I Asked 6 Chefs the Best Way To Cook Bacon—They All Said the Same Thing

Plus, cleaning up afterward is so much easier.

I grew up thinking bacon was only cooked in the microwave. It’s my parents’ preferred cooking method: Slices of bacon are placed on a plastic ridged bacon rack, a paper towel is layered on top, and the bacon is microwaved for four or five minutes until crispy.

This bacon is never super greasy compared to the slices I would get at a diner or a breakfast joint. Still, I didn’t think too much about it until I realized there are much better ways to cook bacon, which give you that restaurant-quality bacon right in the comfort of your home.

I thought the best way to cook bacon was on the stovetop, particularly slices cooked in a cast-iron skillet. The bacon comes out crispy and greasy, albeit with a few burnt edges, because I could never quite get it to cook evenly despite going “low and slow” to get the texture just right.

That was until I discovered an even better method for cooking bacon. Even professional chefs and cooking experts that I asked say this method is the best for getting the perfect diner-quality slice of bacon. Here’s what they recommend.

The Pro Chefs and Cooking Experts I Asked

• Chef David Rose: Executive Chef at Omaha Steaks

• Chef Gigi Gaggero: Former Academic Director of Le Cordon Bleu North America and author of Food Fight: For Parents of Picky Eaters

• Chef Ashley Lonsdale: Chef-in-Residence at Butcher Box

• Chef Adonis Icalina: Certified in Culinary Arts at Metropolitan Occupational Science and Technology Institute and Founder of Carnivore Style

• Grace Vallo: Founder of Tastefully Grace and media personality

• Erica Thomas: Founder of Eating With Erica, host of the Atlanta Supper Club, and author of the upcoming cookbook Confidently Cooking

The Best Way To Cook Bacon, According to Chefs

For a hands-off, splatter-free bacon cooking, all of the chefs and cooking experts I spoke to agree: Cooking bacon in the oven is the best method.

Not only is it great for cleanup, but the bacon cooks evenly and creates that perfect crispy consistency you’re likely looking for, instead of having some uncooked or burnt parts of your slice from the stovetop or microwave. Plus, it leaves you free to prepare the other parts of your meal, whether it’s a big batch of scrambled eggs or assembling ingredients for sandwiches, like a grilled cheese BLT or smashburgers.

While each chef has a different way of cooking their bacon in the oven, generally, they all recommended lining a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and then spreading the slices of bacon in a single layer. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or 375° for 15 to 20 minutes. The exact time it will take to cook your bacon will depend on the thickness of the slices.

Chef Rose says it’s still best to place the slices on a plate lined with clean paper towels to drain the excess fat when the bacon is finished.

Chef Lonsdale recommends layering a wire rack on your baking sheet and placing the slices on top for even crispier bacon. She also recommends saving the bacon fat that catches at the bottom. “When doing this, I always drain (and save!) the bacon fat midway through the cooking process. You can use the left-over bacon fat to fry up almost anything on your stovetop for extra flavor.”

Chef Gaggero recommends spritzing the wire rack with a nonstick cooking spray to help clean it up if you try this method. “This step prevents the bacon from sticking, but the real reason is the cleanup. This simple trick saves you time scrubbing pans and helps elevate the bacon, allowing hot air to circulate each strip for perfect cooking.”

Chef Icalina makes candied bacon in the oven for an extra special treat. “This is a sweet and savory treat that’s always a hit. I start by mixing brown sugar and a touch of cayenne pepper—the sugar brings sweetness, while the cayenne adds a hint of heat. I coat the bacon strips in this mixture, then arrange them on a baking sheet. The bacon goes into the oven until crispy and the sugar has caramelized, creating a sweet, sticky glaze. The contrast between the salty bacon and the sweet glaze is simply divine."

Read the original article on Simply Recipes.