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.
