The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Bacon: Skillet, Oven, and Beyond
Discover expert-tested methods for perfect bacon, from classic skillets to hands-off oven techniques and innovations for every texture preference.
For as long as bacon has sizzled on stoves and wafted its irresistible aroma throughout kitchens, the debate over the best way to cook bacon has raged on. With countless methods available—from stovetop to oven, and even water—finding the ideal approach truly depends on your taste preferences and priorities. We exhaustively tested and compared the most popular bacon-cooking methods, scrutinizing each for crispiness, chew, mess, and ease. This guide is your definitive resource for making perfectly cooked bacon, every single time.
Table of Contents
- Bacon Cookery: An Overview
- Stovetop: Nonstick Skillet Method
- Oven-Baked Bacon: No Parchment Required
- Stovetop: The Water Method
- Method Comparison Table
- Pro Tips & Bacon Wisdom
- Frequently Asked Questions
Bacon Cookery: An Overview
There’s no singular answer to “What’s the best way to cook bacon?”—because the truth is, it depends on what you want on your breakfast plate. Each method offers a different take on what bacon should be: crispy, chewy, flat, or curled. We put expert-approved bacon techniques through rigorous hands-on tests, judging each for:
- Easiness and hands-off convenience
- Quality and consistency (crisp, chew, appearance)
- Cleanup and mess
- Speed from start to finish
Stovetop: Nonstick Skillet Method
The nonstick skillet method is a longtime favorite for speed and a satisfying crackly texture. Here’s how our testing played out:
How It Works
- Start with a cold nonstick skillet—no preheating necessary.
- Lay bacon strips flat, ensuring they aren’t overlapping.
- Set over medium heat. Let the bacon slowly warm, rendering fat steadily, and flip the strips as needed for even cooking.
Our Results
This method produced super crispy, flat bacon strips in almost the same time as a traditional cast iron. The consistency was impressive: each slice cooked evenly and flattened beautifully. If you crave visually uniform, shatteringly crisp bacon, this is your go-to method.
Pros
- Extremely crispy, uniform results
- Nonstick pans make cleanup easy
- Quick and straightforward
Cons
- Very little chew—if you prefer some tenderness, look elsewhere
- Notorious for causing grease splatter on your stovetop and counters
Verdict: Fast, flat, fried perfection. The best method if you love no-nonsense, crispy bacon.
Oven-Baked Bacon: No Parchment Required
The oven method delivers perfectly cooked bacon with minimal effort and hands-on time. For those feeding a crowd (or just tired of stove mess), it’s a revelation.
How It Works
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C), positioning a rack in the middle.
- Arrange bacon directly on a rimmed sheet pan (no parchment or rack needed).
- Bake for about 18 minutes, or until the bacon reaches your desired crispiness. No flipping required!
Our Results
Chewy-crisp texture was the hallmark here: the fat rendered evenly, leaving each slice slightly chewy in the middle with crispy edges. The bacon lay flat and cooked uniformly.
Pros
- Minimal mess: No splattering on stovetops
- Hands-off: No babysitting or flipping necessary
- Excellent for cooking lots of bacon at once
Cons
- Bacon may stick to the pan in places (but scrubbing is manageable)
- Takes longer than stovetop: Allow time for oven preheating
Verdict: Ideal for brunches, batch-cooking, or anyone craving chewy yet crispy slices with minimal effort.
Stovetop: The Water Method
Feeling adventurous? The water method, made popular by Cook’s Illustrated, promises bacon that’s less brittle and more tender.
How It Works
- Lay bacon strips in a skillet (cast iron or nonstick).
- Add just enough water to cover the bacon.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer until the water evaporates.
- Once dry, lower heat further and fry to desired crispness, flipping as needed.
Our Results
After about 22 minutes, the slices emerged inconsistently cooked: crispy, ultra-thin middles with slightly moist, chewy ends. Some pieces were shriveled, others less so. The texture didn’t quite deliver on tenderness promises—only bits of the bacon retained moisture, while most rendered unevenly crisp.
Pros
- Pursues juicy, tender bacon (in theory)
- Novel method for culinary explorers
Cons
- Results were inconsistent: some bacon shriveled, some very thin
- Grease splattering still occurred
- Longer cook time: About twice as long as direct skillet or oven
Verdict: Fun for experimentation, but not reliable for fuss-free, consistent bacon.
Method Comparison Table
| Method | Texture | Ease | Mess/Cleanup | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skillet (Nonstick) | Super crispy, flat | Quick, some babysitting needed | High splatter, but easy to rinse out pan | Anyone craving classic crispy strips |
| Oven (Sheet Pan) | Chewy + crisp edges, uniform | Hands-off, serves a crowd | Little splatter, some pan scrubbing | Brunches, bulk cooking, clean kitchens |
| Water Method (Skillet) | Inconsistent, part tender/chewy | Slow, more complex steps | Some splatter, more cleanup | Experimenters, quest for plush bacon |
Pro Tips & Bacon Wisdom
- Save the grease! Pour bacon fat into a glass jar and keep it refrigerated to enhance everything from roasted veggies to biscuits and cornbread.
- For wavy bacon, cook your strips closer together so they touch lightly as they crisp.
- If minimizing mess is a top priority, the oven method is clearly superior—no more stovetop splatter.
- Don’t waste those leftover crispy bits: crumble and sprinkle over salads, pasta, or soups.
- To avoid bacon sticking on the baking sheet, try not lining with foil or parchment for the crispiest texture, but soak pan afterward to ease scrubbing.
- Always start with a cold pan for stovetop methods: This ensures even fat rendering and helps prevent burning.
- Timing is crucial: Bacon can change from perfectly golden to burnt in a minute, so keep a close eye after the halfway point.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What’s the fastest way to cook bacon?
The stovetop (nonstick skillet) method is the quickest overall, but the oven method is best when cooking large batches, even if it takes a bit longer due to preheating and baking time.
Q: Can I use parchment paper or foil on my oven pan?
Yes—the bacon will be less likely to stick and the pan will be easier to clean. However, for the crispiest results, many pros recommend placing bacon directly on the unlined pan so it fries in its own grease.
Q: How can I make my bacon less greasy?
Drain strips on a layer of paper towels after cooking. For oven bacon, you can also bake on a wire rack set over the baking sheet to allow fat to drip away (though you’ll get a slightly drier texture).
Q: Is it safe to save and reuse bacon fat?
Absolutely—strain out any solid bits, store in a sealed jar, and refrigerate. Use it as a flavorful fat substitute for sautéing, roasting, and baking.
Q: What if my bacon curls while cooking?
Curled bacon is typically the result of high heat or uneven cooking. Oven-baked bacon stays flatter, but you can also gently press curled strips in the pan with a spatula to flatten them as they fry.
Q: What’s the best way to reheat cooked bacon?
For best results, re-crisp bacon in a 350°F (175°C) oven for a few minutes, or microwave on a paper towel–lined plate in short 20–30 second bursts.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the best way to cook bacon comes down to personal preference:
- Oven method for chewy centers and easy, large-batch cooking
- Nonstick skillet for traditional crispness and speed
- Water method if you’re after a (sometimes elusive) tender bite
Whatever technique you choose, be sure to savor every strip—and don’t discard that bacon fat.
