Or the fourth, which is the way I always cook bacon - under the grill. Although I suppose you could argue the grill can also function as a small, second oven, so falls within your “oven” category, but that wouldnt be my view, as it’s functioning with direct heat from the overhead elements, rather than heating the compartment to a temperature.
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It is the American way with bacon and, like you, not at all to my taste. I don’t enjoy any meat very well done. In my goodly number of trips to the States over 40 years, I’ve come to know that it is all but impossible to avoid bacon coming crispy, however much you might specify in your order that you don’t want it like that. In recent years, I’ve simply not ordered bacon with breakfast - problem solved.
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You should tell them you want your bacon steamed or sous vide’d.
Problem solved.
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No to toaster oven. Also no to a rack.
Put the bacon directly onto a naked sheet pan, as many slices as fit without overlapping. 375°F, start watching at 10 minutes and remove pan from oven when there’s just a bit of white left, because that will render out in the hot fat. If you leave it in the oven till it looks perfect, it will be overdone before the pan cools enough to touch. Save the rendered fat for sauteeing eggs and potatoes. How long it takes depends on thickness and fat/lean ratio. You want the bacon to cook in its own fat, to keep the strips flat and evenly rendered. That can’t happen with a rack. Microwaved bacon is chewy rather than crisp. Once cooked and refrigerated, bacon lasts for MANY months. Reheats in the microwave in a few seconds.
Christopher Kimball says to put bacon in a frying pan, add water to cover, and cook till the water is completely evaporated.
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Bacon was the first thing I learned how to cook oh about 55ish years ago (older then 10 but less then 15)-- cast iron pan no water. I’m definitely team crispy.
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That would be vile.
I’m happy for my bacon to be cooked in the oven , under a grill, in apan or on a flat-top. Just not till it’s crispy. Places in America manage to cook a steak how it’s requested but, in my experience, are completely unable to do the same with bacon. It’s no loss - I’m fine with not having bacon for the duration of a trip, also because I’m not fond of American “streaky” bacon.
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A short order cook at a diner will in all likelihood turn out a better order of bacon than a "chef"in an upscale establishment.
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Both of them have produced crispy bacon. Maybe something is lost in the information moving from me, through the server, to the cook/chef. Of course, if an American diner offers “Canadian bacon” then I’ll order it, knowing that it will probably not be cremated.
It’s a similar food culture difference to, say, an American visiting the UK and asking for their fried eggs to be “over easy”. The server and the kitchen might have heard the term but not know what it means and, very likely, have never cooked one. A fried egg here is just a fried egg (we don’t have different types of fried egg), in the same way that bacon in America comes very well done.
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That should be memorialized somehow. Maybe plug it into your profile signature line?
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Strange. I also like my bacon (US belly bacon or Brit-style back bacon) chewy, not crispy. That’s not the strange part, what’s strange is that in our experience, US restaurants generally serve bacon the way I like it while my wife specifically has to request that it be made “extra crispy” (shudders) and even then it seldom is.
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On my tombstone
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You want it crispy? Stove top fry in a cast iron skillet.
You want it stiff and not curly? Oven fry at 400° on a rack atop a lined sheet pan, middle rack setting in oven, check after 10 minutes, turn, check again until desired doneness.
You want it curly and done, done? Fry in an electric fry pan at 350° until
desired doneness. Ladle out fat as needed.
Every bacon cooks differently. You’ll find your groove after a few runs. Be sure to drain on absorbent (paper towels, rack) before serving.
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i do mine on a rack set over a 1/4 sheet pan in my toaster oven all the time and it comes out fine.
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I’ve created a (bacon) monster. SO requested bacon for his afterschool snack today. Who does that?! 
Well, the kid is so skinny that he needs all the fat and protein he can get. He wanted it “kinda floppy” so I tried the microwave and it was too floppy after 1.5 minutes on high so I nuked it 30” at a time on half-power until it was to SO’s liking. I think we’re gonna stick with the pan-in-toaster oven method, 355F/180C for 12 minutes or so.
ETA: OMG he just asked for more! 
I’m making 2 more strips.
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for us empty nesters, I’ve transitioned to the microwave - unless the griddle is already in ‘planned use’ for pancakes…
two paper towels down on a plate
situate the bacon strips
cover with one paper towel, to prevent splatter.
now…cook time -
base start is 60 seconds, per strip, on full power.
since not every microwave is the same,
and
since all sliced bacon is not the same . . .
that is only a starting point.
one can nuke the slices as crisp or as soft as desired - just keep in mind, using a microwave - 10 to 15 second can be a significant difference.
also be aware, as alluded by many above, not every brand/type/style will cook 'just the like rest. so if your shopping habits go to ‘cheapest du-jour’ you’ll need to adjust the timing.
start short, easy to add 10 seconds, hard to deduct ten seconds . . . .
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This needs to be a tee shirt.
I’m going to add “a LOT of paper towels” - at least 3 or 4 layers. It’ll give off a lot of fat.
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Man, I was shocked at how much fat ran off. We don’t buy paper towels in favor of more sustainable options but we happened to have an errant roll in the house (B likes to sneak them in once in a while). Thank goodness we had it — I’m not sure how else I can soak up the fat. At the rate we’re going, my cloth napkins and towels won’t be able to keep up. 
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Nice. Nothing wrong with toaster oven. That would have been my second choice. Nice pancakes.
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I feel like that’s my kitchen life these days and that’s for 1 small human being (and 1 other adult but he doesn’t require immediate service). Big props to short order/line cook everywhere.
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