Cooking bacon can often leave behind a greasy mess, but one food expert has shared a quick and easy method that avoids the splatter and still delivers perfectly crispy results. Natasha from the YouTube channel NatashasKitchen has shown how bacon can be cooked in the oven in around 15 minutes, without any need to flip or fry it.
In a video titled ‘Best Way To Cook Bacon (No Mess)’, she said: “This is the best way to make crispy bacon with zero mess. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. You’ll need one package of bacon. Arrange those on the parchment paper. They can be touching, but make sure they don’t overlap or they’ll stick together.”
Natasha recommends baking the bacon for 15 to 20 minutes if it’s a regular cut, or a little longer if it’s thick-cut.
Once cooked to your liking, transfer the strips to a paper towel-lined plate to soak up the grease.
“And don’t forget to save that bacon grease for future cooking projects,” she added.
“And the cleanup is even easier,” she said as she slid the greasy parchment paper from the baking tray straight into a bin.
Many people agree that the method works well and is far less messy than cooking on the hob.
One viewer said: “Tried this last night for BLTs at 400 (204C) and it was just crispy in 25 minutes.
“No splattering and cleanup was easy since the parchment absorbed most of the grease. Perfectly done with minimal shrinkage.”
Another added: “I have been baking bacon using this method for years and I think it’s the best way to make great bacon. It is super easy, no need to flip it, nothing, and always gives the best results.”
Some shared their own tips for making it even easier. One wrote: “If you want to keep your oven clean, put another piece of parchment paper over the bacon. It will cook exactly the same and still be crispy. Give it a try.”
Another suggested placing the bacon on a rack above a tray to catch the grease.
They said: “I do this, but I put raw bacon on a cookie rack, which sits on a lined cookie sheet. I bake it and then I strain the oil and fill up strained oil into a mini cube tray, freeze the cubes, release the cubes and put frozen cubes into a zip lock bag and freeze.
“Then I have little individual cubes of delicious bacon grease to use whenever I want.”
Others even freeze their cooked bacon. One viewer said: “I freeze the bacon in an airtight container after cooking and pick out some when I need it. You can warm it in a microwave.”