When you pay for bacon, you aren’t only paying for the slices of tasty meat that you bought, you are also paying for the leftover grease. Bacon grease can be used for a lot of things like making popcorn. However, have you ever had some leftover bacon grease that you didn’t use? I bet you asked yourself “Does Bacon’s grease go bad?”
Well, this article discusses this exact question, as well as How to store bacon grease. We gonna also discuss How you can tell If bacon grease has gone bad so you can avoid eating expired grease. So, follow along as we help know if bacon grease can go bad or not, and how to avoid such spoilage.
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Does Bacon Grease Go Bad?
The answer to this question is a clear yes, bacon grease does spoil after a specific period of time. This period of time is defined based on how the bacon grease was actually stored.
This means if you don’t know how to store your leftover grease properly, be sure that the result is spoiled bacon grease that’s good for nothing other than the trash. However, good storage can extend the life of your grease for up to 6 months. it’s a piece of good news for those who want to store their grease for future use.
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How To Store Bacon Grease?
So, you cooked some bacon and now you wanna store your grease to use it in your next cooking endeavor. Good idea, but how can you do it?
Well, the basics are similar to vegetable oil. make sure to avoid sunlight and heat. Keeping the bacon in a safe place that’s dark and cool is necessary for proper storage. This means you can store your jar full of grease in the pantry, or even better in the fridge if you don’t mind waiting for it to become liquidated.
Yet, there is nothing better than making your own bacon grease to store it, and here is the method you can use to save up the leftover grease from your tasty bacon meal:
- First, cook your bacon, the grease will start to seep from your tasty meal.
- Once you finish cooking and moving the pieces of bacon, make sure to clean the grease from any leftover bacon pieces.
- After doing so, start by getting a jar or a sealed container, and pouring the liquid bacon grease into it.
- Close your jar securely, then store it in either the fridge or the pantry.
- Now you have bacon grease ready for use and storage!
Note: If it’s winter or the temperature is low, the grease might solidify after cooking the bacon. Simply reheat the pan again on low flame until it turns liquid, and move it to the container.
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How Long Does Bacon Grease Last?
Now that we know how to store bacon grease, it’s time to know how long can it last while stored.
This can be a little tricky as there is store-bought bacon grease that has a different shelf life, Bacon-Up is one of the brands that sell it. So, let’s clarify it up.
Homemade Bacon Grease
This is the leftover grease from cooking bacon, it’s usually free of preservatives so it’s not as durable as store-bought ones. This is why it requires delicate storage as well as keeping it safe.
If it was done correctly, the homemade grease can last for 6 months if it’s a normal room temperature, while lasting a whole year if it was stored in the fridge.
Store-Bought Bacon Grease
This grease is made specifically to last on the shelves, so it’s naturally more long-lived than your homemade bacon. This is thanks to the preservatives added to extend the shelf life of that grease, as well as the process that makes sure the grease doesn’t have any residue that would accelerate spoilage.
BaconUp has reported that their bacon grease brand can last on the shelves for over 2 years thanks to the way it’s stored and sealed in the packaging. If your consumption of bacon grease isn’t that much and you happen to need a long-living grease for cooking, Store-Bought is the best for the job.
Bacon Grease Shelf Life [Full Chart]
| Bacon Grease | Pantry | Fridge |
|---|---|---|
| Bacon Grease (Store-bought) | 2 years | |
| Bacon Grease (Homemade) | 6 months | 1+ years |
How To Tell if Bacon Grease Has Gone Bad?
So you stored your grease for a while and you take it from the fridge. Something feels off but you don’t know if that’s true or your senses are messy. How to tell if the grease you have isn’t good for consumption?
Well, there are some signs you should be on the lookout for:
Presence of Mold
That’s an easy one. if you see some mold living off your grease, throw it away in the nearest garbage can. Getting the mold off and using the grease isn’t the safest bet, and it’s much better to be safe than sorry.
Discoloration
A clear one that should give you an idea that this grease is fit in the garbage than your frying pan. Chemical reactions can take place in the bacon grease which changes the color. Marking it unsafe for use.
Change in Smell
When fat goes rancid, it starts to have an altered smell that wasn’t there before the rancidification. The process breaks down the fat molecules. It’s not exactly harmful, but it will end up tasting bad and making everything you cook with taste bad as well.
Taste Test
If you checked all of the above, give it a small taste test. A changed taste is a bad sign, bacon grease should at least have some taste of bacon, and if you ended tasting anything but bacon, perhaps you should discard that grease away.
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Wrapping Up
Cooking with bacon grease can give your food a new and unique taste. Adding it to recipes can also enhance the taste. However, bacon grease can go bad, especially homemade ones, which is why we Explained how to tell if bacon grease has gone bad, as well as how to store it properly so it lasts in your fridge for longer.
If you happen to have any more questions, feel free to leave a comment below. We will reply as fast as we possibly can. Thanks for reading and have a great day!
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