I usually just mash the potatoes on the same baking sheet they were baked on. I find bacon cooks best on medium heat, low and slow. Oftentimes, if I'm planning on making this soup, I'll make bacon to have with breakfast and then just set some aside for the soup. When warming the milk, I warm 2 cups of milk in a glass measuring cup in the microwave for about a minute. While I'm whisking that milk in with the flour and butter, I'll warm the second 2-cup measurement and then repeat again until all 6 cups are warmed and incorporated into the pot.