But this is something I've been curious about, how many of you folks out there keep bacon grease on hand? I do.
I don't use anywhere near as much of it as I do olive oil, but I almost always have a mug at least a quarter full in the fridge. A little goes a long way, but it adds the best flavor when you're cooking eggs, burgers or sauteing onions. I've used it as the fat in breads, cooked pancakes in it and brushed in on top of calzones before putting them in the oven instead of olive oil. It's essence of bacon, people, it can add deliciousness to anything.So come on, who else?
I know I'm not alone.
Update: A few people have asked some basic questions about storing bacon grease, which is really something I should have covered before. Heh. So, here we go, a quick bacon grease faq:
Q: How do you store bacon grease?
A: I like to store it in a ceramic coffee mug, covered in plastic wrap, (sometimes I wrap a rubber band around if it won't stick) in the fridge.
Q: How long does bacon grease stay good for?
A: Many months in the fridge and when it goes bad you know since it smells rancid. My rule thumb for it is if I don't know if it's still I just toss it. More can always be made by frying up some bacon.
Q: What other ways can you store it?
A: Well, my dad used to store it at room temperature and we never had any issues with it. Of course we also used it pretty quickly. You can store it in a coffee can, although I think it gives it off flavors. My suggestion is to keep it in either glass or ceramic, covered and in the fridge.
Funny you asked the question. I was just thinking about starting to save it. But when I do cook bacon I always pour the grease in the eggs or grits before cooking them. So you know what?, I think I am going to start saving it up!!!! Everything is fine in moderation!
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone!
ReplyDeleteI do but I don't usually use them right away...to stir-fry the noodles, veggies (esp. Brussels sprouts) or use them to bake the bread.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do. Though I avoid using the "grease" word. I propose more people will start saving it after seeing your provocative, curvy, spoonful.
ReplyDeleteI keep it! I have a special mug in the fridge always full. I use it on the griddle when I make french toast (it's amazing really), sometimes to brown chicken, and of course for eggs. Like you, I mostly use olive oil, but you just can't beat the flavor of the bacon in certain dishes.
ReplyDeletei keep flavoured fats in the fridge too! i usually fry it with eggs and rice. yummmy fatty goodness :)
ReplyDeleteI agree, nothing like fried eggs in bacon grease. I used to keep it all the time but now try to use olive oil for most things. I just bought some lard (and blogged about it), so I can see a bacon grease revival in my future once I'm reminded how good pork fat can be.
ReplyDeleteThey make food taste more delicious and fragrant. I only have enough oil after frying the bacon,to fry eggs and sausages :D hardly enough to keep.
ReplyDeleteNever thought about doing that but it's a terrific idea, would be great flavor addition of so many dishes!
ReplyDeleteI knew it! See, the food blog world understands me. :D
ReplyDeleteI don't but I should. You're right about it having great flavor--it improves nearly everything!
ReplyDeleteInteresting question, I never really keep it though. Hmm, maybe I should huh? Imagine making al dishes with bacon grease, delicious guarantee!
ReplyDeleteIs bacon grease the same as lard? Because I've heard that lard is actually not as bad for you as butter is... something to keep in mind!
ReplyDeleteJoanne: No, bacon grease is just the fat leftover from frying bacon. Lard is rendered pork fat. Bacon grease tastes better, but it isn't so good for pie crusts. ;) Except maybe for quiche...
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that about lard, definitely something to look into! Heh.
Hey now, you tellen' one of me best secrets here..LOL..
ReplyDeleteI confess, I keep a small mason jar with a class lid in the fridge of bacon grease.. I probably shouldn't use it for several reasons, but ya know, there are just some things that wouldn't taste right with out it!
I don't, and I really don't think I should! Just the name alone makes me think I shouldn't be eating it! ahh!
ReplyDelete-Mini b.
I do. It's fabulous for frying potatoes in for breakfast burritos.
ReplyDeleteGREAT for sauteeing onions in too.
You are not alone. :)
I still keep some in my refrigerator. There are those who disapprove, but what the heck. Oil or butter can't take its place in middle European recipes.
ReplyDeleteHmmm....I've never done this! I think I'll give it a try:)
ReplyDeleteFor years I've always kept a can in the freezer and poured leftover bacon grease into it. When the can gets full, it goes into the trash. It never dawned on me to use it... until a few months ago! I scooped some out and fried diced potatoes for breakfast. Yum!
ReplyDeleteAlways - I grew up in Southern kitchens where there was always an old coffee can full of grease by the stove, and I do the same thing, though I actually use an attractive little red container. I am in fact off to make dumplings for my chicken and dumplings right now. The secret is the bacon grease in the dumpling dough. And I can only cook corn bread when the batter is poured into a skillet slicked with hot bacon grease. I also throw a little bacon grease in the oil when I fry chicken. The uses are endless!
ReplyDeleteI only use super lean bacon so I never have leftover grease. We had a grease can when I was growing up and it was always full.
ReplyDeleteWe most certainly keep it! It resides in a coffee can under our sink.
ReplyDeleteI don't but my grandmother always did! We tend to not eat bacon often in our home but we do have it as a treat once in a while. I agree, it does give great flavor and a little goes a long way!
ReplyDeletebacon grease in corn muffins. Bam and Bam, Bob, we totally understand you. But only sometimes do I use the grease since it is pretty gnarly for your arteries.
ReplyDeleteI keep it. I have a small container of it in the fridge just in case I want something with a little more flavor. I'm more of an olive oil girl, but it doesn't hurt to have it on hand just in case.
ReplyDeleteGuilty as charged for doing the same. They give wonderful flavor in cooking eggs, meats, and even toasting breads.... U
ReplyDeleteUgh.
ReplyDelete...and some people, stylishly these days, throw away the cream and choke down what your grandfather called "diluted water." Never noticed you turning down crêpes with edges crisped in luscious bacon fat. Nor even when we had the even-lovelier goose grease on hand...
ReplyDeleteI've got a jar in the fridge, but I rarely use it - I usually keep it until the jar's full, then toss it, because I don't want to clog my pipes with bacon fat.
ReplyDeleteI save and use bacon grease for many things, notably sauteing brussel sprouts, and cabbage. A little goes a long way!
ReplyDeleteLet's put it this way ~ I'd do without chocolate before I'd give up my bacon grease jar in the refrigerator! I can't imagine anything else in fresh green beans unless they are roasted.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I get the motivation, I'm going to make homemade tamales...with bacon inside, rather than spicy pork meat. I'll cook the bacon and then mix the leftover grease into the corn meal for the masa. Been meaning to do this, but only got as far as the planning stage. :(
ReplyDeleteI use to always keep a little bacon grease around when I was able to cook by bacon on a Farberware open hearth grill. But since my last 2 apartments had fuse issues, I quit using it and stopped keeping it around. But let me tell ya, 2 eggs + Bacon Grease + Cast iron Pan = Serious Good Chow
ReplyDeleteMy mom, grandma, & aunts all keep jars of it. I used to as well, but have been a vegetarian for a couple years, so no bacon for me. It's generally the recommended fat to season cast iron with, though, & if you eat bacon, is perfect for cooking eggs or greens in.
ReplyDeleteYup! But in the fridge. Every once in a while I pitch it and start fresh.
ReplyDeleteI remember the last generation keeping it under the sink in coffee cans. They seemed to survive.
I haven't in the past, but really starting to think I should. Just in case.
ReplyDeleteha ha at first I thought the photo was of icecream... silly me.. I don't eat a lot of bacon but no, I don't keep it. I hear it's really good for a lot of things, though.
ReplyDeleteWhen I make bacon, I use the grease to make hashbrowns and eggs, but I don't save it after that meal.
ReplyDeleteYES!!! its the essence of good southern food! I have a mug or jar in the fridge that I keep some in. My problem is that I forget that it's there. (this may sound terribly unhealthy) but I need to use bacon fat more often..hahaa. sooo....I wonder, how long is it good for if kept in the fridge?
ReplyDeleteOh yeah..try using it for the fat in roux..it takes any gravy to the next level.
ReplyDeleteI used to do that but not anymore! I know this is really delicious when in used for the second time. But not healthy to our heart! I mean this is OK for kids but not for our age.
ReplyDeleteso do you strain the bits out? Sometimes we'll get some bits that are black and crunchy and I'm thinking that would give it on off flavor to use in food. And I see some keep it in the fridge and some on the counter-if it gets warm in the kitchen, won't it go rancid? I have saved some and used it the same day for some flavoring, but never saved it longer than that
ReplyDeleteMost definately I keep the bacon fat - need it decent potato cakes (yes, I'm 1/4 Irish).
ReplyDeleteI also save fat from baked chicken pieces - for wonderfully crispy yet not fatty roast potatoes. I can't afford to buy goose or duck fat for roast veggies, so I hoard the fat from the chicken pieces I cook.
Both/either fats are only used once in a while, yet they keep so well in the fridge.
Super thanks for your post, Michelle downunder in Wellington,, NZ.
I do use bacon fat to fry my eggs, but only when I'm frying bacon with the eggs...I don't save it...my husband would have a fit if he saw it in the fridge. He does seem to enjoy those eggs though... ;)
ReplyDeleteI always THINK about saving it when I cook it, but have never gotten up the nerve...
ReplyDeleteYou have given me the push to save it!
Also, just came across your site...love it and I thought that grease was frosting and I was all...yummmm.
Danielle: It stays good for quite a long time. When it goes bad you can smell it, rancid fat is nasty. :/
ReplyDeletetamilyn: It does stay good longer in the fridge, but it will last for a few weeks. It's not a delicate substance. :)
Mickle: Nice, I have a bunch of chicken fat in the freezer too.
I do save it sometimes when I know I'll use it up soon.... I don't keep a jar of it normally.... but I do always have bacon in the house so if I need it... I cook some up and have a BLT.. and have the grease for what I need it for.
ReplyDeleteSo you are not alone!
I have bacon grasa in one container and grasa from roasted pork in another, and in a third I've got all the collagen from said roasted pork. They're my secret ingredients.
ReplyDeleteOh man, I should start now!
ReplyDeleteI don't but now I'm realizing I should!
ReplyDeleteI don't fry bacon very often, but I do keep the grease when I do. My mom always adds it to her green beans & they are delish!! I also heard that you can freeze it in ice cube trays, but I haven't tried that yet.
ReplyDeleteI never even thought of keeping it, but gee, I think I need to now!!
ReplyDeleteI don't save bacon grease, I use bacon salt ; seriously, I save other fats for flavor like chicken or lamb, to recycle in stews or stuffed veggies. I am not that into bacon, unlike millions who even like it in their ice-cream!
ReplyDeleteI don't do that but now I wish I did! I can certainly see it's usefulness! Nothing beats the flavor.
ReplyDeletei've never even thought to save it and to re-use it! wow. i am slow on that one. next time i make bacon (hopefully soon!) i'll remember to keep the grease in the fridge for future use.
ReplyDeleteNo, i've never kept it. Maybe I should start??
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't cook bacon all that often any more, when I do, I save the grease. My mother always had a coffee can full of it in the fridge. Words cannot describe how good potatoes are fried in bacon grease. OMG.
ReplyDeleteI've been really interested in clarifying leftover bacon grease- haven't tried it yet, and actually threw a ton of leftover grease away a few days ago thinking I would never get around to making it happen. I keep thinking it would be fun to bake with if I could clarify it into a purer product. Is this necessary? Anyone ever tried it?
ReplyDeleteDani: I've never tried clarifying it. I think it's about as rendered as it can get (although I'm not 100% on that), but it you wanted to pass it through some cheesecloth to get any bits out that would make it cleaner.
ReplyDeleteI have done some baking with it, although nothing fancier than bread, and it worked fine in that. I'm not sure how it would work in anything else, but I'd be interested to know. If you do try it, let me know how it works for you please!
I didn't used to. Then I read Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions,. Now I save it and use it use it freely without fear.
ReplyDeleteyes! I save my bacon fat...I see too many people have already had their say...
ReplyDeletecheers.
Oh yeah ... I've got a big mason jar of it in the fridge at all times! My mom ALWAYS used it for what we called "dirty eggs."
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! Hope you'll check out mine: www.spoonandshutter.com
Susan
very artistic shot of a substance which must not be wasted.
ReplyDeleteI have always saved bacon grease, because I prefer to use it to cook with. I can actually get away with using less of it than other oils/shortenings, because it seems "greasier". I like the taste. I usually just let it sit until the food particles separate out to the bottom, and just take the top. I have read about using a coffee filter to filter it, and have used one, but be prepared for a long wait. They filter slowly.
ReplyDeleteHow about a tutorial. Like, how should it be kept... should it be kept refrigerated? Container with lid? Etc...
ReplyDeleteI find if you bake your bacon in the oven your grease comes out cleaner. I always tend to burn or unevenly cook the bacon when I cook it on the stove top. If you over cook the bacon grease it doesn't taste good. and yes a little does go a long way as far as flavor, especially when making a roux for a soup.
ReplyDeletehttp://healthydietsandscience.blogspot.com/2011/06/lard-offers-protection-from-heart.html
ReplyDelete@ My Little Space: Actually, as usual, studies have shown that this isn't necessarily true. I've a feeling that a lot of their theories are not true. I'm a nurse, so I'm fairly familiar with it.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I'm a freeze-everything-kind-of-woman. I refrigerate it until chilled, scoop it out in tbs onto a tray to freeze, then put the balls in a bag and freeze. Actually, I put them in snack bag size bags, then put those in a freezer bag. This way it's easier to separate them out.
I used to use ice trays, but that's more work than it's worth. This way is much easier.
Ah man, I just threw my bacon grease in the trash. Cooking green beans with it sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteI keep my bacon grease in an opaque black grease container with a strainer I bought online. I keep it on the counter top, right near the stove. I don't use it much as I should , but when I do it's doesn't cause any issue's. It's probably 6 moths old and has no odor.
ReplyDelete