Greasy, juicy, and crispy, bacon is all around delicious no matter how you decide to cook it. The problem that everyone face is splattering, and mess that is left to clean up afterwards.
The bacon grease splatters everywhere whether cooking on a stovetop or inside the oven. However, oven is the cleanest way to cook bacon and minimize the splash.
How do you cook bacon in oven without splattering? There are many ways to prevent splatter while cooking bacon in the oven. In fact, bacon cooking in the oven does not splatter like it does on the stovetop, and instead you need to be aware of dripping bacon oil.
Line the baking sheet with parchment paper, place the bacon slices without overlapping and also layer a piece of baking paper over the top as well.
For extra crispness, place bacon strips on a wire rack and line the baking sheet underneath to collect any grease drippings.
Whether cooking big or small batches, cooking bacon in the oven makes it much easier to avoid the mess.
Answered below are frequently asked question about preventing splatter while cooking bacon in the oven. This article discuss tips and strategy that keep bacon splattering in the oven to a minimum.
Does bacon splatter if you bake in the oven?
No, bacon does not splatter if you bake in the oven. In fact, it does not splatter as it does on the stovetop.
The oven allows the bacon strips sizzles on the sheet pan and creates grease to drop instead of shooting on top around the oven wall.
When lining up properly with baking sheet, it actually help to perfectly crisp and easy to cleanup afterwards.
How do you keep bacon from splattering in the oven?
Cleaning splatter in the oven after cooking bacon is a headache. The grease and oil from bacon is not easy to simply wipe down.
The trick to keep bacon from splattering in the oven is by using parchment paper to absorb as much fat as possible. Line the baking pan with parchment, then layering a piece of parchment paper over the bacon helps to keep the grease from jumping out the pan.
To get perfectly crispy, you can start with this method and then remove the top baking paper for the last 5 minutes.
How long to cook bacon in oven?
Bacon takes about 18 to 20 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 204 degrees Celsius. However, the chewiness or crispness will ultimately determine if the cooking time is shorter or longer.
The ideal temperature setting is 400 degree Fahrenheit or 204 degrees Celsius, but the time and temperature will vary depending on the type of bacon, thickness and preferred doneness.
- 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 204 degrees Celsius: 20 minutes
- 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius: 10 to 15 minutes
- 375 degrees Fahrenheit or 191 degrees Celsius: 18 to 23 minutes
Higher temperature helps to crisp bacon quickly, where as the lowest setting will result in a soft and chewy bacon.
Additionally, thin-cut bacon takes shorter baking time compared to thick cut bacon that cooks longer in the oven.
Can you put paper towels under bacon in the oven?
No, you cannot put paper towels under bacon in the oven. Paper towels are extremely flammable and may catch on fire in the oven, especially when soaked in lots of grease.
Using paper towel to absorb the grease may sound like an ideal plan, but the likelihood of fire or smoke is way too high and dangerous.
Furthermore, the grease absorbing function of paper towel actually makes it even more flammable and must be avoided.
Whether the paper towel catches fire or create smoke, it will ruin your bacon and all potentially go to waste.
Therefore, parchment paper is a better option to replace a paper towel when baking. It is heat resistant and able to absorb grease as needed when cooking bacon in the oven.
Do you bake bacon on aluminum foil or parchment in oven?
It is better to bake bacon on parchment paper in the oven because it allows for easy cleanup afterwards.
Parchment paper helps to absorb and collect the grease very well. Once the oil is cooled down, simply roll up the paper and throw it away.
Aluminum foil is oven-safe, but works well in certain cooking techniques such as grill or broil. The foil conducts and distributes heat to make it able to withstand high temperatures to cook bacon crispy.
Tips to cook bacon in oven without splattering
As delicious as bacon is, cleaning up the grease afterward is not fun. Stovetop cooking is very messy when it comes to bacon, which makes baking bacon in the oven the easiest way to reduce the splatter.
Here are useful tips to cook bacon in the oven without splashing great everywhere:
- Avoid using paper towel while cooking bacon in the oven, they are highly inflammable when in contact with bacon grease.
- Use parchment paper to collect oil easily.
- Aluminum foil works well for cooking crispy bacon.
- Follow the cooking time and temperature setting based on preference and thickness of bacon.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleaning, and then place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the bacon to reduce splatter while baking.
Reduce Bacon Splattering in Oven: Conclusion
Cooking bacon leads to enormous cleaning up afterwards, especially when using the stovetop method. The cleanest method is to bake bacon using an oven.
The oven allows the bacon to sizzle and collect the grease from top to bottom instead of splattering all around. Therefore, the only concern is to contain as much dripping while the bacon is cooking in the oven.
Use lined baking pan with parchment paper to collect the grease and make fore easy cleanup. Additionally, use a sheet of parchment paper on top of the bacon to prevent any splatter from exiting the sheet pan.
For crispy bacon, use lined pan under a wire rack to achieve the best results.
Paper towels are known for being a great absorber. But they are not recommended to put in the oven under the bacon strips because they are extremely flammable or smoke, especially when full of bacon grease.
Bacon is a favorite food for many, but the clean often makes for an unpleasant experience. Use this method to cook bacon in the oven without splattering and make clean up a breeze so you enjoy tasty bacon every time.