This is an easy way to prep bacon, with exceptional results. Baking bacon creates slices that are evenly cooked all the way through, unlike cooking it in a skillet where the heat is uneven. Making a disposable rack of aluminum foil allows the fat to drip off and collect in the pan, ready to collect for a later use. You can bake bacon in advance and hold it in the refrigerator for up to a week, ready to use in recipes or reheat and serve alone. You will love this method!

Equipment needed:

Half-sheet pan Heavy-duty aluminum foil Tongs

Paper Towel One-gallon freezer bag

Bacon, one pound

1. Tear off 2 pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil, each double the length of the sheet pan. Mold the foil over one short end of the pan. Mold the foil into "ridges" about one-inch high and about 2 inches apart across the bottom of the pan, then mold the opposite end under the other end of the pan, trimming if there is excessive foil. (See the picture above.) Preheat the oven to 400-degrees.

2. Lay bacon slices across the foil ridges, as pictured above. Bake for 10-18 minutes (depending on thickness), until it is beginning to brown, then remove and turn the bacon over. Return to the oven and bake until desired degree of crispness is attained.

3. Remove from the oven and transfer the bacon to a plate. Allow the bacon drippings to cool, then scrape up the solid fat and save for another use.

4. Use the bacon immediately or place on paper towels and slide into a one-gallon plastic freezer bag. Refrigerate for up to one week.