1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. You can also use a metal cooling rack on top of the baking sheet to allow the excess grease to drip off the bacon as it cooks, but this is optional.

2. Place the bacon on the baking sheet, making sure that the slices do not overlap.

Arrange the bacon slices on the prepared baking sheet or rack in a single layer, without overlapping them. You can fit as many slices as you can on the sheet, as they will shrink as they cook.

3. Bake for 14-18 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and golden brown.

Bake the bacon in the preheated oven for 14 to 18 minutes, depending on how thick and crispy you like your bacon. Regular sliced bacon usually takes about 14 minutes, while thick-cut bacon may take up to 18 minutes. You don’t need to flip the bacon over during cooking, but you can check it halfway through for even browning.

4. Remove the bacon from the oven and transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to drain off any excess grease.

Remove the bacon from the oven and transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess grease. Let it cool slightly before serving or storing.

That’s it! You have just cooked perfect bacon in the oven. Enjoy your perfectly cooked bacon with eggs, pancakes, sandwiches, salads, or any way you like .

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Plastic food storage containers

To make the plastic flexible, some manufacturers add special chemicals, which can cause serious health problems. We are pretty sure you don’t want these chemicals in your food or in your body.

Kitchen sink

If food particles from your dishes stay in your sink for some time, they start creating a breeding ground for bacteria like salmonella and many others. The kitchen sink can be a really dirty place.

Knives

Your knives should always stay sharp. If they are not sharp enough, they may slip when you try to cut something, damaging your hands or other body parts.

Sponges

Bacteria multiply quickly on the average kitchen sponge. It is not possible to prevent harmful pathogens from multiplying by rinsing it. Microwave the wet sponge or soak it in diluted bleach for a few minutes to kill bacteria. Alternatively, place it in the dishwasher on the longest and hottest cycle.

Hand towels

One of the dirtiest items in your kitchen is the kitchen towel. You touch them constantly, even before washing your hands, and then again while cooking. That is a method for bacteria to enter your food.

Chemicals found in all kinds of air fresheners can cause lung damage or even cancer. So you’d better air your kitchen and take out the trash regularly.

Gas oven

Always double-check that you’ve turned it off before going to bed or leaving the house. It will protect you and others from the dangers of the gas emitted by the burners.

Nonstick cookware

Overheated Teflon can emit toxic fumes. So, in this case, it’s better to use some old-fashioned and well-tried tools.

Garbage disposal

This thing is only for dumping garbage! Never stick your fingers into it. Don’t try to pull anything out with your hands, even if you drop something in there.

Cutting boards

Use separate cutting boards for meat and vegetables at all times. Bacteria that cause serious illnesses can be found in raw meat. And never use ones that are damaged or cracked because cracks are ideal places for bacteria to multiply.

It may sound strange, but it’s actually better not to wash fruits and vegetables before storing them in the refrigerator or cupboard. If something is dirty, just wipe it clean with a dry cloth or tissue. Washing it can remove its natural defense against getting moldy and rotting.

Fruits and vegetables prefer a dry environment

Moisture only promotes the growth of mold. To combat this, place a paper towel inside the container containing the fruits or vegetables; it will absorb excess moisture and keep the product from rotting.

Don’t place certain kinds of fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator

Bell peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes should be stored at room temperature. Peppers lose their springy consistency if kept in the refrigerator, while cucumbers and tomatoes can turn slimy.

Fruits and vegetables should not be stored in the refrigerator until they’ve ripened. Otherwise, they’ll go rotten much more quickly.

Wrap up the stalks on bananas

If bananas are stored in the refrigerator, they quickly turn black and lose their taste. It’s best to keep them at room temperature but with the stem wrapped in plastic food wrap.

Store fruits and vegetables in the warmer part of the refrigerator

The lower the temperature, the harder it is to retain the aroma and freshness of fruits and vegetables. If you want them to taste great for longer, store them in the part of the refrigerator where the temperature is slightly higher.

Broccoli and cauliflower love moisture

Broccoli is best stored by immersing the stem in cold water and covering the top with a damp towel. The water should be changed on a regular basis, and the towel should be dampened frequently.

Cauliflower should also be wrapped in a damp towel or plastic food wrap with several holes punched in it to allow for ventilation.

Certain kinds of fruits and vegetables shouldn’t be stored together

Once certain fruits and vegetables have ripened, they begin to actively emit ethylene. Bananas, apricots, melons, pears, plums, mangoes, and tomatoes are among them.

Apples, eggplants, watermelons, potatoes, pumpkins, carrots, and broccoli are among the other fruits and vegetables that are sensitive to ethylene. They rot quickly if placed near the top of the first category. As a result, it’s best to keep these two groups separate.

Onions and potatoes go in separate places

If you store onions and potatoes in one place, the former will begin to sprout shoots and will become inedible.

Potatoes will spoil if kept in sunlight

You should never store potatoes where the sun shines directly on them. They not only start to rot, but they can become dangerous. It’s better to store them in a dry, dark place or in wooden or plastic boxes and/or baskets.

Store some apples alongside potatoes

If you put one or two apples in with your potatoes, the latter will stay fresh for longer.

Vegetables stored at room temperature require a flow of air

Vegetables shouldn’t be kept hidden away in a cupboard. They’ll spoil faster than normal under such conditions.

Instead, it’s best to store them in wooden or plastic boxes with good ventilation, or in fact anywhere where they can benefit from a flow of air.

Tomatoes should be stored with the stalk facing up

The area around the stem is the most delicate part of a tomato. This is the area where they start to decay. So store them with the stalk facing upwards, and they’ll last longer.

Morgan Cutolo

Adding too much salt

Adding too much salt to your dish doesn’t only make you want to chug a glass of water, it’s also really unhealthy. Add a little sprinkle of salt as you cook your food and taste it to know when you’ve added the right amount.

Pasta has been overcooked.

Nothing ruins a meal more than soggy spaghetti. If you overcook your pasta, run it under cold water for a few minutes to stop the cooking process and compact the starch. When you add tomato sauce, the pasta will become heated again. If your mushy spaghetti can’t be fixed, toss it into a pot of minestrone or chicken noodle soup.

Not sifting the flour

If you don’t sift your flour when cooking it can lead to lumps. People often run into this problem when making gravies and sauces. If your sauce has a lot of lumps, throw it in a blender to smooth it out. 

Checking on your food while it’s in the oven

It’s very tempting to open the oven to check on your food and get a whiff of what’s to come, but it could cause your food to be undercooked. Every time you open the oven door it releases enough heat to change the temperature. If you want to be able to see your food, turn on the light and look through the oven window.

Using parchment paper instead

It is slightly easier to place your cookies straight on the pan rather than using parchment paper, but if you want complete cookies, use parchment paper. The cookies will stick to the pan and break apart if not lined with parchment paper. If this occurs, consider using them as a cookie crumble on top of a cake or in an ice cream sundae. When cooking, you should also be concerned about safety mistakes.

Adding too much water to rice

Adding too much water to your rice when cooking can make it turn out soggy. But don’t worry; your meal isn’t completely ruined. Add some cooked shrimp or meat to it, for little balls, and fry them or wrap them in wontons and steam them.

Forgetting to stir

If you forget to stir your stew—or whatever dish you’re cooking on the stove—the bottom of the pan can burn and become completely black. You can save your stew by transferring the part that isn’t burnt to a new pan. Make sure to do this as soon as you notice some has burned, though, because it could ruin the taste of the whole dish

Not greasing the cake pan

Forgetting to grease the cake pan before pouring the batter in can lead to a crumbly mess when you take it out of the oven. It won’t be able to easily slide out of the pan and onto the drying rack. If you’re crafty you can try “gluing” the pieces of the cake back together with frosting.

Overcooking veggies

If you accidentally overcook your vegetables it can make them dry and bland. Cool them in ice water and then reheat briefly in hot stock to make them edible again. 

Adding too much sugar

If you add too much sugar when cooking it can make your dessert extremely unhealthy. If you have a sweet tooth, try satisfying it with fruit-centric desserts. Sugar addiction is a real thing! 

Making use of the “low-fat” option

Cooking with low-fat ingredients is unhealthy; there is such a thing as good fat. In reality, not using enough fat when cooking is a common blunder. Fat is an important source of energy and aids in vitamin absorption in your body.

Using a small pot to cook pasta

If you add a large handful of pasta to a small boiling pot of water it can cause the water’s temperature to drop fast, and it will take longer to start boiling again. As the noodles sit in the lukewarm water they will start to get mushy and clump together. 

Skipping the meat thermometer

Even if you’re a grill master, you probably can’t accurately tell when meat is ready just by looking at it. If you poke it with a fork to check the inside, you risk releasing some of the flavors. Use a thermometer instead to make sure your meat is finished and safe to eat. 

Prepping ingredients as you cook

To avoid ruining your food you should have all of your ingredients pre-measured and prepped before you start. If the recipe calls for minced garlic and you take the time to mince the garlic mid-step, it could ruin the recipe.

Frozen foods to avoid at all costs

Frozen waffles or pasta are go-to favorites when you’re on a time crunch in the morning or evening. These guilty pleasures, like other frozen foods, allow you to eat without the hassle of cooking. However, the nutritional content can be lacking or leaning toward too much sodium or fat. These guilty pleasures, like other frozen foods, allow you to eat without the hassle of cooking. However, the nutritional content can be lacking or leaning toward too much sodium or fat

These guilty pleasures, like other frozen food, allow you to eat without the hassle of cooking. However, the nutritional content can be lacking or leaning toward too much sodium or fat

Pasta dishes

Those ready-made spaghetti Bolognese and creamy pasta dishes are comfort foods at their finest, but they’re not the best for your body. Skip the frozen dishes, which tend to be loaded with sodium and fat, and throw your own healthy pasta recipe together, suggests Jodi Greebel, RDN, pediatric dietitian and founder of Citrition. Not only is boiling pasta quick and easy, but you also have more control over what goes into the sauce and sides. Load yours up with nutritious veggies for a healthier twist on your guilty-pleasure pasta. To start, give this healthy spaghetti recipe a try.

Fruity breakfasts

Don’t be fooled by the fruit in items like blueberry pancakes and strawberry waffles. “Parents think that because there is fruit in them they must be healthy,” says Greebel. Au contraire. The berries speckled through these carb-heavy breakfast items are far down the ingredient list—way below sugar—making these treats high in sugar and sodium, but low in the nutrients you were looking for, like fiber. You’re better off adding a healthy handful of fresh or frozen berries to the top of plain frozen pancakes and waffles, says Greebel.

Stir-fries

Frozen Chinese foods like stir-fry or beef with broccoli are loaded with sodium, thanks in part to the sauces they come in. Luckily, a healthier version is just as easy and freezer-friendly. Buy a pack of plain frozen veggies—some stores even sell stir-fry vegetables without the sauce—and throw them in your pan with chicken or beef, suggests Greebel. Use just a bit of low-sodium soy or teriyaki sauce to keep the salt to a minimum. 

Breakfast sandwiches

No matter how much time they save you at breakfast time, those frozen egg sandwiches shouldn’t be your go-to morning meal. You’re loading up on sodium and additives instead of some plain protein-packed eggs. Breakfast sandwiches are “almost as quick to assemble on your own and so much healthier,” says Greebel. If you don’t have a minute to spare in the morning rush, do your breakfast prep work over the weekend and make some egg muffin cups, suggests Bowerman. You can even freeze them for later, popping them in the microwave before you head out the door.

Two-serving meals

When you’re looking for a quick and healthy single-serving dinner, buyer beware: Some frozen foods look reasonable in calories, fat, and sodium at first glance, but they’re actually two servings disguised as one. Double-check the portion size before you dig in to make sure you’re not biting off more than you’d want to chew. Swap the poser out for a single-serving meal, or set half aside for leftovers. 

Smoothie base mixes

Smoothies can start your morning on the right foot with an immediate serving (or more) of fruit, but be careful when shopping for base mix in the frozen aisle. Those that are just portioned-out fruit and veggie mixes are A-OK, but others don’t deserve their health halo, RD, director of worldwide nutrition education and training at Herbalife Nutrition. “Some are just a ‘base mix’ for your smoothie, which means they have no fruit at all, but instead are loaded with sugars, gums, flavorings, etc.,” says Bowerman. She recommends skipping those mixes and hunting down another freezer aisle staple: whole, unsweetened fruits. Add some veggies if you’d like, along with protein powder and milk (dairy or non-dairy), for a healthier start to the day. Curious about other dairy substitutes? 

Waffles

You don’t need to let go of your waffles entirely, but if frozen waffles are a big part of your diet, you’ll want to consider making an update. Whip up a big batch of homemade waffles with whole grain flour and protein powder, suggests Bowerman. The fiber-rich

Low-protein veggie burgers

Skipping the traditional cheeseburger for a meatless option can be better for your belly and the planet, but there’s a catch. “A lot of people look at all plant-based burgers as healthy protein substitutes, but many of them are much higher in carbohydrates and fat than protein,” says Ilana Muhlstein, RD, creator of the 2B Mindset nutrition program. “Protein is important for keeping us full and preventing overeating.” Leave it on the shelf if the nutrition facts say just five grams of protein, and hunt down another veggie patty with ten grams or more, she suggests.