Cooking Bacon in the Oven?

[GB]

Precooked bacon is a new thing. It is much more expensive than uncooked. And it comes in small quantities.

It is so easy to cook bacon in the oven that why would they not want to?

 

[Constance]

What is "cleaning the oven"??

We have a self-cleaning oven, but I've never turned it on. It gets up to, like, 1000 degrees, and they tell me it smokes your house up something awful. Besides, it has the continuous clean surface, that stuff really doesn't stick to.
Once in a while we wipe the junk out of the bottom, and that's it.

We do, also, put baking sheets under things like cherry pies, that might drip.

 

[VeraBlue]

Why are restaurants not using precooked bacon?

Precooked bacon is usually an inferior product.

The idea behind dining out is to give you a good meal that you couldn't or didn't care to prepare yourself. Would you be satisfied with precooked chicken? Precooked everything is available to restaurants but if the kitchen has the ability and the equipment then every kitchen will go with a hands on approach.

 

[candelbc]

I believe that because it is cooking the bacon using a 375-400 degree convection heat versus a much higher direct heating mechanism that the drip pan never actually boils or bubbles.. From my experience, there is really no mess other than the drip pan.. And I lay down extra wide Aluminum foil to make clean-up easier..

-Brad

 

[PA Baker]

Thanks, everyone!

 

[SierraCook]

My mom works as a prep cook and every Wednesday she cooks pans and pans of bacon. I know that she lays the bacon slices on parchment paper and bakes the bacon in the oven just like VeraBlue said. Once they have cooled she lays them between waxed paper and places them in a counter and in the walk-in they go. Cooking the bacon is not her favorite job, but it is better than peeling and cooking potatoes for the potato salad.

 

[In the Kitchen]

Blessed! And being more blessed

We have a self-cleaning oven, but I've never turned it on. It gets up to, like, 1000 degrees, and they tell me it smokes your house up something awful. Besides, it has the continuous clean surface, that stuff really doesn't stick to.
Once in a while we wipe the junk out of the bottom, and that's it.

We do, also, put baking sheets under things like cherry pies, that might drip.

Okay Constance, now you did it. This is something I have often wanted but the price is what changed my mind. Is your stove gas? They tell me it doesn't come in gas stove, are they telling me the truth? all these years have had to clean if I do, myself. The fumes of the cleaning product is not good to inhale so it says on the label. How are you supposed to clean the oven without inhaling? That instruction always bothered me.

I am happy for you. You deserve it all the cooking you do. Let me know what kind it is and if you would buy another one like it. Sounds so good to have something 'continous". Sure makes your life different.

If you would share with me what kind of stove you have I would like to get one next time and since you bought one must be best. Thanks Constance

 

[Caine]

That's the way we did it in the Army. No fancy schmany aluminium foil or racks either. Just line them up on these commercial sized baking sheets and stick them in a 400F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Bacon for 200 to 300 troops would take several hours if you were to fry it.

 

[keltin]

This guy does some tests to find the "best" way to cook bacon. He even grilled some!!

Part 1 & Part 2

 

[Fisher's Mom]

I had no idea bacon could be baked in the oven!!! This is going to change my life! When all the kids are here for weekends with their friends, SO's, etc., I always do bacon, eggs and pancakes at least once. There's 15 - 20 people and this is something everyone seems to like. BUT, making that much bacon on top of the stove is really messy and dangerous (at least for me - I always burn myself). Plus, it's a scramble to tend to the bacon and the pancakes at the same time. If I put the bacon in 3 hours earlier - thanks for the "cooking for engineers" link, keltin - my kitchen will be alot less hectic and I won't have to buy neosporin by the gallon anymore! I LOVE this forum!!!

 

[bknox]

I have always cooked my bacon in a skillet as well. My wife cooks bacon in the oven. I resisted this practice for years as I like futzing around with bacon in a skillet.

One day she sprinkled an lightly rubbed cracked pepper on it and baked it. We made BLT's and it was excellent. A really nice touch to a sandwich that was nearly perfect to begin with. The peppery bite really made an improvement to an already perfect sandwich.

I could have never pulled that off in a skillet and am now thinking of another flavor that may be good. I have a hard time as in my family, bacon in itself is a perfect food, the bacon group. Also, I do not think I could throw out bacon that did not work out. I would feel obligated to eat it because it is bacon still.

I have an idea that using a smoked bacon and sprinkling crushed chamomile on it near the end of cooking. I 'think' the apple smell of the chamomile may be a nice touch. I also want to try cumin on bacon for quesadilla but again to chicken to try.

Anyway hate to run off on a tangent but that's my 2 cents on baking bacon. I love it. It's always perfect and evenly cooked.

 

[Chipotle Tom]

That's the way we did it in the Army. No fancy schmany aluminium foil or racks either. Just line them up on these commercial sized baking sheets and stick them in a 400F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Bacon for 200 to 300 troops would take several hours if you were to fry it.

Caine,

I was a cook in the Army too! Too bad I never learned to enjoy cooking until I got out. But yeah, oven cooking bacon works fine. There always seemed to be an argument in our kitchen about whether the bacon should be flipped or not. I didn't really see that it made a difference (other than increasing the cooking time).

 

[Caine]

Baking it, no, it doesn't need to be flipped. Broiling, on the other hand, yes, it defintiely has to be broiled on both sides.