Bacon makes an excellent breakfast side dish, a tasty burger topping or a delicious dinner accompaniment. You can cook bacon a few different ways including using a skillet, microwave or oven. While frying bacon is the quickest way, baking bacon in the oven is a surefire way to ensure evenly cooked bacon without the mess.

The most common way to cook bacon is frying it in a pan or skillet. The drawback of this method is that it is messy, with grease popping and splattering everywhere, which may also cause grease burns and possibly a fire. It is also a time consuming process and you must keep an eye on the bacon to make sure it doesn't burn and occasionally dump out the grease that accumulates in the pan. Baking bacon is an easier way to cook bacon.

One healthy benefit of baking bacon in the oven is that all of the grease drips out of the bacon and onto the pan, therefore reducing the greasiness, calories and fat. Once it is cooked, place the bacon onto a paper towel to further absorb the fat and oil. As a result you will have crispier, healthier bacon. Other benefits of baking bacon include even cooking, easy cleanup and reduced need to keep an eye on the bacon as it cooks. Baking bacon also allows you to cook as much as you'd like at one time and keeps your stovetop available to cook other items such as eggs and pancakes.

To bake bacon in the oven, grab a baking sheet, cooling rack, tin foil and bacon. Line the baking sheet with tin foil and place the cooling rack on top of the baking sheet. Place the bacon slices side by side on the cooling rack, without letting them overlap each other. Place the baking sheet into the oven and turn the temperature up to 400 degrees F. Let it bake for 15-25 minutes, depending on how you like your bacon cooked. Check on it every five minutes or so after it's been in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven once the bacon reaches the desired doneness.

Add different spices, textures and flavors to your baked bacon. Once the bacon starts to brown, remove the baking sheet and place it on the stove. Sprinkle a pinch of salt or pepper, add smashed garlic or shredded cheese or brush on a thin coat of maple syrup. Place the baking sheet back in the oven. Check on it every five minutes or so to ensure the added toppings don't burn.