Everyone loves bacon, one of the most popular foods in the world—we all like crisp, salty, and delicious bacon that has been cooked to perfection. However, when bacon is cooked and there are leftovers, it is sad when they lose their beautiful crispiness when heated.
Fortunately, we are here to explain how to store cooked bacon so you can preserve its crispness and flavor for later use. The key to keeping your bacon as crispy as you like even after reheating is to store it correctly. This enables you to consume the bacon we all desire, even after several days of preservation. We’ll share every method with you because there are several alternative ways to accomplish this.
To keep cooked bacon fresh so you may eat it later, you must know how to store it properly. It can be difficult for some people not to eat all the bacon they can cook. However, those who frequently produce large quantities of bacon could come into leftovers they need to store. It is possible to keep cooked bacon to maintain its crispiness and flavor, mainly if you know how and for how long you plan to use your bacon.
How to Store Cooked Bacon?
The Oven is Your Friend For Short-Term Storage
When you hear “storage,” you typically think of a longer-term effort to preserve your bacon for a few days or weeks. However, good short-term storage is also crucial if you want to prevent the dreaded soggy effect. You can offer crispy bacon that tastes just as wonderful as freshly cooked to your family and friends by following a few easy instructions.
Consider the scenario when you’ve prepared bacon for a hearty weekend brunch or delectable appetizer treat, but your guests are running 30 minutes behind schedule. Do not worry! Instead, use the oven to keep those irresistible strips warm and crunchy. The range will let you keep your bacon crispy for up to a few hours whether you like to bake, pan-fry, or microwave it.
Put a baking rack in the middle and raise the temperature to 200°F. When ready to eat, spread your cooked strips on a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven. You can still take specific actions to keep your bacon crispy up until mealtime if you don’t want to preheat the oven.
First, don’t put a lid on your still-warm, fried bacon or cover it with a bowl or another airtight container. The covering will contain the moisture the steaming bacon releases, robbing it of its renowned crunch. Instead, use an absorbent towel or altogether avoid covering your bacon.
Cooked Bacon in the Refrigerator for a Medium-Term Storage
The best way to store cooked bacon to maintain its crispy texture and flavor is in the fridge. Bacon that has been cooked and refrigerated can stay cold for up to five days.
To keep it as fresh as possible, seal it in a plastic bag. This is how you do it:
1. Before placing bacon in a plastic bag, let it cool to room temperature.
2. Empty the bag of all the air, then place it inside your refrigerator.
3. Eat the chilled bacon in five days or less.
How to Store Cooked Bacon in the Freezer for Long-Term Use?
Freezing is the best option if you want to keep your bacon for longer than five days. Most techniques are comparable to preparing to put the bacon in the fridge. Start by cooking your bacon and using a paper towel to absorb any extra oil, grease, or liquid. Allow the bacon to cool to room temperature after removing the fluids.
After the bacon has cooled, arrange all of the pieces on a baking sheet or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. The bacon must now be flash frozen for three hours on this tray in your freezer. You can take the tray and the bacon out of the freezer when the three hours are up.
By doing this, you may store the bacon without worrying about it sticking to other bacon. Bacon can now be placed in Ziploc bags or sealed containers after being flash-frozen. You can take as many pieces as you need and set the remaining parts aside, making this ideal for portion control.
It is advised to combine three to four pieces and wrap them in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. Compared to simply storing them in an airtight container, this will offer additional protection against freezer burn. Use a straw to remove as much of the remaining air from the Ziploc bag as possible before sealing it.
Additionally, this will prevent freezer burn. On your container or bag, you should write the date. In this manner, you can predict when to freeze the bacon. It can be kept fresh for up to a month without going bad. But after that, the flavor and texture of the bacon will deteriorate.
Keeping Raw Bacon Safe
A week after its expiration date, packaged sliced bacon can be kept in the refrigerator in its unopened vacuum-sealed packaging. Use it within a week after it has been opened and hold it tightly wrapped in foil or a zip-top bag. Bacon in sealed packets can be frozen for up to a month before the fat starts to decay. For freezing, you can divide a bacon package into four servings. Make sure they are tagged with the date and wrapped extremely firmly in plastic wrap before being covered with foil. These individual frozen servings last for several weeks in the freezer. To minimize splatters during cooking, arrange to thaw bacon in the refrigerator in advance.
Thawing Cooked Bacon
You don’t need to thaw bacon since it is so thin; you can cook it right from the freezer. Use a microwave, cold water, or refrigerator to soften it if you want to. Don’t let the bacon defrost on the counter. If you thaw the bacon in the fridge, remove it from the freezer a few hours before serving. The slowest approach is this one. The bacon can be used once defrosted for 3–4 days. Put the bacon in a plastic bag and immerse it in cold water to utilize the cold water method. The bacon won’t get soggy because of the pack. Once defrosted, consume the bacon right away. Of the three techniques, the microwave is the fastest. You ought to finish the bacon right away after it has thawed.
Is Cooked Bacon Safe to Store?
Like most meats, bacon is susceptible to bacterial growth if kept at room temperature for an extended period since the conditions are ideal. However, bacon is unlikely to become moldy due to its low moisture and high salt concentration. Bacon can be kept for a while if placed in a setting that inhibits bacterial growth. The only thing to watch out for is rotten bacon grease. Although this is not unhealthy and won’t make you sick, it doesn’t taste perfect and spoils the bacon. It is better to discard the bacon if the fat has turned rancid.
Can Cooked Bacon Spoil?
There are probably some folks out there who have wondered, “Does bacon go bad?”
If mishandled, bacon can begin to go wrong, just like most raw meat. The type of bacon, how it is stored, and whether or not it is cooked can all affect how long bacon remains edible. Raw bacon can be kept in the fridge for up to a week after its declared expiration date if kept unopened, vacuum-sealed, packed, and sliced.
What is the Shelf Life of Cooked Bacon?
Most bacon products typically keep well in the refrigerator for up to two weeks and in the freezer for up to eight months. Uncooked bacon that has been unwrapped needs to be stored securely in foil or a zip-top bag and utilized within a week. Before the fat goes rancid and changes the flavor of raw bacon, it can be stored for up to a month, but it can also be preserved in the freezer for up to six months. Cooked bacon has a shorter shelf life and can be stored for up to a month, but it only keeps for around 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
How to Identify Rotten Cooked Bacon?
Knowing how to identify damaged cooked bacon will help you avoid having to throw away all that goodness and reduce the chance that you will consume spoiled food. You can tell the status of your cooked bacon just by giving it a good look. Your cooked bacon has already bad if it has a slimy texture and a slight gloss. Additionally, rotten cooked bacon will smell sour and unappealing. You can immediately tell whether your cooked bacon has gone bad just by looking at it and smelling it without having to eat it. If anything has gone wrong, throw it away immediately, no matter how tempted you are to give it another shot.
Can Fried Bacon be Consumed Cold?
You should be relieved to learn that cooked bacon is safe to consume even when it’s cold if you can’t wait to reheat it. As long as it is kept refrigerated, cooked bacon can be consumed. However, it still works well for cold salads, wraps, sandwiches, or as a quick snack straight from the fridge! Cold-cooked bacon can be chewy and lacking in crispiness.
Can you Reheat Bacon Leftovers?
To savor that beautiful, crispy bacon as if you had just cooked a fresh batch, you must adequately reheat leftover bacon. The easiest way to reheat cooked bacon is in the microwave, and the procedure for reheating cooked bacon in the microwave is detailed below:
1. Arrange your unused bacon strips in a single layer on a plate.
2. Use a paper towel to cover the plate.
3. After 20 to 60 seconds, you can check to see if the bacon is heated correctly by removing the plate from the microwave.
4. If it’s still not hot enough, microwave it for an additional 20 seconds.
5. When it’s hot enough, lay the reheated bacon strips on a towel and give them a moment to cool.
How Long can Cooked Bacon be Left Outside?
Generally speaking, cooked meats shouldn’t be exposed to the air for longer than two hours. Similar rules apply to cooked bacon: it shouldn’t be left at room temperature for more than two hours. Putting cooked bacon in the refrigerator is recommended because it keeps it there for much longer.
Conclusion
You may find if no one has scooped up the leftover savory strips as a snack after enjoying a meal loaded with the salty crunch of bacon.
