To make sure I was giving each cooking method a fair look, I used three different kinds of bacon in all four appliances.

I bought cherry-smoked, uncured bacon from Porter Road, sugar-free organic applewood-smoked uncured bacon from North Country Smokehouse, and Alewel's Country Meats "Sweet & Sassy Bacon," which was part of Harry & David's All About the Bacon Sampler.

I preheated my oven and air fryer to 350 degrees, placed a large pan on the stove, and lined a large plate with paper towels before digging into the packs.

Since I cook bacon in the oven all the time, there was no guesswork here.

I placed strips of bacon on a sheet pan covered in parchment paper and let them cook for a bit longer than I usually would for omelets — since they wouldn't get any extra time in a frying pan.

I ended up pulling the pan out after 13 minutes.

I don't like crispy or crunchy bacon. The oven is great for my tastes because the meat cooks gradually and rests in plenty of grease that helps prevent any singeing.

That said, oven-cooked bacon is often a bit, shall we say, floppier than one (even I) might like. It's best as an ingredient in a larger recipe.

But since you can make a lot at once, I also think it's handy if you're serving multiple people.

I used to cook bacon in the microwave often enough in my apartment days, but it's been a while. The one thing I remember clearly is that paper towels are key.

I laid out six strips of bacon on my lined plate, added another layer of paper towel on top (to avoid any grease splatters), and popped the plate into the microwave.

For a standard microwave, four minutes is the perfect amount of time for my texture preferences. I grabbed the plate (with an oven mitt) and pulled off the top layer of paper towels.

The microwaved bacon didn't look appetizing, especially with all the drippings falling off the paper towels and plate.

The strips were curled up — crisped in parts and soft in others — and there was a notable sheen of grease.

When I took a bite, I was met with more chewiness than tenderness, but I had to admit the flavor was all there. If you only have five minutes to get out the door, I guess microwaved bacon is better than no bacon at all.

It's always best to start with a cold pan when you cook bacon on the stove. This lets the fats slowly break down into grease rather than burning the meat. There's no need for oil or cooking spray, the fat has you covered there.

I brought the burner to medium-high heat, and within 30 seconds or so, the bacon started to sizzle — which smelled great.

After about four minutes, the rashers started curling, so it was time to flip them. I was a bit frustrated by how much effort it took to get each one lying relatively flat again without all of them falling on top of each other.

When the bacon was done, there was grease spattered across the stove and even on the countertop.

Although one of the strips came out perfectly, most of the bacon was seared beyond my liking and very greasy.

The stovetop is a classic way to fry up some bacon, but I don't think it was worth the effort and mess.

Like many people, I went on an air-fryer kick a few years back. But lately, ours has largely sat at the back of a shelf.

After digging it out and preheating it to 350 degrees, I popped in the strips of bacon and set the timer for eight minutes (which the internet seemed to agree was best).

The air-fried bacon was tender with a hint of crispiness that even I could appreciate. It wasn't bordering on crunchy and was remarkably low in grease.

The strips also didn't curl up nearly as much as with the microwave or pan. They held their shape, which made for better-looking bacon. Not that looks matter as much as taste, but I can appreciate a well-plated meal nonetheless.

It's safe to say we'll be using our air fryer more often again.

There's no doubt I'll stick with the trusty oven method our everyday bacon so that I can make big batches. But the air fryer was the clear winner when it came to strips.

Considering most air fryers heat up in less than a minute and the cooking time was under 10, it's not even a time suck.

As for the microwave, that approach is only worth considering when time is the main factor since it's ready in five minutes.

If you prefer pan-fried bacon, I wish you all the best. I acknowledge that it's a classic approach, but it's the one method I'll be avoiding from now on.

In October 2023, multiple outlets reported that Sophia Bush was dating soccer player Ashlyn Harris. This news came shortly after Harris and her ex-wife Ali Krieger filed for divorce, so some fans called Harris a cheater and accused Bush of being a "homewrecker."

Harris denied the cheating allegations in a statement in November 2023.

In April, Bush came out as queer in an essay for Glamour's cover story about her recent divorce and how her relationship with Harris began.

In the essay, Bush wrote that she hated the idea of "having to come out in 2024" but thought it was important with the increase of legislation against the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

"I think I've always known that my sexuality exists on a spectrum," Bush wrote. "Right now I think the word that best defines it is queer. I can't say it without smiling, actually. And that feels pretty great."

Bush added later that coming out publicly was a weight off her shoulders.

"I finally feel like I can breathe. I don't think I can explain how profound that is," Bush said. "I can feel my legs and feet. I can feel my feet in my shoes right now. It makes me want to cry and laugh at the same time."

In the essay, Bush said she caught feelings for Harris after they supported each other during their respective divorce proceedings. She also said she was hurt when people began criticizing the relationship.

"It's painful to be doing deep work and have it picked apart by clueless strangers," Bush said. "Just because I didn't want to process my realizations in real time on social media and spell them out for the world doesn't mean the journey wasn't long and thoughtful and exhaustive."

For years, Reneé Rapp has identified as bisexual. However, in the early months of 2024, she began to identify as a lesbian.

In January, she said on Andy Cohen's SiriusXM radio show: "I don't think I like boys." Later that month, when she appeared in a sketch on "Saturday Night Live," she was referred to as a "little lesbian intern."

In February, she told The Hollywood Reporter that she is a lesbian. She said her journey with her sexuality was similar to that of her "Sex Lives of College Girls" character, Leighton Murray.

"It is so interesting that at the time I wasn't even aware that what I was experiencing in my own personal life was actually exactly what I was doing onscreen," Rapp said. "I was in a relationship with a man, incredibly confused, unsure of myself, feeling so insecure in my acting."

Rapp added later that she had only recently started referring to herself as a lesbian.

"I've only recently been in a relationship where I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm a lesbian for sure,'" she said. "It's also been the most rewarding, validating, scary, and exciting experience ever."

In June, Rapp told Them that she was nervous about publicly coming out on "Saturday Night Live" because some of her friends responded negatively.

"I stayed off my phone for a couple days because I was so fucking terrified and felt so shitty but then it was just, like, a thing, and it felt good," Rapp said of what she did after appearing on "SNL."

In January, PinkNews reported that "Ru Paul's Drag Race" season four contestant Madame LaQueer came out a trans on her Instagram story and changed her stage name to Madame Cassandra Uzumaki LaQueer.

A day later, LaQueer told Entertainment Weekly that she spontaneously decided to come out after liking how she looked in the mirror after trimming her eyebrows.

She said that she realized she was trans in 2006 but had struggled to come to terms with it and experience a "12-year long depression." LaQuuer said she eventually decided to accept her trans identity after having a conversation with Jade Jolie, another "Drag Race" contestant who came out in October 2023.

"It came out in the conversation, and she knew everything I was going to say. She clocked it quickly, and it just made sense. Like, girl, it's now or never," LaQueer said.

LaQueer added that she hoped coming out would help others who have struggled to accept their identity.

"It's never too late to come out and live your true experience and be yourself and be authentic. There's nothing like feeling loved in your own skin," she said.

A week later, another "Ru Paul's Drag Race" star came out as trans.

Amanda Tori Meating, who starred in the most recent season of "Drag Race," told Entertainment Weekly's "Quick Drag" podcast that appearing on the reality show earlier this year helped her figure out her gender identity.

She identified as nonbinary for four years before appearing on "Drag Race," but she said it didn't feel right. Meating said when she started to consider that she was trans, her former husband was not OK with it, partly causing their divorce.

"It wasn't at all supported by my partner, and it ended up being a big part of why I had to leave, because he didn't want to be with a trans person," Meating said. "I was in a bad place about it, mentally, for a while, but you get to a point where you're like, I have to do what's right for me, and that involved getting out of that."

Meating added that hearing people calling her Amanda or using she/her pronouns for her made her feel "a bit more comfortable in the reformation of my identity."

"That experience helped push me out of the nest a little bit and crack the egg," she said, adding that she refers to herself as a "t-girl" because she doesn't feel ready to call herself a transwoman.

"House of the Dragon" star Bethany Antonia came out as gay while responding to racist trolls.

Multiple media outlets reported in late April that Antonia shared a racist DM she had received on her Instagram story.

"'N**** you look like a piece of shit," the message read. "It's a miracle they even included you in the trailer. But we don't care. I hope you accidentally die on set."

Below the DM, Antonia captioned the post: "Wait till they find out I'm gay too."

Many fans shared posts supporting Antonia after the story went viral.

Bruce Joel Rubin, the 81-year-old screenwriter behind "Ghost," came out as gay while promoting his memoir "It's Only a Movie."

Rubin told The Guardian in May that he's known he is gay since childhood. Rubin said he had told his wife, Blanche, and children long before he came out.

"I don't like that I was closeted for so long but it would just have confused people," Rubin said, before adding. "I didn't want to leave this world with any secrets.'"

Rubin said he told his wife Blanche that he was gay when they first met but that he enjoyed sex with women. Rubin said Blanche did not mind, and they married two years later.

"Clearly, I held back my sexuality. My sexual life was always very internalized. Of course, one wants orgasmic life, but I had orgasms with Blanche. She and I had a good sex life," Rubin said.

He added: "And I'll tell you something you'll find out: when you hit your 80s and you think your libido is gone, it comes flying back. So big! Male beauty for me is overwhelmingly powerful. Just seeing someone in the supermarket, I feel this explosive joy."

"Dancing On Ice" UK star Colin Grafton came out during an interview with PinkNews in February.

Grafton, who is a former US Olympic skater, told PinkNews that he has never hidden his sexuality but has never felt the need to announce it.

"I told my closest friends, I told the people around me and I eventually told my parents. I was maybe 24 when all that happened," Grafton said. "I know there's a lot of curiosity about my sexual orientation and my love life, but I never actually came out to the public."

He added: "If I'm honest, I never really felt the need to announce it before but the reason I am saying this now is because I want to show that there is representation in any way I can."

In February, actor Zoe Lister-Jones came out as queer while on the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards red carpet alongside her new partner Sammi Cohen, the director of "You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah."

"I'm here, I'm queer, I have some fear but I'm working through it," Lister-Jones told The Hollywood Reporter.

Lister-Jones also praised the Spirit Awards for having genderless award categories.

"All award shows should follow in their footsteps and make categories genderless," she said. "I'm dating a nonbinary person. I'm friends with so many nonbinary people. And I think that without really shifting the paradigm in a larger way, it's closing a lot of doors for really important voices."

Grace Wilson was Australia's first professional football player to come out as nonbinary.

Wilson, a goalkeeper for Adelaide United and Young Matildas, spoke to Holly Ransom, Australia's Pride Cup chair, about their gender identity in a video published on Adelaide United's YouTube page on March 1.

In the video, Wilson said they realized they were nonbinary in 2022 after shaving their hair for charity. Later in the video, Wilson said they decided to reveal their gender identity because they wanted people to refer to them in the way they were comfortable with.

"I didn't really realize kind of how angry I was getting at people for when they were misgendering me and they didn't know because I didn't tell them," Wilson said.

They added: "So I've decided that I can't live like that anymore. I want to be fully myself. I want to fully embrace this, and I want other people to be able to refer to me in ways that I'm comfortable with."

In late March, Matt Terry, the winner of "X Factor" UK season 13, said he is part of the LGBTQ+ community in an interview with Gay Times to promote a new song.

The new song, "His Car," was about Terry's previous relationship with a man and how he kept their romance a secret.

"I said to him, 'You're not allowed to tell anyone about this' and he loved me enough to do so," Terry said. "Six, seven, years later, I realize that's not something we should be doing, and it's not something you should ask somebody. It's such a regret of mine, and I'm just really sorry."

In 2016, while Terry was competing in "X Factor" UK, multiple tabloids began speculating about his sexuality.

Terry said this period was "fucking hard" because he hadn't come out yet to his friends or family.

"The press, and people around me in the music industry, were asking me for an answer I could've give, because it wasn't an area I'd explored yet. I'd never been with a man at this point," Terry added, saying this made him step back from the industry for a few years.

Terry said he is currently in a relationship with a man and is "very proud" of his sexuality.

Sean Gunn, an Olympic swimmer for Zimbabwe, publicly came out during an interview with Outsports, published on March 22.

Gunn said he realized he was gay while studying at the University of Kentucky and was supported by his peers.

"I think in my head I built it up for so long, and I was terrified that the way they acted or treated me would be different," Gunn said. "But I was really lucky that everyone was so amazing and wanted me to be the happiest version of myself."

He added that he came out to his family and friends back home later.

"As someone who did struggle with coming out and only did come out at 27 to my family, it makes me so happy to be surrounded by friends and family and so much love, and am really grateful for them all," Gunn said.

"Baby Reindeer" star Jessica Gunning publicly came out as "a big old gay" during an appearance on the "Reign with Josh Smith" podcast in June.

Gunning said she came out to her parents in November 2022 after realizing she was gay at age 36.

"That was a mega, mega thing for me. I'm surrounded by gays, all my friends are gay, and so it wasn't that I was repressing anything," Gunning said. "It was just that I didn't think I could be, and I still can't articulate it in the best way."

She added: "But yeah, I realized I was a big old gay, and I was like, 'That's what it's been. That's what it is.' That was a massive moment where everything clicked, and I made sense for myself then."

Gunning said that realizing she was gay was "the most liberating thing," and she slept well after telling her parents.

On June 3, WWE wrestler Joe Fitzpatrick, also known as "Dirty Bulk" Bronson, came out as bisexual in a social media post.

Fitzpatrick's fiancée, Gabby Forza, took part in a trend where people post a picture of themselves and the flag that indicates their sexuality. She explained that she identified as bi/pansexual & queer.

Fitzpatrick responded to the tweet with a picture of himself and the bisexual flag.

After receiving much support from his fans and friends, Fitzpatrick shared a statement on social media a day later.

"I've been left speechless by the endless phone calls, texts, DM's, replies from faithful fans, my close friends, our scumbag, and so many others I've had new interactions with," Fitzpatrick wrote.

"Between the social media response — and just now getting off a 55-minute phone call with my parents that was overflowing with so much love & uplifting support — I could run through a brick wall right now from how grateful I feel," he added.

Fitzpatrick said he felt ready to come out after his fiancée and friends inspired him.

"I feel like the luckiest guy in the world today. I love every single one of you for making me feel this way," he said. "Thank you. Happy Pride."

On Sunday, Maren Morris, a Grammy-winning country singer, came out as bisexual in an Instagram post.

"Happy to be the B in LGBTQ+," Morris captioned a slideshow of pictures from her sold-out concert in Phoenix.

Deshawn Radden came out as queer on June 10 when he appeared on the "Survivor"-focused podcast, "The Pride has Spoken."

On the podcast, Radden, the runner-up in "Survivor" season 41, was interviewed by one of his costars Evvie Jagoda, who identifies as queer and nonbinary/transmasc.

Radden told Jagoda that they taught them the term "queer," and Radden realized this term fit him more than straight or gay.

"You spoke power into the word because when I was growing up, queer was a very derogatory term for people," Radden said. "So just watching you and you owning your title as you know a queer person was very, very influential to me."

Radden said he came out to his family in 2021 at age 25 but was unsure whether he should make a public statement, so he didn't bring it up while on "Survivor."

Radden said he first realized he was different when he was four or five but was constantly told that being gay or acting like a woman was bad.

He added that before he realized he was queer, he felt a lot of "anguish almost every single day" and turned to "substance abuse" to cope.

Later the same day, Radden said he was a "queer black man" in an Instagram post.

"As of today, I look to do 2 things: 1. No longer live in duality, but in truth & oneness 2. Be an example that God loves each of us and can/will use anyone," Radden wrote. "To anyone who may struggle reconciling parts of your identity with your faith, this is my advice: Experience God, on your own, through genuine relationship and see what happens. Love!"

Banana Republic is a global retailer with over 400 stores.

The store, which offers a range of workwear and elevated-casual styles, was my go-to shop for finding post-college interview outfits and business-casual ensembles.

The $65 shirt I tried on at Banana Republic was made of a blend of 52% linen, 45% cotton, and 3% elastane.

I was first drawn to the simple cropped cut and neutral tone. It felt lightweight on the hanger, and breathable material is a priority in my summer wardrobe.

Upon trying it on, the tank felt comfortable and fit well around my shoulders and chest. The silhouette seemed well-constructed and versatile for a variety of outfits. Was it worth $65, though? Not in my opinion.

It's also worth noting that a few weeks later, I found this same top on sale on the Banana Republic website for $39.

Old Navy has over 1,200 stores worldwide and offers affordable yet fashionable styles for all ages.

It was my favorite store as a child, and I can vividly remember wandering through the department-store-sized building in search of a new shirt or swimsuit I'd wear repeatedly for months.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the pricing remained mostly consistent with what I remembered (based on the current inflation rates).

The prices also seemed pretty accessible throughout the store — almost all new arrivals cost less than $50 — but the quality did reflect the lower price point.

I found a similar linen-blend tank top at Old Navy but immediately noticed it was somewhat thin and feeble on the rack. In comparison, the Banana Republic version had a thicker lining underneath the shell.

However, at only $25, this top was available at a significantly lower price point. The shirt was made with a blend of 55% linen and 45% rayon.

I loved the fit of this tank once I put it on in the dressing room — the thick shoulder straps and airy shape felt both comfortable and flattering. Plus, the square neckline would be easy to pair with accessories like necklaces and scarves.

I didn't end up buying the Old Navy tank, but I'd consider going back to browse the store's offerings in the future.

Gap has over 700 locations in North America and Asia.

The brand has come a long way since I was young, replacing some basic T-shirts featuring oversize logos with on-trend pieces that rival some luxury brands.

I went to Gap just to try on the linen-blend tank but ended up trying on at least 10 different pieces. Since then, I've also been browsing the brand's website.

The entire shopping experience at Gap felt organized and seamless, with easy-to-read labels and dedicated sections for various styles.

The linen-blend tank I found felt high-quality, and I felt confident that I could wear it consistently without tarnishing it.

Of all the linen tanks I tried on, the one from Gap was my favorite.

The top fit perfectly and had the same square neckline and thick straps as the Old Navy tank, with a slightly more flowy bodice and a more structured overall look. I also loved the added button details on the back.

However, The Gap tank was $50, double the price of the Old Navy option, even though they had an incredibly similar material makeup (55% linen and 45% viscose rayon). For that reason, I'd only buy the tank from Gap once it went on clearance.

I always thought of Gap as a retailer that offered affordable fashion, but every piece I tried on or stopped to admire in the store seemed severely overpriced for what it was.

For example, a trench coat I liked in the store was $168. Personally, if I'm going to spend that much on a jacket, I'd prefer it to be from a vintage shop or boutique retailer.

Although I loved how the Gap tank looked on me, based on the overall value, I'd be most likely to buy the option from Old Navy. This completely surprised me, as I assumed the quality would be much lower, especially than that of Banana Republic.

Although there was a slight difference, the price, similar enough condition, and comfortable fit made the choice a no-brainer.

This shopping experience reminded me that a fancy brand name and a higher price don't always mean a better product.