How to Cook Perfect Crispy Bacon in the Oven Like Martha Stewart

As a longtime bacon lover I was thrilled when I discovered Martha Stewart’s genius technique for oven-baked bacon. It delivers perfect crispness every time without the mess and splatter of stovetop frying.

After testing her method extensively, I’m happy to report it lives up to the hype Martha’s oven bacon hack simplifies the process and results in the best bacon I’ve ever made at home.

Read on for a step-by-step guide to cooking bacon in the oven Stewart-style, along with tips, serving ideas, common mistakes to avoid, and answers to frequently asked questions. Get ready to level up your breakfast game!

Why Martha Stewart’s Oven Method Makes the Best Bacon

Here’s why cooking bacon in the oven beats stovetop frying:

Uniform Crispness – The oven heat crips the bacon evenly without burning it. No more limp fatty spots.
Cooks More Bacon – Pan frying is limited, but oven baking can accommodate big batches. Perfect for feeding crowds.
Fewer Dishes – No need to clean a greasy skillet after. Just throw away the foil or parchment.
No Splattering – Contained oven heat means no more bacon grease popping and making a mess.
Hands-Off – No flipping required like with stovetop cooking. Just pop it in the oven and set a timer.
Faster Cleanup – Aside from the tray, there’s minimal cleanup compared to a bacon splattered stovetop.

Once you try Martha’s oven bacon method, you’ll never want to fry bacon in a skillet again. But what exactly does her technique entail? Let’s cover it step-by-step.

How to Cook Bacon in the Oven Like Martha Stewart

Follow these simple steps for crispy, crowd-pleasing oven-baked bacon every time:

1. Prep Baking Sheets

Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil or parchment paper. You can fit more bacon using two.

2. Arrange Bacon

Place bacon strips side-by-side on the sheets without overlapping. Overcrowding leads to uneven cooking.

3. Bake

Bake in a 400°F oven for 15-18 minutes depending on bacon thickness. Rotate sheets halfway through.

4. Drain and Cool

Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool slightly before serving.

That’s seriously all there is to it! The oven does all the work while you sip your morning coffee and relax.

Martha’s Tips for Oven Bacon Perfection

Martha Stewart offers these extra tips for maximizing results when cooking bacon in the oven:

Use a wire cooling rack placed on the baking sheet to elevate the bacon for even crisping on all sides.
Bake slices in a single layer without overlapping to prevent fatty or undercooked spots.
Adjust bake times based on your bacon thickness – thick cut needs longer.
Rotate the baking sheets halfway through for consistent cooking.
Drain on paper towels to soak up excess grease after baking.
Save your rendered bacon fat in the fridge for cooking other foods like eggs or potatoes!

Follow Martha’s guidance and you’ll achieve perfect texture and flavor every time you make oven-baked bacon.

Common Oven Bacon Mistakes to Avoid

To ensure bacon success, steer clear of these common oven bacon pitfalls:

Overcrowding the baking sheets leads to uneven cooking.
Not rotating the pans halfway can also cause uneven results.
Cheap thin bacon tends to overcook and burn quickly – use a high-quality thicker cut.
Cooking at too high a temp can burn the bacon before it fully crisps.
Skipping the paper towel draining step leaves bacon unpleasantly greasy.

With practice, you’ll be able to avoid those mistakes and cook top-notch bacon in the oven every time.

Answers to Frequently Asked Oven Bacon Questions

Here are quick answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Martha Stewart’s oven bacon method:

What’s the best bacon for oven cooking?

A thick, quality applewood smoked bacon works best. Thin cheap bacon overcooks.

What temperature should you bake bacon at?

400°F is ideal. You can go a bit lower or higher to adjust crisping.

How long does it take to cook bacon in the oven?

Around 15-18 minutes for regular sliced bacon. Thicker cuts take 18-22 minutes.

Do you need to flip the bacon while it bakes?

Nope! The consistent oven heat cooks it evenly without flipping.

Should you preheat the oven before adding bacon?

Yes, always preheat so the bacon starts cooking immediately once added.

Is baking greener than stovetop frying?

Yes! No wasted energy heating a skillet, and less need for paper towels to clean up grease.

Tasty Ways to Use Your Oven-Baked Bacon

Now that you can easily make crispy oven bacon in batches, here are some delicious ways to enjoy it:

Breakfast sandwiches with bacon, egg, and cheese on a bagel or English muffin
BLT salad with lettuce, tomato, avocado, bacon, and buttermilk ranch dressing
Baked potatoes topped with cheddar, sour cream, scallions, and crumbled bacon
Carbonara pasta with bacon bits, peas, Parmesan, garlic, olive oil, and black pepper
Brussels sprouts roasted with olive oil, salt, and pepper then sprinkled with bacon pieces
Bacon-wrapped shrimp and scallops – just wrap uncooked shrimp or scallops with raw bacon slices before baking

And so many more options! Having a stash of Martha’s oven-baked bacon makes whipping up delicious dishes a breeze.

Enjoy Consistently Perfect Bacon from Your Oven

Thanks to Martha Stewart, I can now effortlessly make crispy bacon for a crowd without dirtying every pan in the kitchen. Baking it in the oven is a total game-changer!

how to cook bacon in oven martha stewart

How To Cook Bacon in the Oven

To make oven bacon the way Martha suggests, line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper (you could also use aluminum foil) and lay slices of your favorite bacon flat on top, being careful to space them out to prevent any overlap.

In a 400°F oven, cook the bacon until it is well-browned and crisp. Depending on how thick your bacon is, this should take 15 to 18 minutes. To follow Martha’s method to a T, you’ll need to rotate the sheet pan halfway through. Although Ive accidentally forgotten to do this countless times and my bacon still turns out great.

Carefully transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain. Itll get a little crispier as it cools.

Why You Should Cook Bacon in the Oven

Besides the amazing fact that cooking bacon in the oven almost never makes a mess, this method has a few other benefits as well:

It Makes More Bacon: You can cook a lot more bacon on a sheet pan than on a skillet, which is great when you need to feed a lot of people.

It’s Hands-Off: You don’t have to flip the bacon while it’s cooking because the heat from the oven moves around the sheet pan, so you don’t have to use your hands. I use this time to make myself another cup of coffee.

Not only is bacon cooked in the oven crispier than bacon cooked in a skillet on the stove, the cooking is more even. The bacon sits in its rendered fat and essentially fries in it, becoming crispy more quickly.