This is a method more than a recipe and the timing is longer for thick-cut bacon. If cooking for the first time, know timing is a variable; watch closely towards the end and note the timing for the next time.

One pound of bacon fits on a large sheet tray or a rack that fits over one; edges of bacon can very slightly overlap.

Start with a cold oven. Line a baking sheet with rimmed edges with foil for easy cleanup. Use a rack If you want very crisp, lean bacon, and a rack is recommended for thick cut bacon, too.

Drape bacon, side by side, barely touching but not overlapping, across the tray or rack. Place in oven. Turn oven on to 400 degrees F. and bake to the desired doneness, 14 to 17 minutes for regular cut. Thick cut may take longer, 20 to 25 minutes. Remember that the bacon will continue to cook for just a bit after being removed from the oven.

There is no need to turn, adjust, or fuss, unless your oven cooks a bit unevenly, in which case you might want to turn the tray from front to back part way through. If your bacon isn’t very lean, and it looks like the bacon is in danger of completely being covered by grease in the sheet pan, it may be drained off midway through the baking. The exception to turning might possibly be thick cut bacon cooked on the sheet tray.

Remove bacon immediately from the tray. Bacon will crisp up a bit as it cools. Place bacon on a paper bag if possible, or paper towels (or whatever you like to drain your bacon on) and blot the top as well. Don’t leave bacon sitting on paper towels; that causes it to go limp.

Then, note the time! Now, you’ll have the timing down for your beautifully cooked, no-brainer bacon for any future breakfasts!

Any fat can be easily drained off the tray by adjusting the foil in a corner into a “spout” or the grease may be left behind to harden on the foil, folded up, and discarded.

Safety tip: Be careful that no pets or animals can come in contact with that foil.