Boiling water without burning it

One suggestion that hasn't been made yet: add oil to start, get your bacon mostly cooked, then strain the fat off, then continue. The easiest way to do this is to push all the bacon into one corner, hold it there with a spatula, and tilt the pan over a receptacle. Best thing to do is to pour it into some old food container you're going to throw out anyway, let it cool, then trash it. Don't pour fat down the sink in large quantities, as it's bad for the environment.