How To Prevent Bacon From Sticking To Your Baking Sheet

How delicious is bacon? Lending its porky flavor and smoky aroma to a huge array of dishes — from quiche Lorraine to sweet potato casserole to pork sliders — bacon is, of course, often simply served in meaty strips next to breakfast favorites such as scrambled eggs, omelets, and hash browns.

Just as there are a million and one ways to enjoy bacon, there seem to be as many ways to cook the porky slices cut from a pig's belly. Some people swear by frying the strips in a cast iron pan; others love to cook bacon between paper towels in the microwave; while still others bust out their air fryer for their bacon-cooking needs (via Coleman Natural Foods). Undoubtedly, the most common technique is frying bacon on the stovetop; however, this method can be messy (and even dangerous), splattering hot grease all over the stovetop — and onto the chef. Increasingly, cooking outlets have recommended cooking bacon in the oven — but even that approach comes with its pitfalls.

If you haven't tried cooking bacon in the oven, as opposed to on the stovetop, we think you should give it a try: This method, which is utilized by most restaurant kitchens, is great for preparing big batches of bacon, cooks the pork evenly, and keeps your stovetop grease-free. But before baking bacon in the oven, you'll want to grab one other item besides a rimmed sheet pan: A roll of parchment paper or tin foil.

According to recipe blog 101 Cooking for Two, bacon strips can tend to stick to a sheet pan, especially thin-cut bacon or brown sugar glazed bacon. It's a good idea to line the pan with parchment or tin foil first, which Kitchn also notes makes for super-easy cleanup — all — or nearly all of the grease — will stay on top of the paper, so all you have to do is remove the cooked bacon, roll up the paper, reserve the drippings, and dispose of the paper, and you should be left with a (relatively) clean pan. Alternatively, you can also lay bacon strips onto a wire rack set onto a rimmed sheet pan before baking it (via Kitchn). So the next time you want to grace your breakfast table with bacon, try preheating your oven instead of your skillet.