For me, the ultimate bacon is crispy to the point that it shatters upon first bite. When I try to achieve this at home using the normal stovetop method, however, it not only takes a long time, but it also leaves a huge mess for me to wipe down afterward.
As a result, I used to only reserve bacon as a treat—something that I ordered from my favorite diner. That is until recently when I discovered the culinary queen Martha Stewart’s trick for an easier, super hands-off, and most importantly splatter-proof method to cook perfectly crispy bacon. Her tip? For the best bacon of your life, cook it in the oven on a parchment-lined baking sheet—here’s how.
Why You Should Cook Bacon in the Oven
Beyond the miraculous fact that cooking bacon in the oven creates virtually no mess, this method offers a few more advantages:
It Makes More Bacon: Because you’re using a sheet pan, you can cook many more pieces of bacon than you can on a skillet—a godsend when you need to feed a crowd.
It’s Hands-Off: The heat that circulates all around the sheet pan in the oven eliminates the need for you to flip the bacon as it cooks, which means this is a hands-free cooking process. I use this time to make myself another cup of coffee.
It’s Crispier: Compared to bacon cooked in a skillet on the stove, oven bacon is not only crispier but more evenly cooked. The bacon sits in its rendered fat and essentially fries in it, becoming crispy more quickly.
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How To Cook Bacon in the Oven
To make oven bacon the way Martha suggests, line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper (you could also use aluminum foil) and lay slices of your favorite bacon flat on top, being careful to space them out to prevent any overlap.
Bake the bacon in a 400°F oven until well-browned and crisp, this should take between 15 and 18 minutes depending on the thickness of your bacon. To follow Martha’s method to a T, you’ll need to rotate the sheet pan halfway through. Although I’ve accidentally forgotten to do this countless times and my bacon still turns out great.
Carefully transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain. It’ll get a little crispier as it cools.
Make Your Whole Breakfast on the Sheet Pan
A sheet pan full of bacon fat is swimming with delicious opportunity. Before you discard the fat, crack a few eggs right on top of it and slide the sheet pan back into the oven. You could also reserve a portion of the sheet pan for frozen hashbrowns or toast.
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