If you think that all Southerners are unified on the best way to cook bacon, you might want to reconsider. Even though our grandparents wouldn’t have dreamt of cooking bacon in anything other than their cast-iron skillets, modern Southerners have their own ideas about the best ways to cook bacon. And—spoiler alert—nobody’s on the same page.

Some Swear That Oven-Baked Bacon Is Best

If you’ve never cooked bacon in the oven, according to many of our readers you should give it a try. It’s a great method to use when you need to cook a large amount of bacon at once. Here’s how a few of our readers feel about baking bacon in the oven:

• “I cover a cookie sheet with foil, lay my bacon on it as full as I can get it and cook on 400°F till desired crispness. Remove bacon poor grease in my jar.”
• “I do the oven like others. Cook whole pack and bag it for week. Takes seconds to reheat as needed throughout the week.”
• “Hmmm. So debatable. I think the best way is probably in the oven. However, I use bacon fat, so for me, pan frying is best. That way I get the rendered bacon fat to use later.”
• “Depending upon the amount of time I have, I use a cast iron skillet on the stove or under my broiler in the oven, watching it and turning once.”
• “I say thread it on a skewer, sprinkle brown sugar over it and bake it in the oven. It’s gooooooood!”

Others Opt For Non-Traditional Appliances

These days it seems like there’s a gadget for every kitchen task; bacon cooking is no exception. Although your great-grandmother would probably roll over in her grave at the notion of microwaving bacon, or would possibly accuse an air fryer of witchcraft and throw it in the river, these more modern methods have a bevy of fans.

• “In air fryer. Easy, no splatter and wonderful bacon grease for seasoning!”
• “Microwave between paper towels, 1 minute for each slice you’re cooking, plus 15-20 seconds.”
• “Grill is #1, but the oven is my second option.”

One Reader Shocked Us With This Method

While I can get behind oven-baking, microwaving, air-frying, and maybe even grilling bacon, one reader recommended a method that left me scratching my head.

• “Bring water and bacon to a boil, pour off the salt water, and then fry the bacon.”

Wait, what now? Boil the bacon, then fry it? I have so many questions, like what’s the point, are you on a low-sodium diet, and who taught you this, for starters. Turns out the “reasoning” behind boiling bacon is that it renders out more fat, making the bacon more tender and crispy at the same time.

While reviews are mixed about the flavor and the looks of boiled bacon (some say it’s bland, others claim it’s “odd-looking”), the main issue I have with this method is that it yields no useable bacon fat for future cooking. And that, my friends, is nothing shy of wasteful.