is it safe to cook bacon in a gas oven

Sizzling Success: Mastering the Art of Cooking Bacon in Your Gas Oven

Crispy, smoky, salty bacon is one of life’s greatest simple pleasures. But accomplishing perfectly cooked bacon can feel like an impossible feat without making a mess of your stovetop and kitchen Is it possible to yield beautiful baked bacon using your gas oven instead?

At Bacon Bliss, we’re convinced the oven is the best way to fry up bacon with less splatter. While the stovetop offers that satisfying sizzle the contained even heating of the oven leads to far superior results.

In this guide, you’ll discover:

• Why your oven can beat skillet bacon any day
• Step-by-step instructions for baking bacon in a gas oven
• Pro tips for crispy, evenly cooked bacon
• How to clean up the mess with ease
• Irresistible recipe ideas to try your baked bacon in

With a couple tricks up your sleeve, you can level up basic bacon into a foolproof crowd-pleaser. Oven-baked bacon is waiting to transform those classic BLTs, loaded baked potatoes, and eggs Benedict. Once you try it, you may never grab that skillet again!

Why the Oven Beats the Stovetop for Cooking Bacon

First, why head to the oven in the first place? Well, the stovetop surely provides that nostalgic smell and sound as bacon sizzles to life. But it comes with trade-offs:

• Inconsistent heat leads to uneven cooking Some pieces undercook while others burn

• Grease pops all over your nice pajamas. Nobody enjoys bacon splatter burns.

• You have to stand there babysitting and flipping each slice. Goodbye, leisurely morning!

• It leaves your kitchen smoky and smelly for hours. Not ideal prep for company.

The oven solves all these issues, allowing you to:

• Bake a dozen slices to crispy perfection without any fussy flipping.

• Contain grease on sheet pans instead of your stovetop or counters.

• Simply slide in a pan and walk away until bacon’s done.

• Enjoy a splatter-free kitchen with no lingering burnt bacon smell.

Let your oven work its magic for less mess and better results every time. For bacon lovers, it’s the clear winner!

Step-by-Step Instructions for Oven-Baked Bacon

Preparing perfect baked bacon in the oven takes no special skills—just these three simple steps:

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and arrange raw bacon slices in a single layer. Space them out a bit.

2. Slide the baking sheet into a COLD oven, then turn the heat to 400°F and set a timer for 18-22 minutes.

3. When the timer goes off, use tongs to transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain excess grease into a heat-safe container.

And that’s it! The low and slow warming process crisps the fat while leaving bacon flat, evenly browned, and beautifully tender.

Now let’s break down each step so you can master the method.

Prep the Pan – Make sure your baking sheet is rimmed to catch all that lovely bacon grease. Cover it completely with foil. This protects the pan and simplifies cleanup. Arrange raw bacon slices in a single layer without overlapping.

Start Cold – Here’s a pro tip: Place the baking sheet in the oven BEFORE turning it on. Preheating crisps the bacon unevenly. Heating it gradually from a cold start allows rendered fat to fry the bacon in its own juices.

Set the Temp and Timer – For most ovens, 400°F yields the best bacon. Cook 18-22 minutes for crispy bacon or 15-18 minutes for chewy bacon. Conventional ovens take a bit longer than convection. Play around to find your perfect temp and time.

Transfer and Drain – Use tongs to carefully move cooked bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. They’ll soak up excess grease while keeping bacon flat. Let it cool a minute before devouring.

Once you’ve mastered the basics, try enhancing your bacon with a dash of brown sugar, cracked pepper, chili powder, maple syrup, or other glazes brushed on pre-baking. The possibilities are endless!

Cleaning and Storing Leftover Bacon Grease

One advantage of cooking bacon in the oven is how neatly it contains the grease. Here are some tips for cleaning up and storing it:

• Carefully pour hot grease from the foil-lined pan into a heat-safe container. Metal coffee cans work great.

• Allow the baking sheet to cool until grease solidifies. Then simply lift off the foil with the grease and discard. Wipe the pan clean.

• Refrigerate collected grease in a sealed container to use for cooking in the future. It keeps 2-3 months.

• To use, scoop out solidified portions and melt in the pan or microwave. Add to roux, baked potatoes, cornbread, etc.

With this system, you’ll have crisp cooked bacon AND brown gold for frying eggs, roasting veggies, or adding rich flavor to recipes later. It captures all the deliciousness.

Incredible Recipe Ideas with Oven-Baked Bacon

Now for the best part: turning your perfectly oven-baked bacon into awesome dishes! Here are some mouthwatering ideas:

• BLT sandwiches piled sky-high

• Bacon, avocado, and tomato salad with a splash of lemon

• Bacon onion jam and grilled cheese panini

• Loaded potato skins with bacon, cheddar, and scallions

• Bacon wrapped stuffed chicken breast or shrimp

• Bacon mac and cheese with crunchy bacon topping

• Bacon embedded in cornbread, waffles, or pancakes

• Bacon brownies or chocolate chip cookies

See? You can take oven-baked bacon BEYOND just breakfast and brunch. Bake up a batch to have on hand for recipes all week. And delight in knowing you easily achieved crispy, clean bacon without the usual mess and chaos.

The Takeaway: Ditch the Skillet and Bake It

If you’re looking for an easier, less messy way to cook bacon to crispy perfection, your gas oven has the solution. Baking bacon delivers consistency and control you just can’t achieve through stovetop frying.

We hope these tips give you the confidence to say goodbye to splatter burns and uneven cooking. Embrace the ease of popping bacon in the oven, walking away for 20 minutes, and returning to browned, tender slices ready for devouring.

What are you waiting for? Toss that skillet and get baking! Your family, stomach, and kitchen will thank you.

Let us know if you have any other questions. We’re happy to help our readers master the magic of oven-baked bacon. Now go and create some drool-worthy dishes!