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With the holidays now in full swing, it is not unusual to find myself with a house full of guests and the need to quickly pull together a breakfast for the crowd. Certain that I am not the only one faced with this challenge, I want to share with you a method for cooking bacon that is my lifesaver in these situations.
Gleaned from an episode of Alton Brown, this brilliant technique isn't revolutionary but it works beautifully for a crowd. Quite simply, you place bacon strips on a rack that is set inside a rimmed baking sheet (to catch the grease). You place the entire thing in a cold oven, turn it on to 400 degrees, and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the bacon reaches your preferred level of crispiness. The bacon drains for a few minutes on paper towels, and that is it.
This method frees up the stove top for eggs, pancakes, or anything else you feel like cooking. It also keeps all of the grease mess confined within your oven, making clean up a breeze. If you really want to spice things up you can even make a maple and black pepper bacon variation. However the best part is that you can bake a few pans at the same time, ensuring that a large quantity of bacon is ready at once and everyone can get it while it is hot!
This method frees up the stove top for eggs, pancakes, or anything else you feel like cooking. It also keeps all of the grease mess confined within your oven, making clean up a breeze. If you really want to spice things up you can even make a maple and black pepper bacon variation. However the best part is that you can bake a few pans at the same time, ensuring that a large quantity of bacon is ready at once and everyone can get it while it is hot!
18 comments:
That method for cooking bacon is perfect, and I love the pan you're using! Where's it from?
I've been cooking bacon that way ever since I saw Alton and Ina do it! It's genius! And maple-black-pepper-bacon? Sign me up!
I hope your family appreciates having their own gourmet chef in residence when they visit you.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Chocolate Shavings- Thanks! The pan is an Anolon non-stick pan from Sur La Table. It is smaller than a typical half-sheet pan but a cooling rack fits inside it perfectly.
TKW- It is a great method. I need to try the maple pepper bacon too- it sounds awesome.
Kristin- I think they do appreciate it, which makes all the work worth it. Have a great Thanksgiving too!
We love and truly appreciate holidays, visits and eating with our phoo-d, Mr. B and Oscar! They spoil us!
Mom, Dad and Bro 'o phoo-d
I have the same pan that you do! Love it! I've quit frying bacon, ever since I learned this method. My boys love it when I sprinkle brown sugar over the bacon-- sweet & savory. Your photos! They are just so lovely to look at! I'd love to see you share some secrets you learned!
Even your eggs are perfect rounds!!! I saw Ina make bacon the same way, but can't get my bacon out of the microwave! Have a wonderful day tomorrow, and hi to Mr. B!
I love that first picture. It's so perfect, it reminds me of the plastic food I used to play "kitchen" with as a child.
I have been cooking bacon this way ever since I ws stuck in a cabin with no stove -but we had a toaster oven! Since then I figured, why not making it in the oven all the time? I love it. And love our picture... it makes me hungry for breakfast even though it's 10 at night!
How did you get your eggs like that? I have *never* been able to do that.
Thanks for the great tips as always! I too want to know how you get your eggs like that.
To cook the eggs into perfect circles, I used two ring molds sprayed to the hilt with non-stick spray and placed flat on a skillet. You can't flip the eggs, but otherwise it works like a charm. If any egg leaks out you can just trim the edges before plating.
That breakfast plate looks super tempting. So what if it's dinner time.
Thanks for the great tip! I like the no-mess-less-mess aspect of it. That breakfast looks great!
I do mine the same way!--love the way the bacon turns out and it's also excellent for saving bacon fat in a jar in the refrigerator like a good Southern girl :)
This IS the best way for cooking bacon. At the bed and breakfast I used to work at, we cooked peppered bacon this way, with brown sugar crumbled over it. YUM!
My family eats bacon with eggs for breakfast at least twice a week. I always cook it in a pan so it's dripping and soaked in bacon fat (yummy but not so healthy). I'm going to try this cooking method. By the way, love the picture. Those eggs look perfect!
I'm enjoying browsing through your blog. Good stuff. We went to Del Friscos Steak house a few months ago and the strips of bacon on the salad was soooo good. I asked and they told. The chef slow bakes thick cut bacon for 45 minutes at 175 degrees. Removing grease about every 10 minutes. Obviously not done on a roasting pan. I've been dying to try it.
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