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How to Cook Bacon in the Oven

Name: How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
Ingredients: 1 bacon; 1 parchment paper

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, arrange bacon strips without overlapping, and bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes until crispy. The oven gives you perfectly even bacon without standing over a skillet, and you can cook a whole pound at once.

Total time: 20 min
Hands-on: 5 min
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1 bacon
1 parchment paper

Step by step

Preheat your oven to 400°F. This temperature cooks the bacon evenly without burning. Some people go higher, but 400°F gives you control.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. The rim catches the grease. Parchment prevents sticking and makes cleanup simple. Foil works too, but parchment is easier to handle when hot.
Arrange bacon strips on the sheet. Lay them flat without overlapping. They can touch slightly but shouldn't cover each other. Use two sheets if you're cooking a full pound.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Check at 15 minutes. Thin bacon finishes faster, thick-cut needs the full 20. The bacon is done when it's golden brown and crispy to your liking.
Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Let the excess grease drain for a minute. Save that rendered fat in the pan - it's perfect for cooking eggs or roasting vegetables.

Tips & troubleshooting

Start with a cold oven if you want extra-crispy bacon. Put the sheet in, then turn on the oven. This renders more fat slowly.
Save the bacon grease. Pour it through a fine mesh strainer into a jar and keep it in the fridge for up to three months.
Cut bacon strips in half before cooking if you're making bacon for sandwiches. They fit better and cook more evenly.
Don't flip the bacon. The oven heat surrounds it completely, cooking both sides at once.

Variations

Thick-Cut Bacon. Add 5-7 minutes to the cooking time. Start checking at 20 minutes, but thick slices often need 25 minutes to get properly crispy.
Wire Rack Method. Place a wire cooling rack on your parchment-lined sheet. The bacon cooks above its own grease, getting crispier on both sides. Add 2-3 minutes to cooking time.
Brown Sugar Bacon. Sprinkle brown sugar over the strips before baking. The sugar caramelizes as the bacon cooks, creating a sweet-salty crust.

Questions

Do I need to flip the bacon while it's cooking?: No. The oven heat cooks both sides evenly. Flipping just creates more work and splatter risk.
How do I know when the bacon is done?: It should be golden brown and look crispy around the edges. The fat should be mostly rendered out, not white and jiggly.
Can I cook different types of bacon together?: Stick to similar thicknesses on the same pan. Regular and thick-cut have different cooking times, so they're better done separately.
Why is my bacon chewy instead of crispy?: You either didn't cook it long enough or the oven temperature was too low. Give it a few more minutes and make sure you're at 400°F.