The One Step That Will Stop Bacon From Sticking To Your Oven Rack

Many home cooks regard a simple wire rack as the ultimate game-changer for achieving crispy bacon. Popping these savory strips in the oven not only protects you from scalding-hot splatters, but also guarantees that your food heats evenly. However, there's a catch: Your bacon could stick to the wire rack, turning this hassle-free method into more of a headache. The simple trick to preventing this lies in a timely adjustment of the bacon.

Start by placing a wire rack over a baking tray to catch any grease and prevent it from dripping to the bottom of your oven. Arrange your bacon on the rack, spacing each piece apart. After preheating the oven, place your bacon on the rack under the broiler, and cook it until it reaches your desired level of crispiness. Halfway through, gently nudge each piece with a pair of tongs. This prevents the bacon from staying in the same spot for too long, and allows the grease to recoat the rack, ensuring easy removal.

In the world of cooking bacon, finer strips yield crunchier results. Slimmer cuts fry up entirely in the oven, producing a brittle texture many find irresistible. However, this leads to a significant challenge with sticking, as attempting to forcefully dislodge the delicate bacon from a rack can result in it breaking. It's crucial not to wait too long to shift the slices, and when you do, make sure to handle them gently to prevent damage.

If you want to avoid this issue altogether, opt for thick bacon. Although these cuts have a meatier bite, they are also less prone to breaking, and a wire rack can still make these delicious bites snappier by preventing the bacon fat from pooling around them. Regardless of the thickness chosen, it's beneficial to dust the strips with a starchy flour for the crispiest bacon. This will essentially wick out any unwanted moisture or fat, ensuring a superior exterior.

Cleaning up bacon fat might seem daunting, but it's much simpler if you remember to place a baking tray under the wire rack. First, allow the oven rack to cool before cleaning it — which you can do while savoring your delicious bacon. Once it's cool, remove the wire rack from the oven and clean off any lingering grease or food particles.

It's important not to make the mistake of roasting bacon without lining your baking tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil. These linings can catch any fat or burnt bits, leaving you with one less dish to clean in the sink. If you're not planning on saving the bacon grease to use later, you can dispose of the tray's lining with care, ensuring no fat spills. However, remember never to pour bacon grease down the sink, as it can easily clog the pipes.