Bacon is a staple in most households. It adds a delicious flavor to any meal, but buying it all the time can add up to some pricey bacon. But have no fear! Here’s why you should start freezing your bacon today and how to do so without wasting a bit of that delicious meat.
Can You Freeze Bacon? Yes, you can! Just like most types of meat, you can freeze bacon to extend its shelf-life. Freezing is one of the most accessible and best-known methods of food preservation. This is because temperatures below zero prevent the growth and reproduction of bacteria that can cause spoilage.
Unlike freezing vegetables like broccoli or spinach, it is easier to have bacon in the freezer because you don’t have to worry about damaging its quality, taste. You just have to avoid repeated freezing and thawing because this decreases the water-fraction of the meat. Low water-fraction results in the bacon losing its crispness and texture.
Can You Freeze Bacon?
Normally, bacon can be stored in the refrigerator for about seven days. However, you have to cook the entire pack within that period or else you might end up with spoilage. With freezing, you can extend its freshness for up to two months with proper preparation.
At this point, it’s not just a question of whether you can freeze bacon or not. In fact, you should do it! The price of bacon in the market seasonally spikes up because of increasing demand for the product, so buying in bulk and storing it is cheaper than always buying a new pack.
Several kinds of fried recipes also now come in bacon wraps. It would be wise to buy as much as you can when the prices are still low or whenever there are two-for-one promos in your trusted store.
Perhaps the most important consideration in preserving bacon is the freezing and defrosting cycle. Thawing a pack of bacon repeatedly and exposing it to air several times encourages bacterial growth, thus decreasing its shelf-life.
An important thing to remember when handling food, in general, is that bacteria rapidly multiply when the meat is exposed to air at room temperature. Thus, it is important to thaw it inside the refrigerator and not on the kitchen counter.
Separating a frozen strip of bacon from the rest when you just want to prepare a quick BLT or pasta might also be difficult. To avoid this hassle, you may have to portion your bacon into smaller amounts so you could get what you only need at the time.
How to Freeze Bacon?
You can simply stash your bacon in the freezer while it is inside its original packaging. However, this means that you have to cook all of them up after they are thawed. It would be wise to store them in the freezer in such a way that you can get just the number of slices that you need. This will take a few simple steps:
- Buy a fresh pack of bacon. Make sure you checked for the expiration date.
- Prepare a sheet of wax paper. Put a strip of bacon along the paper’s short edge and fold it completely so that it covers both sides of the bacon strip.
- Lay another strip of bacon on top of your previous fold. It’s like making a wax paper accordion with strips of meat at every fold. Repeat the process with all the remaining strips.
- Now, put the wax paper-covered strips in a food bag. Ziploc containers will also do the trick. Make sure to squeeze out as much air as possible from the bag before storing it.
That’s it! You can forget the hassle of bacon slices sticking with each other or being forced to cook the entire pack after thawing. If you have no wax paper, you can neatly roll each slice of bacon into coils that look like snails.
How To Use Up Extra/Leftover Bacon?
Bacon is a delicious and versatile food that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. But what do you do when you have extra bacon? Here are five delicious ways to use up your leftover bacon:
- Make a BLT – The classic sandwich made with bacon, lettuce, and tomato is always a good option when you have extra bacon. Just add the ingredients to some bread, and you’ve got a delicious meal in no time.
- Make a breakfast burrito – Breakfast burritos are a great way to use up extra bacon. Just add some scrambled eggs, cheese, and salsa to a tortilla, and you’ve got a tasty and filling meal.
- Use it as a pizza topping – Bacon makes a great topping for pizza. Just add it to your favorite pizza recipe, and you’ll have a delicious and unique pie in no time.
- Make bacon-wrapped chicken – This is a delicious and easy way to use up extra bacon. Just wrap some bacon around some chicken breasts, and you’ve got a tasty meal that’s sure to please.
- Add it to a salad – Bacon is a great way to add flavor and texture to a salad. Just add some crumbled bacon to your favorite salad recipe, and you’ll have a tasty and satisfying dish in no time.
So there you have it – five delicious ways to use up your leftover bacon. Next time you find yourself with extra bacon, try one of these recipes and enjoy!
Bacon Recipes
There are numerous quick meals that you can prepare from your freshly thawed bacon. Its flavor and juices go well with this pasta with bacon and garlic.
If you want a heavy and protein-rich breakfast, you can always mix bacon with some bread, eggs, and butter. This mouth-watering French toast recipe is also very effortless to cook.
Finally, if you’re into baking, you can try out making these muffins with bacon topped with basil and parmesan cheese.
Wrap Up
Hope you have picked up tips and tricks for storing your bacon so that its freshness lasts as long as possible without having to cook up all of those strips at once or risking bacterial growth from repeated defrosting cycles.