What temperature and how long do you bake bacon

Bacon, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways. What we don't love as much? Standing over a hot skillet and spattering our PJs with bacon grease. Enter oven-cooked bacon, a hands-off technique that is infinitely easier than cooking it in a skillet and won’t make your whole kitchen smell like bacon for days. Moreover, here in the Food Network Kitchen, many food stylists rely on the oven to prepare bacon because it cooks quite evenly (there aren’t any hot spots to worry about).

To get started, all you need is a pack of your favorite type of bacon, a baking sheet, a metal cooling rack that fits inside the baking sheet (optional) and foil.

Here's what you need:

What temperature and how long do you bake bacon
What temperature and how long do you bake bacon

Chicago Metallic Sheet Pans

$23.95 for 2

Amazon

What temperature and how long do you bake bacon
What temperature and how long do you bake bacon

Bellemain Cooling Rack

$12.50

Amazon

What temperature and how long do you bake bacon
What temperature and how long do you bake bacon

Reynolds Wrap Standard Aluminum Foil

$9.49

Amazon

What temperature and how long do you bake bacon

How to cook bacon in the oven

Photo by: Teri Lyn Fisher

Teri Lyn Fisher

1. Arrange the Bacon On a Foil-Lined Baking Sheet

You can arrange the bacon in a single layer on top of the foil — the slices should be touching but not overlapping. Or, if you’d like, you can fit the baking sheet with an oven-safe cooling rack and arrange the bacon on top of that to allow extra grease to drain away while the bacon cooks — not a huge deal either way. Feel free to skip the rack so there’s one less dish to clean.

Now is a great time to impress your family or brunch guests by taking your bacon to the next level. Consider sprinkling on a seasoning like cracked black pepper, brown sugar or chipotle chili powder.

What temperature and how long do you bake bacon

How to cook bacon in the oven

Photo by: Teri Lyn Fisher

Teri Lyn Fisher

2. Place the Bacon In a Cold Oven

This step is extremely important. Place the bacon into a cold oven that has not been pre-heated. Once the bacon is in the oven, then start pre-heating the oven. Why? When you heat up bacon slowly, it renders out its fat and ends up super crispy - far crispier than if you had started cooking the bacon in a hot oven.

Once you place the bacon in the oven, heat it to 400 degrees F and bake the bacon to your desired crispness. It should be done in about 20 minutes (note that this time is slightly longer than other recipes, because the bacon will be in the oven while the oven pre-heats. If you choose to put the bacon in an already hot oven, you will need to reduce the cook time otherwise the bacon will burn).

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use tongs to carefully transfer the bacon to paper towels.

What temperature and how long do you bake bacon

How to cook bacon in the oven

Photo by: Teri Lyn Fisher

Teri Lyn Fisher

3. Clean up (easily) — and eat!

If you want to save the bacon grease, carefully pour it into a heat-safe container — try repurposing an old metal coffee container. If you don’t feel like saving the fat, set aside the hot grease-filled baking sheet and allow it to cool down. The grease will solidify onto the foil and you can lift it up and discard for very easy cleanup.

All that’s left for you to do is start using up those gorgeous cracking strips. May we suggest one of the following? Also make sure to check out our Top Bacon Recipes.

What temperature and how long do you bake bacon

FNK_Bacon-Egg-and-Cheese-Toast-Bowls_

Food Network Kitchen’s Bacon, Egg and Cheese Toast Bowls for Food Network One-Offs, as seen on Food Network.

Photo by: Renee Comet

Renee Comet

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Toast Bowls

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What temperature and how long do you bake bacon

FNK_Breakfast-Nachos_H

Food Network Kitchen’s Breakfast Nachos for Food Network Snapchat recipes, as seen on Food Network.

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Breakfast Nachos

They come together in just 30 minutes, but you can shave off even more time by whipping up bacon in the oven.

What temperature and how long do you bake bacon

French Omelet

They taste like breakfast at a 5-star hotel, but in reality they take 15 minutes and are easy to master. Read on for all the tips and tricks, like having your bacon pre-crumbled and ready to add at a moment’s notice.

What temperature and how long do you bake bacon

Photo by: Armando Rafael

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Southwestern Bacon Quiche

Crumble that bacon into an easy homemade crust alongside cilantro, chili powder and creamy egg filling.

What temperature and how long do you bake bacon

FN1211141_31_APPLE_BACON_01.tif

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Apple Bacon Toast

Cinnamon raisin bread gets smeared with a butter-Greek yogurt mixture, then topped with apples, bacon and maple syrup. Sorry, avocado toast, we’ve got a new favorite.

What temperature and how long do you bake bacon

Cheesy Bacon and Egg Brunch Casserole

If you’re baking your bacon instead of cooking it in the skillet, simply reserve a few tablespoons of the drippings from the sheet tray to use later in the recipe.

What temperature and how long do you bake bacon

LEVI_BROWN_FN1121131_POTATOES 04_HIRES.tif

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Twice-Baked Potatoes with Bacon and Eggs

You could make fried eggs, breakfast potatoes and bacon, or you could make one glorious dish that combines all the best parts of breakfast.

What is the best temperature to cook bacon in the oven?

If you cook bacon too high (over 400 degrees F), it'll crisp and burn more easily. If you cook it too low (around 350 degrees F), it'll take a lot longer than is necessary. I've found that 400 degrees F is the perfect temperature for cooking bacon in the oven. At 400 degrees F, bacon should cook 18 to 20 minutes.

How long does it take to bake bacon at 375?

How long to cook bacon in the oven at 375°F (191°C) Bake for approximately 18-23 minutes.

How long to cook bacon in the oven at 350?

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the bacon in a single layer on the prepared sheet with the edges touching or slightly overlapping. Bake in the preheated oven to desired degree of doneness, 10 to 15 minutes.

How long should bacon be in the oven at 425?

Heat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Cook bacon for 14 minutes. Transfer cooked bacon to paper towel-lined plates. Let cool for 5 minutes for bacon to crisp.