Bacon is the star ingredient in all kinds of dishes, from pasta to salads. If you love bacon, then you’ve probably thought about stocking up when shopping on sales. But what to do with so much bacon? Can you freeze it?
In short, yes you can. And when done properly, you won’t notice the difference between thawed and newly bought bacon. Now, let’s get more detailed about how to freeze bacon.
Can You Freeze Bacon?
It’s good to know that one of the most loved breakfast ingredients can be frozen. So if somehow you end up with bacon leftovers, you can store them in the freezer for an extended period of time. And the best part is that you can freeze both fresh and cooked bacon, with a few slight differences between the two methods. For that reason, we’re going to discuss them separately.
How To Freeze Fresh Bacon
Bought a few pounds of fresh bacon on a sale and don’t know how to store it? Well, you can’t go wrong with freezing it. Ideally, you should put it in the freezer while still in the original packaging, because that way it can stay fresh for more than two months.
But if you’ve already opened it, don’t worry. You just need a plastic wrap, and you can safely store it in the freezer for a month or two. What you need to do is wrap the bacon as tight as you can. This will get most of the air out, so it can prevent freezer burn and stay fresh for longer while frozen. To be extra safe, you can put the wrapped bacon into a freezer bag as well. Just make sure to get all the excess out before storing it away. Finally, you can go with a plastic container as well, as long as you have enough space in your freezer for it.
If you’ve already opened the packaging, you might as well go ahead and cut the bacon into smaller pieces or even slices. That way, you don’t need to thaw more bacon than you need for a specific meal at a time. You can refreeze uncooked bacon multiple times, but only if it thawed slowly in the refrigerator. If you’ve left it to thaw at room temperature, there’s a possibility of a bacterial infestation. In this case, you’ll have to cook it first before putting it back into the freezer.
Ideally, you want to eat your bacon within two months of the storage date. This, however, doesn’t mean it goes bad after that time. But, it loses in flavor and texture the longer it stays frozen.
How To Freeze Bacon Once Cooked
The great thing about bacon is that you can also freeze it cooked. This means less food waste and less cooking time in the future. It goes without saying that you should always drain it and leave it to cool off. For storing, we’re going to use the same thing we did in the method above, and that’s plastic wrap. It’s your best tool for combating freezer burn, and doesn’t take up extra space as containers do.
It’s also advisable that you cut your bacon into smaller chunks and store them individually. As for the shelf life, cooked bacon doesn’t get bad easily. You can use it three months past the storing date, and your bacon will be fresh and flavorful. In fact, you can probably use it up to six months after, depending on how well it’s stored.
The great thing about cooked bacon is that you don’t have to wait for it to thaw slowly. If you’re ready to cook, just put frozen bacon into the pot, and the heat will do the rest. Or, you can warm it up in the microwave prior to cooking. Either way, you get your bacon thawed within minutes.
The Increase In Saltiness
One thing you should keep in mind is that there’s a possibility that bacon will be saltier once thawed. This doesn’t mean it’s gone bad. Thawing melts ice crystals that have formed while the bacon was in the freezer. So as the crystals melt, the salt stays behind.
Summary
Now that you know you can safely freeze both fresh and cooked bacon, go ahead and stock up. If stored properly, you can have up to six months of bacon supply in your freezer.
