As we've discussed, breakfast for dinner has been on my supper menu this month. At the end of December, I bought several packages of turkey bacon, marked down to $1.39 per package. I've specifically targeted BFD nights for my busy evening of the week. Searing bacon in a skillet takes too much time for an evening when I have a meeting that I'm scrambling to get to.
So, I've been baking the bacon. My mother's 1957 cookbook has instructions for baking pork bacon in the oven, on a rack, in a jelly roll pan, at 400 degrees F, for about 15-20 minutes. This does work very well, and is a great way to avoid the painful grease splatters, while standing at the stove, cooking bacon.
What I have in the freezer right now is turkey bacon. So, I was curious whether or not turkey bacon would also bake well. I really loved how easy this was.
- I didn't use a rack, just laid the pieces out on the a jelly roll pan, close together. Even turkey bacon shrinks up. I was able to fit about 12 slices, at one time, onto the jelly roll pan.
- And I preheated the oven to 375 degrees F (not 400 F like for pork bacon)
- I baked for about 15 minutes, until they looked done.
- I was able to bake the whole package in two batches, one right after the other.
- Leftover cooked bacon was kept in the fridge for a couple of days. It can also be frozen, and quickly reheated, one or two strips at a time.
I didn't line the baking sheet with anything. But you can, if you want an easier clean-up. And I didn't grease the pan. I've heard that oiling the pan, first, will result in crispier turkey bacon. I may try that this week. But you don't need to add oil, unless you are baking the super lean variety of turkey bacon. The regular turkey bacon doesn't stick to the pan.
What I liked most about this method is that I didn't have to tend to it, while it cooked. When I microwave bacon it goes from not quite done to overdone quickly. And standing at the stove takes time away from other, more desirable, tasks.
By any chance did it cause a lot of spatters on the inside, especially the inner "roof" of the oven? Recently, I painstakingly cleaned the range oven here, dirty from a former tenant.
ReplyDeleteHi Carol,
DeleteTurkey bacon doesn't seem to spatter in the oven. Pork bacon spatters, some, but it doesn't seem to be as messy as cleaning the stovetop, after frying bacon. But then, my oven has self-clean, so I'm not the one scrubbing. But again, turkey bacon, no spatters.
Have a great day, Carol!
Lili,
ReplyDeleteI like to eat bacon but cooking it is another thing. I bake all bacon but I think it does splatter in the oven. It is a rare pleasure in our house mostly due to how unhealthy it is (this is OUR issue by choice) and secondly, I still think there is a fair amount of cleanup. I mostly pass it up at the store these days.
Alice
Hi Alice,
Deletebacon is not something that I regularly buy. But I will buy some when I find a particularly good deal. For us, I think that at the regular price, it's too expensive for "meat". This was a great deal, though, on the turkey bacon. I get the "health" thing, though.
Have a wonderful day, Alice!
Baking turkey bacon is a great idea! I normally just microwave it but sometimes it does burn quickly. I sometimes get turkey bacon at Dollar Tree. It is a treat item for us too. Now I can bake pancakes and bacon maybe even at the same time.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your day!
Patti
Hi Patti,
DeleteYes, I've seen the turkey bacon at Dollar Tree, too. I think I've bought it there. Walgreen's also puts the Jennie-O turkey bacon on sale from time to time. Anyways, baking it is much simpler, for me.
Have a great day, Patti!
I think I got the idea of baking bacon (that's fun to say!) from June at Live and Learn. We typically don't eat bacon except for a treat when we are camping or for BLTs in the summer. I hate the stovetop splatters you get when frying that much bacon, so the oven works well, although I do think there is a texture difference between the oven and the stovetop (I think the stovetop method tastes a little better but maybe I'm just imagining things). Good to know that it works well for turkey bacon, too.
ReplyDeleteHi Kris,
DeleteMaybe stove-top engages more of your senses, being out in the open. Texture-wise, some people say that baked pork bacon is chewier than skillet-fried. Pan-fried turkey bacon comes out about the same, to me, as baked. Yeah, the messy stove-top is a real deterrent for me when it comes to frying bacon.
Have a wonderful day, Kris!
I use a Pampered Chef earthen ware jelly roll pan.
ReplyDeleteI can place an entire frozen pound of bacon and it separates nicely and cooks up evenly. I don't do it stove top anymore.
My MIL purchased this Pan for me years ago at a Pampered Chef party she was invited to. I know she bought to "support" the hostess. But wow, talk about a versatile dish I have used so much. When I discovered its bacon cooking abilities I never went back to other methods.
Hi Teresa,
DeleteInteresting. Thanks for sharing. I'm going to keep my eyes open for that pan. You never know what you'll find t a secondhand shop. I love baking the bacon. It's so much easier. I can't believe I would have ever stood at the stove to cook large amounts of bacon (two or three pieces doesn't sound like a big deal, though).
Have a great day, Teresa!
I love doing bacon in the oven because you don't have to watch it.
ReplyDeleteHi live and learn,
Deleteexactly! I'm able to take care of lots of other tasks while the bacon cooks. So simple.
I hope your day is off to a great start, live and learn!
I don't know where my post went...I think I forgot to hit the send button after clearing the "not a robot" verification test.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to say, I think this will be interesting to serve our grandkids, square pancakes, haha. This will definitely qualify for BFD because it is square shaped instead of the usual morning rounds. I didn't know that I could bake bacon strips, thanks for writing a post about it.
YHF
Hi Lili, long time reader here, just catching up on your posts. I just love your blog btw, I have yet to find another "frugal living" blog so well-organized and informative.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, just wanted to share that I worked back of house at a nice French bistro for fun for a while, and this is how we made the bacon every day. For restaurant-sized batches, we lay bacon out on a few full-sized oven sheet trays and overlay them with cooling racks in order to keep the bacon flat as it cooks and the fat renders. It was by far the most efficient method. So, you're a pro without even knowing it!
Allie