August 2021 • Page 4 of 4 • A Sweet Pea Chef

Are you a lover of tasty and crisp bacon? This post will guide you on how to cook bacon in the oven. After learning this method, you may never use the stove top again! You gotta love bacon. Delicious, smoky, flavorful bacon. It’s a treat I love, especially on the weekend when I’m hanging out with Dustin and the kids. You know, eating and spending time together. Two of life’s amazing pleasures. When I’m making a big batch of bacon, I prefer to use the oven. It’s easy peasy and I don’t have to deal with bacon splatter all over the stove – or all over me! I cook a lot of bacon at once and use it in a ton of ways. Bacon goes great as a side to my Healthy Egg Muffin Cups. It’s perfection in Spinach Salad With Warm Bacon Dressing, and adding bacon to Healthy Baked Potato Soup makes it even more flavorful and satisfying. You get the idea, right? Bacon is yummy and adds an unbeatable smack of deliciousness to whatever you add it to. Cooking bacon in the oven means an even cook throughout, no more slices with charred sections and other sections not cooked through. Keep reading to learn this wonderfully simple method of cooking bacon! What Kind Of Bacon Is The Best? Well, in keeping with the healthy lifestyle we’re striving for, nitrate/nitrite-free and sugar-free bacon is what I prefer to use every time. Bacon goes through curing and smoking processes and you want to make sure you are purchasing the healthiest bacon out there. Some bacon producers use the chemical compounds nitrates and nitrites so you’ll want to look for bacon that says they are not added, sometimes referred to as uncured. Buying bacon with naturally occurring nitrates and nitrites (found in beet concentrate and celery extract added to bacon, for example) is the way to go. How To Choose The Healthiest Bacon Thin cut or thick cut: When you buy thick cut bacon, you’ll no doubt eat the same number of slices as you would with thin cut. This means you’ll be eating more calories, sodium, and fat. Learning how to cook bacon in the oven means that the bacon will be less greasy and you won’t be frying it either. Sodium intake: Many producers will use sea salt in the processing of bacon. Look for a brand with a low sodium amount on the label. No more than 2300 mg per day is the recommended amount, and 3400 mg is the average intake. Too much sodium can mean kidney function problems, blood pressure issues, and more. No nitrites and nitrates: As I mentioned above, look for naturally produced nitrates. The label on the bacon may state cultured celery extract or beet concentrate. Do You Have To Flip Bacon In The Oven? No need to flip the bacon! That’s the beauty of learning how to cook bacon in the oven. It’s hands off, the bacon cooks perfectly, and there is no need to flip the bacon strips. When you cook bacon in the skillet, there is a lot of flipping and moving the bacon around, resulting in spatters all over the stove – and you. What Is The Best Temperature To Cook Bacon? I cook bacon in the oven at 425 degrees F. This temperature cooks the bacon quickly, bringing it to perfect crispiness in no time. Serve it alongside Homemade Healthy Diner Style Pancakes and you’ll be in bacon, maple syrup, and pancake heaven! How Long Does It Take Bacon To Cook In The Oven? Cooking bacon in the oven takes about 14 to 20 minutes, depending on how crisp you like it. The timing can also change based on the thickness of the bacon. If the bacon is extra thin, check after 12 minutes. Thick cut bacon can take up to 20 minutes. I check mine after 14 minutes – you’ll see the fat bubbling on the bacon. Test for crispiness and that’s it. Easy! How To Cook Bacon In The Oven Simple steps are all it takes for perfectly cooked, delicious bacon: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees FLine the baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paperPut the bacon slices on the lined tray side by sideBake between 14 and 20 minutesCheck for yummy crispinessRemove the bacon filled sheet from the ovenPut the bacon on a plate lined with paper towel, patting the top if needed How Do You Cook Bacon In The Oven Without Smoking Up The House? After I cook bacon in the oven and once the oven is cool, I wipe it out. This prevents buildup on the sides, top and bottom of the oven that can result in smoke after time. To prevent smoking up the house, make sure that when you line the rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, all four sides of the sheet have overhang. This keeps the bacon grease contained. It’s also a way to have easier cleanup – always a good thing! Tips For Cooking Bacon In The Oven For the best bacon ever: Make sure the bacon slices are not overlapping. They can be close side by side, but not overlapped.If the baking sheet is full of bacon extra close together, remember it may take longer to cook.Cook the bacon on the middle rack of the oven for even heat distribution.For extra crispy bacon, place a metal rack over the parchment paper or aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Placing the bacon on the rack allows the drippings to fall below.I find that a pound of bacon fits well on a large baking sheet; extra thin bacon may need 2 sheets.Store your cooked bacon in the fridge for a week or in an airtight container in the freezer for 3 months.To recrisp bacon that you have stored in the fridge, reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F for just a couple of minutes.Bacon drippings can be used in recipes (like the salad I told you about) but use it in moderation to flavor country-style potatoes or to add to rice or lentils as extra flavor.Pat the cooked bacon with paper towel once it’s done to remove extra fat. Healthy Breakfast Recipes Breakfast is an important part of the day, folks! These recipes are healthy and will give you a great start! Protein PancakesFrozen Breakfast Burritos Make-Ahead Freezer Breakfast SandwichesEgg White Scramble and Sweet Potato HashChocolate Quinoa Breakfast BowlOvernight Oats This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.