Most people choose to store the produced bacon fat in jars or other proper containers and use it later for cooking other recipes.
With that practice, you might be questioning: “does bacon grease go bad?”, “what are the marks of bacon grease gone bad?” or “where to lay bacon fat to sustain its best by date taste?”.
Don’t worry, as in this post we’ll go through it all to assure food safety in using bacon grease in every food preparation.
What Is Bacon Grease Anyway?
Bacon fats (source), which commonly known as bacon grease, have 50% monounsaturated oleic acid that is the same as olive oil partakes which is good for the heart not like the other fat-containing goods.
The remaining percent is 40% saturated and 10% polyunsaturated in which a source of cholesterol.
Less worry, as there’s still no specific study that says saturated fat intake has a consistent link to heart disease.
It all depends upon a person’s eating lifestyle. We suggest small servings of high saturated food to prevent its harmful effects.
Further, bacon grease came from a very delicious cuts of meat usually used for making breakfast. In that case, many recipes will be out from it.
The one thing you thought as waste can make every recipe as tasty as ever before (source).
Here are some possible uses of bacon grease that are easily done at home (source):
- Instead of using expensive olive oil, you can use bacon grease for popping corn.
- It helps dogs to have better digestion and shinier coat by adding it to their food. Indeed, not only a recipe-friendly but also a great food for the pet.
- Add it on your veggies recipe to avoid putting too much salt resulting to more enhance meat flavor.
- Bacon grease can also replace the use of margarine to fry foodstuffs.
- Add up a small amount of cooked bacon and bacon grease on soups to add flavor.
- Turn it into mayonnaise by mixing eggs, lemon juice, and other recipes into it. You can make bacon-taste sandwich thereafter.
Does Bacon Grease Go Bad? How Long Does Bacon Grease Last?
Bacon grease shelf life depends on how it is made and stored. There are bought in the store and homemade bacon grease that normally last up to 6-months.
To experience its best taste quality, we must be aware of how long it can be useful.
Store-bought bacon grease has best by date on its packaging that clearly shows how long it’ll last. Normally, it can last more than a year when placed inside the fridge.
It is only an estimate date and so expect for additional 3 to 6-months to use it as cooking oil.
On the other hand, homemade bacon grease’ useful life is more difficult to detect. We tend to continually add bacon grease on the same jar resulting in rough shelf life estimates.
It nearly depends upon where it is stored. Putting homemade bacon grease at room temperature will make it last for 6-months. Try placing it inside your fridge and expect it to last a year.
The next question will be, “does bacon grease subside?”. We need to know it as bacon fat is to be ingested just to avoid any disputes.
Since the mentioned years or months are only estimates, there’s really a possibility of it to be lesser effective in cooking.
Mostly, bacon grease can meet 2-years of shelf life. Beyond those years, the grease may lose its quality. To answer the question, yes, it goes bad at a certain point of time.
How to Tell If Bacon Grease Is Bad? Bacon Grease Shelf Life!
It is important to know whether the bacon grease is still capable to use for cooking.
Any terminated recipes added on foods may surely cause serious diseases, especially on your digestive system.
Perhaps you’ve accidentally found a bottle of bacon grease on the kitchen and wondering if is it still okay to use for cooking.
Here are signs to tell whether that bacon grease of yours has gone bad or not:
• Look at the signs
You can visibly saw if bacon grease is out of date. There will be a presence of mold and discoloration on the substance.
Another is an off smell it produces right after opening the container. Encountering these things refer to a bacon grease that has gone bad.
• Rancidification
Rancidification is from the root word “rancid” or an unusual smell on fat-containing goods. Moreover, rancid taste doesn’t taste good and not suitable to add to other recipes.
It can happen when the container isn’t tightly sealed. Therefore, store bacon grease at your own risk.
• Bad taste
You better taste a small amount of it before smearing into the recipe. It is to make sure that the bacon grease is still at its good state.
But, before doing this step, check out if the two previous signs are present on the bacon grease.
The main cause of having outdated bacon grease is improper storage. And so, follow the provided steps on how to store bacon grease as mentioned above.
How to Store Bacon Grease Properly?
May it be store-bought or homemade bacon grease, it needs to be stored properly to lengthen its effectiveness in cooking.
Here is a link on where you can buy ready-made bacon grease. It can be preserved via fridge or at room temperature and here’s how:
– Cool it down
The produced oil will be so hot after pan-frying the bacon and so, it’s important to cool it down for a few minutes.
Before it hardens, pour the fat in a container while using a strainer to block small bacon chunks.
– Put it in a container
You can use mason jars, ceramic or glass containers, and jelly jars as containers.
These are reusable, easy to wash up, and cannot absorb odors. Close the container’s lid tightly to avoid leaking.
– Store it
Bacon grease can be stored in the fridge or at room temperature with different approach how to.
Storing it inside the fridge will cause it to solidify but will eventually melt after a few seconds. This helps to extend its shelf life up to several months.
Glass or ceramic jars will work as storage for up to six months and to make it last up to nine-months, put it in the freezer at 0̊ F temperature.
At room temperature, you better put the grease inside the darker and tightly-sealed container for the best results.
Wipe up the container with hot water to remove any oil for it may attract pest. Your storeroom must be at 50 to 70̊ F temperature.
Does Bacon Grease Go Bad? How Long Does Bacon Grease Last?
Ingredients
- Bacon grease
- Air-tight containers or Ziplock bags
- Labels and markers
Instructions
- Read the guide thoroughly to learn how long it lasts.
- Label your container with the content and date and keep track of how much you’re using!
- Make sure to store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place (pantry or fridge).
About The Author
