1 week Ago By [email protected] (Cara J Suppa)
Whether you , bake it in the oven, let your air fryer do all the work, or , these strips of salty, meaty deliciousness are the perfect accompaniment to so many dishes. Even better, when making bacon, you end up with ; it's basically a culinary natural resource. But if you haven't saved it before, you might be unclear as to the best way to maintain its freshness.
To store bacon grease so that it lasts as long as possible, let it cool off a bit, strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the little bacon particles, and pour it into a container with an airtight lid. Avoid plastic so it doesn't melt, and opt for something heat-safe, like these . Continue to allow the bacon grease to cool.
Once the container no longer feels warm to the touch, put the lid on and keep it in the fridge for up to three months. It really is best to store it in the refrigerator to give it the longest life, and it's also important that you not pour fresh grease over the old; instead, pour new grease into a separate container and label it with the date. If the old grease ends up spoiling at the bottom, it can taint the whole jar, including the fresher stuff up top.
Can you freeze bacon grease? Not only does bacon grease last for months refrigerated, it can keep for up to an entire year in the freezer. It's actually safe to use indefinitely as long as it remains continuously frozen, but for best quality, use it before the year is up. To prep it for the freezer, you'll follow the first few steps for refrigerating it, but once it's been strained and allowed to cool to room temperature, it'll go into a freezer-safe, airtight container.
You can also freeze individual portions by pouring the grease into an ice cube tray or freezer mold with smaller wells, so you always have easy-to-grab, pre-measured amounts at hand when you're cooking or baking. Just be sure, once the grease is set up, to move it to an airtight, freezer-safe container or plastic bag. You can let your frozen bacon grease thaw in the fridge overnight, but it can also be used from frozen, like if you want to quickly add a flavor boost to chili or use it as the fat in a pie crust.
When good bacon grease goes bad, plus how to dispose of it properly Bacon grease has a pretty obvious tell when it has spoiled: It really stinks. Bad bacon grease has an unmistakably rancid or sour odor to it, so if you open your container one day and get the slightest whiff of something not right, it's time to toss it in the garbage. Grease that is still good has an off-white or slightly brown hue, but if it veers more toward the yellowish color of butter, that can also indicate it's time to discard it.
And just how do you throw out your bad bacon grease? Since you'll likely want to keep the glass container you held it in, you can just use a spatula to scoop it out directly into the garbage. If are worried about the grease making a mess as it softens in the trash bag, wrap it in a sheet of aluminum foil first to prevent leakage. What you should absolutely not do is put it down the sink, as that can lead to blockages in your pipes.
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