Perfect Bacon

Here's the secret to perfect, neat, easy-to-clean-up-after bacon:

Bake it in the oven.

Yep. That's the secret! The first step is to line a baking sheet (with sides) with aluminum foil.

Next, lay your bacon out side-by-side on the pan. You may not be able to fit all 16 slices on there. I just put the rest in the fridge for another day.

Place the pan in the (cold) oven. Set your temperature to 400. Allow the bacon to bake for about 15 minutes. From this point you'll need to watch it carefully. If you like limp bacon, 15 minutes is probably good. Otherwise, check it every 2 minutes until it reaches the crispy level you like best. Keep in mind that it will crisp up slightly after you take it out of the oven, so I usually err on the limp side to allow for that.

Remove the bacon from the pan to paper towels to drain. Blot off the excess grease with another paper towel. Voila! Perfect bacon.

I know -- that's kind of redundant, isn't it?

Now all you have to do is wait for the grease in the pan to cool, then carefully and loosely fold up the foil and throw the whole mess in the trash. It's a beautiful thing.