DOES bacon have to be frozen?

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georgevan

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I was under the impression that bacon would keep indefinitely in the fridge without having to be frozen. What do you think?
 
I wouldn't say"indefinitely". As bacon is a cured and smoked product, it has a longer shelf life that fresh meats. Also, it's vacuum packed.

I recommend going by the date on the package and freezing it unopened if you need to keep it longer than the package date.
 
Anytime I purchase a package of bacon, I roll it up, 2 slices at a time, in Saran wrap (this is my way of portioning it out) then put all the 2-sllice packets into a zipper bag and freeze them.

I've never just tossed a package of bacon into the fridge and tried to keep it indefinitely. Bacon will eventually go bad if left in the fridge too long.
 
As a single person I could never use up a whole package of bacon befor eit would turn. You will notice a smell for sure when it turns (but not guaranteed! not all nasty have an odor)

So I buy when on special. Open and layer out single pieces on a cookie sheet (with either plastic wrap or parchment), freeze, then into a zipper bag ready to take as many pieces as needed.

My son freezes packages straight from the store but he has a full family and the package, once open is used quickly.
 
As a single person I could never use up a whole package of bacon befor eit would turn. You will notice a smell for sure when it turns (but not guaranteed! not all nasty have an odor)

So I buy when on special. Open and layer out single pieces on a cookie sheet (with either plastic wrap or parchment), freeze, then into a zipper bag ready to take as many pieces as needed.

My son freezes packages straight from the store but he has a full family and the package, once open is used quickly.

This is a great idea as well.
 
I buy my bacon from Costco. We get a three pack bundle of Oscar Mayer hardwood smoked bacon. The unopened 1-pound packs go into the freezer. When I cook bacon, I bake two pounds at a time and freeze the cooked bacon that we don't eat that day. It's easy to take a couple (who am I kidding 4 or 5) frozen strips and microwaving them for a breakfast or sandwich.
 
I have never frozen a package of bacon. I have never frozen any cooked bacon either. I buy 2 pounds of thick sliced bacon, put them on racks in baking sheets, and bake them at 375F for 22 minutes. I then transfer them to paper towels, drain off the bacon juice into my bacon squeezin' container and allow them to cool. Once cooled, I place them in a ziplock bag and put them in the fridge in the same drawer as lunch meat and cheese. I have never had any last long enough to even think about going bad.
 
I don't like bacon alone, but when we do make it, we do the whole package.

I do like it on burgers and blt's or other sandwiches.

Just not on its own.
 
Have a friend who also cooks the entire pack and then takes what's needed, when needed.

I'm afraid that package would last me two days, 3 days max. :ermm:
 
I used to cook the entire pack, then freeze the slices individually. But that got to be tiresome, standing at the stove cooking whole packs of bacon. So that's when I started freezing it raw, 2 slices per portion, and just pulling it when I need it and cook it at that time.

I suppose (for cooking it before it freezing it) baking it would be easier, laying it all out on a pan and cooking it all at once. But I haven't tried that yet. I'm a little paranoid of putting bacon in the oven. I mean, won't your oven walls get splattered with 10 pounds of bacon grease that you'll have to clean off? Or, worse, yet, start a fire?
 
Uncooked bacon does have a shelf life. I have seen green mold on bacon. Of course it does last longer if unopened, but not indefinitely. Portion, and freeze, taking as much air from the freezer bag as possible.

Even cooked bacon will go bad over time. Remember, even if microbes don't spoil it, there's lots of fat to react with oxygen and go rancid.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
I used to cook the entire pack, then freeze the slices individually. But that got to be tiresome, standing at the stove cooking whole packs of bacon. So that's when I started freezing it raw, 2 slices per portion, and just pulling it when I need it and cook it at that time.

I suppose (for cooking it before it freezing it) baking it would be easier, laying it all out on a pan and cooking it all at once. But I haven't tried that yet. I'm a little paranoid of putting bacon in the oven. I mean, won't your oven walls get splattered with 10 pounds of bacon grease that you'll have to clean off? Or, worse, yet, start a fire?

I asked about the grease on the inside of the oven. I think it was Andy who said that if, you have a self-cleaning oven, it's not a problem. Sadly, I don't.
 
I asked about the grease on the inside of the oven. I think it was Andy who said that if, you have a self-cleaning oven, it's not a problem. Sadly, I don't.

I have a self-cleaning oven, but will never use that feature again. Because of how hot it gets, it literally loosened the glass on the oven door and my oven, which is fairly new, has been screwing up ever since, including displaying F1 errors on my control panel.

I think I'll just stick to cooking bacon in a pan.
 
I mostly use bacon as a flavoring, usually one to three half slices at a time.
The frozen storage scheme I've been using for a couple of years is cutting the whole slab in half. Then laying three half slices per layer in a 5" square Rubbermaid container. Each layer is separated by a ~5" square of the thick plastic the bacon came in. Cutting layer separators from the original packaging is a big improvement over the earlier version using wax or parchment paper.

I use the Kroger Simple Truth brand uncured bacon, hardwood smoked with no nitrates or nitrites.
 
I suppose (for cooking it before it freezing it) baking it would be easier, laying it all out on a pan and cooking it all at once. But I haven't tried that yet. I'm a little paranoid of putting bacon in the oven. I mean, won't your oven walls get splattered with 10 pounds of bacon grease that you'll have to clean off? Or, worse, yet, start a fire?
No. I've been baking bacon for years and it's not a big deal. There is a little splatter, but most of the grease stays on the baking sheet. I cook it at 400F. That's not hot enough to cause a fire.

Using the self-cleaning feature should not cause problems with your oven - they're designed to withstand the high heat. I would contact the manufacturer and find out if it can be replaced.
 
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No. I've been baking bacon for years and it's not a big deal. There is a little splatter, but most of the grease stays on the baking sheet. I cook it at 400F. That's not hot enough to cause a fire.

Using the self-cleaning feature should not cause problems with your oven - they're designed to withstand the high heat. I would contact the manufacturer and find out if it can be replaced.

Well, the oven's over 5 years old and out of warranty now, so I doubt they'd offer me a new one. They'll probably call it 'user error'.

Thanks for the tips on the bacon. I'll try it one time to see how it works out.
 
I asked about the grease on the inside of the oven. I think it was Andy who said that if, you have a self-cleaning oven, it's not a problem. Sadly, I don't.

Everything you cook in the oven contributes to a greater or lesser extent to soiling the oven. Eventually it will have to be cleaned. So there is a trade-off between cooking a pound or two of bacon at once vs. needing to clean the oven more often than usual. Only you can make that choice.

For me, the convenience of having bacon available with a quick zap in the microwave for breakfast, BLTs, salads, etc. is worth it. If you have to clean your oven manually, that could swing the balance away from cooking bacon in the oven.
 

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