Aluminum Foil Is The Key To Beautifully Rendered Bacon Without A Baking Rack

Cooking bacon in the oven is not only the best way to cook bacon, but it's also the easiest. If you follow the standard method of frying bacon on the stovetop, you've got to make the switch and see how game-changing the oven can be. If you've already taken to this method, then there's no doubt you've continued to cook bacon this way. But there are ways to improve your oven-cooked bacon experience so it is even easier.

Since the oven-baked bacon method has become a largely open secret by now, it comes as no surprise that there are all kinds of tips for how to best cook bacon in the oven. One such tip is for those who want to render their bacon fat properly. A baking rack works, sure, but a simple sheet of aluminum foil can be your mess-free answer to give you beautiful strips of perfectly-rendered bacon. Crumple up the foil so the bacon can rest on top of its peaks, allowing any grease to drip into the crevices you created below. And if you're particularly detail-oriented, crinkle your foil into an accordion-like pattern, allowing for uniform distribution across the whole sheet. Pair this with an excellent space-saving bacon technique, and you'll be amazed at just how easy it is to get perfect bacon every time.

Not only can aluminum foil help keep your bacon from stewing in its own grease in the oven, but it continues to pay dividends even after your bacon has been cooked and voraciously eaten. Provided you've used enough foil to thoroughly cover the entirety of your baking sheet, cleanup from your bacon has truly never been easier. Simply gather up your foil and toss it away — no more hassle over properly disposing leftover bacon grease. 

It is important to think about how thick and fatty your bacon is because fattier slices will take longer to render correctly and release more grease when cooking, so use enough aluminum to ensure a mess-free experience. The general consensus is to heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, but advice ranges from 350 degrees to 425 degrees. Ultimately, you'll want to cook your bacon for longer if it's particularly thick or fatty, and vice-versa — keeping in mind how crispy you want your bacon to be. Thankfully, your foil sheet is going to make cooking bacon a very forgiving experience.