Bacon can be made and enjoyed many different ways but the tried and true fundamentals are my favorite: cooking whole strips in the oven for sandwiches and wraps, and pan frying bacon bits with a bit of water so you can cook them longer and get them nice and crispy with a little tenderness so they don't crumble under a fork. Oven cooked bacon can be done ahead of time and reheats really easily for quick BLTs and the bits are great in salads, hashes, breakfast burritos... you get the jist. Here are some really easy recipes for bacon prep!

Oven-Baked Bacon

1. Set Oven to 400℉
2. Line a baking sheet with foil (not necessary, but helps bacon cook evenly on both sides, and easy clean up)
3. Optional* Place a cooling rack on the tray
4. Lay bacon onto the cooling rack.
5. Bake for 15 mins or until you've reached the desired doneness.
6. Remove from the oven (be careful of all the hot bacon fat in the pan) and place strips onto a paper towel. They're done!

Try this in our Simple Hash with Bacon and Pasture-Raised Egg recipe

Panfried Bacon Bits

1. Slice bacon strips into bits (they will shrink a bit from cooking, how big or small is up to you)
2. Add bacon to a hot pan on medium-high heat
3. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan (this helps the fat from splattering later, with rendering the fat, and helps it cook more evenly so you can cook it for longer and get it crispier)
4. Stir every couple minutes until all the water has evaporated (about 5 minutes)
5. Reduce to medium-low heat and stir occasionally until you've reached desired doneness (deeper the color, the crispier the bits)
6. Remove from the pan and place bits on a paper towel.

Try this in our Egg Sammie recipe