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How to make perfectly crispy bacon in the oven

Find out the genius technique to make perfect bacon with minimal cleanup.
This fuss-free method takes about 15 minutes.
This fuss-free method takes about 15 minutes.Mint Images / Getty Images
/ Source: TODAY
By Emi Boscamp

A lot of weird things show up on our desks here at TODAY, but one of the kookiest contraptions we've ever seen was an unusual device for cooking bacon.

Could this tool really be the best way to make perfect little pork ribbons?

Bacon Express by Nostalgia Electronics
Nostalgia Electronics

The Bacon Express by Nostalgia Electronics looks like a toaster and gained a lot of attention when it was first released in 2017 because, well, bacon. Everyone can make room — even on their tiny counters — for bacon.

According to the device's creators, you simply open it up, drape your strips on it, adjust the dial to your desired crispiness, then "allow the unique vertical cooking method to drain away fat and grease for fast, healthy cooking."

No splatter. Easy cleanup. Perfectly cooked bacon? Not really.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The TODAY Food team tried out the machine in our studio kitchen and unfortunately, it definitely didn't cook evenly. The strips ended up partially burnt and, miraculously, partially raw.

Luckily for bacon-loving home cooks out there who don't want to shell out more money for an unnecessary device, former TODAY food stylist Allison Hawes shared her no-fail recipe for baking bacon. And all you need is a working oven.

It's a truly fuss-free method that anyone can do and it only takes about 15 minutes.

How to cook bacon in the oven

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  2. If you want to save the bacon fat drippings, place a wire rack on top of a foil-lined sheet tray, but otherwise, just put the bacon right on top of a foil-lined sheet tray.
  3. Lay the bacon strips on the foil, making sure they doesn't overlap. They won't cook evenly if they're touching.
  4. Set your timer for 8 minutes and check in on the tray every minute after that for desired doneness. (For perfectly crisp bacon, it typically takes about 15 minutes.)

Technique tip: To make the bacon look wavy (like it does in the commercials), fold the foil under it in an accordion pattern so that it'll bake into that shape.

No greasy pan splatter plus easy cleanup equals perfectly cooked bacon. Oh, and so much more counter space.

This article was originally published on Jan. 27, 2017.

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