I do it at 350 for about 30-40 minutes. I use a cookie sheet, foil on top of that, then a cookie wire rack on that, then bacon on that.

I agree with trudymom. If you use a rack the bacon doesn't sit in all the grease and cooks more evenly.

Linda

I cook it at 400 for I think 20-30 minutes. I would have to look it up at home in my notes.

I will say that I prefer the bacon directly on the sheet pan or broiler pan. I found that when I used a rack it didn't get crispy enough for me. Personal preference I guess.

LOL - just to keep this rolling with varying opinions - I would most definitely use the rack! I cook it at 400 for about 30 minutes (depends on the thickness) but always on a rack on a foil lined pan. No turning and we like it well done, so it does get very crispy when looked long enough. Just find one of those 17 people to clean it for you :)

I'm also going to a beach house for a week - only 13 in our group, so I'll be looking for some ideas too, like you and STBonner.

Thank you everyone.

Sapphires

My friend taught me to put a thick layer of news paper in the cookie sheet...8 to 10 sheets, put paper towel on top of that, lay on the bacon and put in the oven at 300 for about 40 minutes. The low temp allows all the grease to drain away without the bacon burning.....and no the paper doesn't burn in the oven.
then throw away all the greasy goo!
Linda C

Another opinion - 425, single layer no rack no turning. Nice crispy bacon in under 20 minutes. I don't have a problem with burning.

Well, I think you can't mess this up, no matter what temp you use, because I do mine at 350 for about half an hour, and I don't use a rack.

I did try putting it on paper towels once and the towels did not catch on fire but the bacon all stuck to the towels and I couldn't peel off the residue. Same thing when I microwaved bacon on a paper towel.

Annie

I guess I should have added that I always make thick cut bacon. I haven't tried the thin sliced in the oven yet.

Like Annie says, it's hard to get wrong.

I agree, as long as you watch it you can't mess it up. Another opinion, single layer on foil, in a baking sheet. 375 till done, sorry I don't keep track of the time.... I do drain it once during cooking. Hardly no clean up. an extra tip, Sometimes I sprinkle on brown sugar, about half way through baking (after I drain it). YUMMY

I do exactly like Trudymom does.

I must add, however that even though there is no immediate clean up (ie: pots & pans, stovetop, etc.) it does spatter up the oven. A self-cleaning oven is a Godsend when making bacon in this manner.

That said, it's really the only way I ever make bacon anymore.

Linda

I can cook bacon in the oven?

I do mine on the pampered chef bar stone, at 425°, for 15-20 minutes, until it's almost as done as I want it. I usually end up doing about 3# at a time. Then, freeze it. When at camp, I take out what we will use, warm it, which finishes crisping it, and it only takes a minute. I don't find that I have any splatters in the oven. I've had this stove/oven for about 3 1/2 years, and the only reason it needs cleaned is because my dear son didn't put a pan under the cheese cake he made, which leaked the fat around the base of the springform pan. Now, I have to get my book out and figure out how to use the self cleaning feature!

Tami

I do the oven thing too when making it for a crowd. Easy, but like Linda mentioned it does mess the oven up a bit. My first time doing high heat chicken and/or prime rib set off the smoke alarm...LOL! 400 degrees for me until it's done for me. I'll have to try the newspaper/papertowels thing next time and see how it goes. Like Annie mentioned it sticks together when I do it the microwave with papertowels ??? Having said that... I still think it taste the best fried in a pan....my choice for me or a small group.

David

The directions are right on the bacon package. Oscar Mayer's anyway.

Like David, I do it at 400° until it is done to my taste.

I love this Forum!! (I also love bacon...but microwave only as a last resort... I'll have to try oven-baking)

Along with David, I do hope no lurkers get the idea that oven or microwaved bacon is a wonderful way to prepare bacon. It is acceptable for groups but does not compare to bacon cooked in a frying pan.
The texture, appearance and yes, flavor, are different.

I have to disagree about the flavor and texture being different cooked in the oven versus a frying pan. Unless you think curled up bacon is somewhat superior to flat perfectly cooked bacon...I really can't understand a comment like that. Yes, the appearance is different, but in a good way and I can't for the life of me think how the flavor would differ. I love to cook my bacon in the oven, on a cookie sheet, no rack and watch it carefully. I hate fatty bacon and don't want rubber bacon or overcooked either so you have to watch it to get the level of done=ness you desire. My opinion and that is all it is. If you don't agree so be it. We all have our own opinions.

Duane

That's certainly true Duane. I shouldn't have been so opinionated as we each like things the way we want them.

Now that we've pretty much exhausted baking bacon, can we talk about how to do it in a pan? I always have a hard time getting it completely crispy without some of it being burnt, and despite all that fat it seems to make a worse mess of my pans than just about anything else. In fact I stopped cooking it in cast iron because the necessary scrubbing would ruin the seasoning. I haven't fried bacon in years, even if just for me, for these reasons.

Annie, I just experimented--I sprayed the paper towel with Pam type spray and found no sticking.

Cathy

The way I fry bacon:

Using an electric frying pan I put the bacon in a cold pan and then turn on the heat (medium) I flip the bacon several times and when it reaches the stage I like it at, I remove the slices putting them on a paper towel. If I'm frying a lot of bacon, I do pour out the grease that has accumulated before I add more bacon. That's it.

For me, perfect bacon in a frying pan takes 30-45 minutes so that's why yours burns before the fat is cooked.
I cook it on medium low, turn and move it around often and when it's done, most of the fat is rendered out and it is perfectly crisp and nut brown all over while nicely rippled.

Higher heat makes bacon that is partially burnt with fatty areas still rubbery. Although some people do like chewy bacon, I know.
Cooked on medium low, the bacon does not pop and splatter ever and the stove is still clean (ish).
If it pops, the heat is too high. There should be a nice low sizzling sound, however.
I usually make the rest of breakfast, drink my coffee and read the paper while cooking bacon. I'm not standing over it the whole time.

Hey Bumble, no harm, no foul. Yeah, we all have our own way of doing things and there are really no wrong or right ways, just personal views usually. Heck, LindaC's post about doing things the way your mother did them...well, just because! That is how we were taught and it keeps us close to our mom remembering those things. Sometimes nonsensical, but important to us just the same.

Speaking of bacon....just waiting now for the tomatoes to start ripening for that 1st BLT!!!

Duane

I'm one of those people who like chewy bacon, so it doesn't take that long for me in a pan. Like Shaun, I put the raw bacon into a cold electric skillet because it's the right shape to lie several strips flat. I turn it a couple of times and when it's browning but still nicely chewy, it's done. I drain it on paper towels and save the bacon grease for cooking eggs or to feed the birds in the winter, depending on how big my "grease stash" is. Elery says I'm the only person he knows that has one of those metal containers marked "grease" and still keeps grease in it. (grin) Can't help it, I still think it's healthier than margarine and no worse than butter.

However, if I have the grandkids over and I'm trying to make waffles and referee and clean up the syrup and make coffee and it's 6:45 am, well, the bacon is going in the oven because it's easier!

Cathy, was that in the microwave or in the oven? And I'm still laughing at having to "grease" a piece of paper that is supposed to soak up all the grease. (grin) Actually, it probably means that I'm using that non-coated and biodegradable "plain" paper towel without all the colors and additives, so it's probably a good thing.

Annie

Annie, I knew the irony about greasing a grease soaker wouldn't be wasted on you. It was microwaved.