Thanks to its crispy texture and savory taste, bacon has been a favorite breakfast food for a long time. It’s also a bendy ingredient that may be used in many specific dishes, from sandwiches to salads to desserts.
But people often ask how to store pork correctly. How long does bacon last in the refrigerator before it goes bad? In this complete guide, we’ll talk about the things that affect how long bacon will last, how to store it, the risks of eating bad bacon, and more.
How Long Does Bacon Last in the Fridge?
How long bacon will last varies on several things, such as how it is packaged and how fresh it is. Let’s look at how long bacon stays good in different situations.
Cooked Bacon
If you’ve made bacon and have some leftovers, you can put it in the fridge. When stored in a jar with a tight lid in the fridge, cooked bacon usually stays good for 5 to 7 days. Freezing is a choice for long-term storage. Wrap the cooked bacon tightly in aluminum foil or put it in a container that can go in the freezer, and you can keep it there for up to 6 months.
Raw Bacon
Unopened bags of raw bacon can be stored in the fridge for about two weeks. But once you open the package, you should eat the bacon within a week. Pre-sliced bacon only lasts for a short time in the fridge, usually less than a week. You can freeze sliced bacon for up to 6 months to keep it fresh. Before you freeze it, please wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or position it in a freezer bag.
How to Properly Store Bacon in the Refrigerator
To keep your bacon safe and tasty, you must store it correctly. Here are some important tips:
Putting bacon in the fridge’s coldest part
Most of the time, the back or bottom shelf is the coolest part of the fridge. Don’t put bacon in the door of the fridge because the temperature changes when the door is opened and closed often.
How to wrap things right
Wrap your bacon tightly in plastic or metal foil to keep it as fresh as possible. This keeps air and wetness from getting to the food, speeding up the spoiling process.
Avoiding contact with other food items
Keep bacon in a single layer so that air can flow around it. It’s important to keep other foods in the fridge from getting spoiled. Bacon can be dried in a shallow container or on a plate packed with paper towels.
How Long Does Cooked Bacon Last in the Fridge?
If you have cooked bacon left over, you must put it in the fridge to keep it fresh. Cooked bacon can be kept in the fridge for 5 to 7 days in a sealed container. But it’s important to remember that the quality may go down after the fourth or fifth day, and the taste may need to be better.
Leaving the bacon out at room temperature overnight is not a good idea. It can make germs grow and make it more likely that the food will make you sick.
Eating bacon that has been out all night can make you unwell, throw up, have diarrhea, give you a fever, have chest aches, make you dehydrated, and give you belly cramps. If you’ve got these signs, you must see a health practitioner as soon as feasible.
Is It OK To Eat Expired Bacon?
Eating raw bacon or bacon that has gone bad can be very bad for your health. Bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, toxoplasmosis, trichinosis, and tapeworms can be found in raw bacon.
If you get sick from eating bad bacon, you might feel sick, throw up, have diarrhea, get a fever, have chest pain, feel dehydrated, and have stomach cramps. If you have any of these signs after eating bad bacon, you need to see a doctor immediately, especially if you are weak.
Can You Freeze Bacon?
If you want to keep bacon for longer, it’s easy to do so by putting it in the freezer. What you need to know is this:
Putting cooked bacon in the freezer
Please wait until the bacon is completely cool before putting it in a sealed container or tightly wrapping it in aluminum foil. Cooked bacon can be frozen for up to 6 months if it is stored the right way.
Freezing uncooked bacon
If you need to freeze raw bacon, tightly wrap it in plastic wrap or place it in a freezer bag. Bacon that is still raw can be kept in the freezer for 12 to 18 months.
To ensure the bacon thaws slowly and safely, it’s best to put it in the refrigerator. Once the bacon has thawed, cook it thoroughly to kill any bacteria that could be dangerous.
How to Know If Bacon Has Gone Bad
Finding out when bacon has gone bad is important for your safety. Here are some things you should look out for:
Odor
If your bacon smells sour, fishy, or rotten, it may be bad and should be thrown away.
Texture
Bacon that has gone bad can get slimy or spongy. This means the bacon is contaminated with germs, so it shouldn’t be eaten.
Changes in color
Fresh bacon is usually pink and has either white or yellow fat. If the bacon looks dark or gray or has a green or blue tint, it has gone bad and should be thrown out.
If you have any questions about how fresh your bacon is, it’s best to be safe and throw it away.
How to Make Sure Bacon Doesn’t Go Bad
Follow these rules to make sure your bacon stays fresh as long as possible:
Proper storage methods
You can keep your bacon in a Ziploc bag or a glass jar without air. This keeps the food from getting too much air and wetness, which can speed up the spoiling process.
Putting bacon in the fridge to store it
Wrap your bacon tightly in plastic wrap or metal foil and store it in the coldest part of your fridge. Please don’t put it in the fridge door to keep the temperature from changing. Make sure to keep the bacon in a single layer so that air can flow and not get contaminated.
If you open a box of bacon, eating it within a week is best to keep it as fresh as possible.
How Long Does Bacon Grease Last?
If you want to know how long bacon grease will last, here’s what you need to know:
You can keep bacon grease in the fridge or freezer for later use. It can last up to 6 months in the fridge. Bacon grease can be kept for 9 to 12 months if frozen.
It’s important to use the right containers to store bacon grease. Use sealed containers or glass jars to keep your food from getting contaminated by air.
We hope this guide has helped you learn more about how long bacon lasts in the fridge, how to store it, and how important it is to handle it correctly. Now it’s your turn to talk. What are your best ways to cook with bacon? Do you have any other tips for storing bacon? Let us know what you think and have done in the comments!
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