip away from the bacon. It might take a little less time to bake that way, so I would just keep an eye on it the first time you do it. Good luck!
Hello! Can you also bake bacon on a baking rack that’s been set inside a rimmed pan? I’m looking for a way to crisp up bacon yet have them almost entirely grease-free, if that’s even possible with….bacon.
I know, I seriously wondered “how have I never thought of this?!?” when I learned. I hope it changes your life a little bit 🙂
Hi Tiffani – Oh definitely, I think that would work really well, and allow the excess grease to drip away from the bacon. It might take a little less time to bake that way, so I would just keep an eye on it the first time you do it. Good luck!
Oh it will next time I can actually turn my oven on (so hot here) that is how I will make bacon. It’s a revelation.
I just found out about this recently too- and felt like an idiot for not knowing it. So much less messy and still tastes great!
Woot woot!
I just found out about this recently too- and felt like an idiot for not knowing it. So much less messy and still tastes great!
I learned this about a year ago, but I didn’t know that you didn’t have to flip. The way I was told was 7 minutes and flip – I have wondered if it could skip flipping 🙂 Thanks!
Interesting! Nope, I’ve never flipped it, and it’s always turned out great! I think my husband tried to flip it halfway through once, and hot grease splattered everywhere, so it was sort of dangerous. Not worth it! haha.
Yeah – it’s not pretty!! 🙂
do I need to pre heat oven? I am starting culinary school in the fall!!! Im so so excited!! I have been doing hair for 26 years but always wanted to go to culinary school, so I’m going for it!!
Oh gosh, so sorry this took me so long to reply, Amy. Yes, these instructions were intended for an already-preheated oven. Although, sometimes I’ll get lazy and put it in while the oven is preheating, and it works just fine. Just takes a few minutes longer 😉
I am so excited for you as you head to culinary school. Please stay in touch and let me know how it goes. I think you’re going to love it!
I learned this about a year ago, but I didn’t know that you didn’t have to flip. The way I was told was 7 minutes and flip – I have wondered if it could skip flipping 🙂 Thanks!
Woot woot!
Interesting! Nope, I’ve never flipped it, and it’s always turned out great! I think my husband tried to flip it halfway through once, and hot grease splattered everywhere, so it was sort of dangerous. Not worth it! haha.
Yeah – it’s not pretty!! 🙂
Thanks for the fabulous hint! I have to try this, my luck with bacon has been less than satisfactory!
You’re welcome, Judy, thanks for stopping by! I hear you – I always had trouble with bacon before learning this method, too!
Thanks for the fabulous hint! I have to try this, my luck with bacon has been less than satisfactory!
Can I print recipes without printing the numerous comments, which seems like a waste of paper. They all sound sooo GOOD!
Hi Nancy – On all of my recipes, I have a “printer-friendly version” link (just below the number of servings information), that will open a window with JUST the recipe (no photos or comments). Unfortunately, I didn’t do that here, because this isn’t a standard recipe, but more of just a method. But, hopefully that printer-friendly version button will help for any other recipes you’d like to print!
Can I print recipes without printing the numerous comments, which seems like a waste of paper. They all sound sooo GOOD!
You’re welcome, Judy, thanks for stopping by! I hear you – I always had trouble with bacon before learning this method, too!
Hi Nancy – On all of my recipes, I have a “printer-friendly version” link (just below the number of servings information), that will open a window with JUST the recipe (no photos or comments). Unfortunately, I didn’t do that here, because this isn’t a standard recipe, but more of just a method. But, hopefully that printer-friendly version button will help for any other recipes you’d like to print!
Everyone doesn’t cook mass quantities of bacon, not even all the commenters here. If it’s a matter of 2 or 3 rashers of bacon you’re still going to need a pan, the smell, and the splatters. Or foolishly waste all of that energy cooking them in the oven to cut down on the smell and the splatters.
To be fair, the first advantage of this method that I listed was “it’s a great method to use when you’re preparing breakfast for a crowd.”
Personally, I would also use this method for cooking just 3 slices. It’s my energy bill, and to each his or her own.
toaster oven for just a few slices
Bake a whole pan and then just freeze the remaining slices you don’t eat. We do this all the time and it’s perfect for when, out of the blue, you crave a BLT. 🙂
Another helpful hint on this: I use cooling racks for cookies. I put parchment paper down on the cookie sheet with sides, then I put a cooling rack on top of that, which sits inside the cookie sheet, then spray it with PAM , and lay the bacon on top of it. It keeps the bacon out of the grease, and then afterwards, I pick up the sides of the paper, and set it standing up in an empty ice cream bucket and let it drain into it for future dishes, like green beans, corn, for the country taste. Sometimes, I use that grease to mix alot of bird seed in, then scoop out with cookie scoop onto another cookie sheet, flash freeze, bag and store in freezer, to set out for the birds during winter.
Such a smart idea, Sharon! Cooling racks are SO handy to have around. I use them to roast potatoes – they get nice and crispy that way 🙂
This is great! I worked at IHOP for 4 years during college and this is how we made our bacon! It turns out wayy better than frying it or microwaving it.
Thanks Lexi!
When I was a kid my mom always cooked bacon on a broiler pan so the grease dripped away (they came with the oven then) and always flipped half way. The grease was always saved for frying eggs and baking… Old family recipe for pastry was to use bacon grease for lard, everyone loves my mom’s pastries, I on the other hand am hopeless with pastry!.
When I cook bacon it is on a lined cookie sheet with a wire rack treated with cooking spray, grease is saved for frying eggs, roasted potatoes, stir fry and what ever else I need a dab of grease on.
Thanks for stopping by, Anita! Cooking the bacon on a wire rack is a great idea!
If your really feeling creative you can render your own lard by “washing” the left over fat.
Time consuming, but gives a sense of accomplishment.
I have perused quite a few ‘bacon in the oven’ pins and they mostly mention put in a cold oven. What do you do? cold or preheat?
Thanks. Loving the tips in the comments-freezing, roast potatos on rack, etc
Hey Tina! So, I actually used to preheat, but in the few years since I’ve written this post, I’ve kind of stopped. I now put the bacon in a mostly cold oven, meaning that I’ll start the preheat right as I’m also getting the bacon out of the fridge and onto the pan. I then put the bacon right into the oven as it continues to preheat.
I run a B&B & this is the way I have cooked bacon for years. For those who want to have fewer splatters in their oven , just place another layer of parchment paper on top before you put the pan in the oven. It doesn’t seem to effect the way the bacon cooks.
BRILLIANT, Candee. Just brilliant. I am definitely trying this next time, especially since I have a pretty brand new oven, still. I’d like to keep it nice and clean as long as I can 🙂
I put heavy duty foil over the pan instead of parchment, ans then you just wait for the grease to cool, and then just put the grease covered foil in the trash. Voila, no grease in your drain….
Smart! Thanks for the tip, Amy 🙂