There are many ways to make bacon - frying, in the oven, air fryer, you name it. However, do you know which way actually leaves you with that perfect crispy piece? Well, food writer and recipe developer Ann Taylor Pittman tested out eight different ways of cooking bacon and revealed the winning method on website The Kitchn. The expert shared that she uses bacon as a "flavouring agent in recipes" and a "substantial component to a dish" but also enjoys it on its own. She compared different ways to cook the type of pork to find out which is the best.

She wrote: "I've never had a consistent, go-to method for cooking that bacon. I've cooked it in a skillet and in the oven, and I've resorted to the microwave when I was in a hurry." However, there was only one way to find out which is method should come on top and that was by testing them and comparing the results "side-by-side," and what Ann discovered is the key to "perfectly crisp" bacon is baking paper.

"I loved the texture and appearance of this bacon, and that it cooks hands-free with no babysitting. I also loved that this method works for a few slices or up to 20, and that, if you use the overhang trick, cleanup is just so incredibly easy," she wrote, branding the method 10 out of 10.

According to Ann, the winning method takes around 18 minutes for regular-cut bacon and 24 minutes for thick-cut bacon; it also requires 10 minutes of oven preheating time.

The hack comes from American writer and TV personality Martha Stewart, who promises a "spatter-free" way to get "perfectly crispy bacon" using the baking paper technique, which is straightforward.

All you need to do is line an oven baking tray with baking paper and place the bacon on top. Then, pop the tray into the oven at 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 until it is crisped to your liking.

Line a plate with a paper towel and once the bacon is ready pop it onto the paper towel-lined plate to drain it and that's exactly how to easily achieve crispy bacon.

"Because the bacon sits in its own rendered fat as it bakes, it cooks more quickly than if you cooked it on a rack. The fatty parts also get wonderfully crispy (if you like that), because they’re basically fried. If you prefer your bacon chewier, you can simply cook it a few minutes less to achieve that effect," Ann added.

She also found that both regular and thick-cut slices cooked "evenly" and "completely flat" without her having to turn them over, which is a bonus.

To make the cleanup easier, the expert recommends using a large enough sheet that it overhangs the side of the oven tray, which you can then fold up so that drippings "don't seep through any cracks."