BACON BACON BACON!

Just a brief entry on the fifth food group in preparation for tomato talk. 

FWIW, I love bacon:  the taste, the smell, the taste, the aftertaste...you get the idea. 

However, I hate cooking bacon.  The grease and pop all over the stove and the smell hanging in the air for hours post meal aggravate me and gross me out in turn. 

I have found a solution, I bake my bacon.  Yes, I too was skeptical at first, but it works really really well.

You will need:
1# bacon
aluminum foil
shallow baking pan

Line the pan with aluminum--this makes cleanup much easier.  Lay the bacon out in the pan, layering just enough to fit the pound on the pan.  Place this in a cold oven then turn on at 375oF.  In about 20 minutes the bacon will be crisp and ready. 

Bacon Before

Bacon After

The odor is minimal; most ovens vent to the outside air, and once the bacon grease is congealed, the aluminum can be pulled and disposed of and the pan then cleaned with minimal effort. 

And what does bacon go best with?  Tomatoes of course!  Tune in next time for:  The Care and Feeding of the Domestic Urban Tomato!

**Of note, The Master of the House cooks bacon on the grill using the non stick variety of aluminum foil.  I find it harder to control the crispness, but he prefers the bacon a little extra sizzled.