Makin' Bacon

The best way to make bacon? Roast it. There is no doubt. Roasting is my favorite way to cook just about everything so it came as no surprise to me to recently discover just how good roasting works for bacon. Even cooking, no curling, no grease spatters on the counter. How bad can that be? Ina Garten, of course, has been saying this for years and anyone that watches her show would know that as she says it just about every time she cooks the stuff. She actually says a lot of stuff over and over again doesn't she? (Still, I love her.) Anyway, put the bacon on a rack over a rimmed cookie sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Lay parchment down under the rack for easier cleanup. Take the rack out of the oven and just let it drip and cool down or transfer to paper towels. Or, if you are serving brunch, just turn the oven off, let cool a minute or two and put the rack back in the oven while you are getting everything else ready.

Interestingly enough, the doyenne of roasting, Barbara Kafka, suggests that the microwave is the best place for bacon. WTF? She might have a point if all you are after is a few pieces but any more than that and you will be doing yourself a huge favor to fire up the oven. I had to cook 18 slices recently and didn't want to deal with the mess so I decided to try out this method. I'm sold. And no, I'm not saying why I needed all that bacon but lets just say I needed it. (If anyone really needs bacon.) Oh, and did you spot the split infinitive in this post? Don't bother writing me to tell me you can't do that. You can.