How to Cook Bacon in the Oven

Set your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. While it warms up, line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Use a piece bigger than the pan so the edges hang over and tuck under. That's what catches all the rendered fat and saves you from scrubbing later.

Either lining works. Foil molds easily and you can crinkle the corners up. Parchment lays flat and the bacon weights it down once you start placing strips.

Place the raw bacon strips flat across the lined sheet. Keep them in a single layer with a tiny gap between each one. They'll shrink as they cook, so it's fine if the strips touch lightly, but don't overlap or they'll steam instead of crisp.

Slide the sheet onto the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Thin-cut bacon hits crispy at 15. Thick-cut needs the full 20 or a little longer.

Open the oven and look at the bacon. It should be deep golden brown and lying flat. If it still looks pale or floppy, give it another 2 to 4 minutes and check again. Bacon goes from perfect to scorched in about 90 seconds, so don't wander off after the first check.

Pull the sheet out using oven mitts. Use tongs to lift each strip onto a plate lined with a couple paper towels. The towels grab the surface grease so the bacon stays crisp instead of going soggy in its own fat.

Set another paper towel on top of the bacon. If you're cooking a second batch, layer it on the towel - then add another paper towel on top of that. A minute of resting under the towels pulls off the last bit of grease.

Tilt the foil and pour the rendered fat into a small jar or heat-safe container. Strain it through a fine mesh sieve if you want it cleaner. This is liquid gold for sauteing greens, frying eggs, or seasoning a cast iron pan.

Store the jar in the fridge once it cools. It keeps for a couple months.

Wait until the pan cools enough to handle. Lift the foil off in one piece and drop it in the trash. The pan underneath looks like it never touched bacon. Wipe it with a paper towel if anything ended up directly on the metal, then stash it back in the cabinet.