This isn't so much the best bacon recipe ever, as it is the best bacon preparation. It's so easy to cook bacon in the oven - just line a baking sheet, arrange your slices, and pop it in the oven before heating. Be sure to flip once halfway through. Cook to your preference for chewy or crispy bacon.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the bacon on the baking sheet in a single, even layer. It's okay if some slices touch, but do not overlap. Arrange the slices flat.
Postion a rack in the center of the oven, then place the baking sheet on the rack. Heat the oven to 400°F. Cook the bacon for 12 minutes.
After 12 minutes, the oven should be fully heated and the bacon should be starting to render its fat. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip over each slice using tongs. Rotate the pan 180° (so the back now faces the front) and return it to the oven.
Bake 6-10 minutes longer, or until the desired level of crispiness is reached. A full 10 minutes will yield evenly crispy strips with few soft bites; 6 minutes will yield bacon with uniformly crispy edges and softer centers.
Remove from the oven and transfer the cooked bacon to the paper towel lined plate. Drain several minutes, and if desired, pat the tops of the bacon with a second paper towel to remove additional grease.
Serve, and enjoy!
Notes
Cooking Larger Batches
If your baking sheet is large enough, position as many as 10 slices of bacon on the pan. There is no need to adjust the cooking time.
For even larger batches (16-20 slices), use 2 baking sheets. Arrange racks in the upper and lower third of the oven. After flipping over the bacon at the 12-minute mark, rotate the pans and swap positions. You may need to add 1-2 minutes to the total cook time depending on how efficiently your oven distributes heat.
Center Cut Bacon: may cook more quickly; check at the 6 minute mark after the first flip.Thick Cut Bacon: add 2 minutes to the total cooking time.Turkey Bacon: reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes; flip the bacon at the 10-minute mark, then cook an additional 5-7 minutes.