Perfect Bacon

I am conflicted about brunch. Specifically brunch out. I can't decide if I live for it or if it's just a hassle. I know this is such a first world problem, but hear me out: I think brunch does a pretty good job of exposing a person's true colors, and for me, it's this. I'm high-maintenance. I want my egg scramble to go a little heavier on the mushrooms, light on the cheese yet cheese needs to be nicely browned, all condiments on the side, and I want it to show up at the table hot. So hot I get a faintly sweaty upper lip and the roof of my mouth starts peeling? Yes and yes.

Obviously, it's hard for me to get exactly what I want the way I want it when we go out, and I just hate it when this meal isn't perfect. Because everything else basically is. You slept in, you're with your friends, you get to eat salty and sweet, there's plenty of juicy gossip from the previous week -- okay previous night -- and you've got the whole weekend in front of you. When an element is even slightly disappointing, it strikes out in a big way.

Which leads me to, bacon at home. I'm kicking off with bacon because I know I'm going to get flack for future posts that some might consider "fancy." No capers involved in this one. This is easy easy easy and perfect. One of my favorite things about this recipe is how you can get the rest of brunch ready while the bacon is cooking.

Oven-Fried Bacon, from Cook's Illustrated

Preheat the oven to 420 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil. (I use two overlapping sheets because I want the whole sheet covered. Has anyone found foil the same width as a standard cookie sheet? Why hasn't someone invented this yet?) Lay out the bacon in strips on the foiled sheet without overlapping. Bake on the middle rack for about 15 minutes (or until the bacon is as brown as you'd like), flipping the bacon and rotating the pan once. Drain on a plate with a paper towel.