After you’ve finished cooking a batch of bacon the right way, you’re going to be left with a heaping helping of grease. Having fully gorged on too many slabs of the stuff, you might be tempted to toss the remnants of your bacon feast, but I’d urge you to save most or all of that rich pork fat for future use.
Bacon grease is packed with a salty, slightly smoky taste that you can use to add an umami bang to any number of dishes and recipes. And because it’s so dense with flavor, you’ll only need a small amount to make your next stir fry or skillet of scrambled eggs sing.
You’ll hang on to some of that leftover bacon grease if you know what’s good for ya.
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Here’s how to store leftover bacon grease and seven amazing ways to use bacon fat in the kitchen.
Most nonmetal containers will melt or crack when hot bacon grease is poured in, but this silicon bacon bin is resistant up to 500 degrees F.
Bacon Bin
First things first: You’ll want to store your bacon grease properly for future use. While it shouldn’t spoil, we still recommend keeping it in the fridge since it may have pieces of pork running throughout.
Keep it in a metal can and cover it since the pungent bacon smell can permeate other foods in the fridge. If you’re going to store it in a glass or plastic container, wait for the grease to cool completely before you transfer it.
This $16 silicone bacon bin has a built-in strainer to sift out the bacon bits.
Season a cast-iron skillet
Add a teaspoon of bacon fat to your next stir fry and thank me later.
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The next time you’re whipping up a quick stir fry for dinner, toss in a teaspoon of bacon grease to punch up the flavor. Don’t go overboard or you’ll end up with an overly greasy dish and a bacon flavor dominating all.
Add savory richness to a batch of cornbread or cookies
Add bacon fat to bourbon, shake and freeze. Then separate the solidified fat from the booze and you’ve got something special.
Free Spirits
I don’t know who originated the concept of adding bacon fat to bourbon, but I’d like to buy them a drink. Fat-washing booze is simple, just add an ounce or two of liquified bacon fat to a bottle of bourbon. Shake and let it hang out in the fridge or freezer for a few days. Strain the solidified fat out of the bourbon with a mesh strainer and you’re left with seriously smoky brown booze to drink neat or use in cocktails.
Use bacon fat to make scrambled eggs
Add some bacon fat to your cooking oil the next time you fry a piece of meat.
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You won’t want to use bacon grease alone to saute foods, but you should consider adding a little to your cooking oil of choice, be it olive oil, flaxseed oil, avocado oil or another.
Make bacon air fryer Brussels sprouts
Don’t put bacon grease down the drain. It’s about the fastest way to clog it up.
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If you pour even one batch of bacon grease down the kitchen sink, you’ll likely be on the phone with a plumber before the week’s over.
