How long can you actually keep bacon?
Of course, you can simply check the packaging when you buy bacon at the supermarket and want to know how long it will keep. But preferably—and then you can really count yourself lucky—you go hunting for a beautiful paper package of freshly sliced bacon from a real butcher. In France, for example, or closer to home (if you live in Haarlem or Amsterdam), at the market, from Berkshire Butcher, for instance. And then you get home and realise you forgot to ask how long you can keep it…
Or the answer came in unintelligible French dialect, and now you’re afraid you’ll have to fry and eat all that bacon in one go (admit it, there are worse things)? No problem, we have some advice.
Bacon with a protective coating
Bacon is cured (whether it is smoked afterwards or not). This means it is treated with salt, and that salt slows down the natural process of spoilage. Unfortunately, not for a very long time, but enough to let you keep it just a little longer than, for example, a small piece of fricandeau.
Make hay while the sun shines…
A good guideline to follow is that you can keep it in the fridge for up to a week. In the freezer (yes, you can—there are plenty of things you wouldn’t expect that you can keep in the freezer!) it will keep for up to two months. And once it has been fried (try doing that using this splash-free method), you can keep it refrigerated for another five to seven days. Just heat it up before using it again.
Trust your senses too
As always, use your senses to assess whether something is no longer edible. Smell it, look closely and feel whether it is very sticky (on the least fatty part). The latter is a sign that mould may soon develop; if it smells sour or turns grey, throw it in the bin. But hopefully you’ll notice it well before that point, and you’ll soon be enjoying a perfectly fried egg with bacon!
Also read:
- Fry healthier bacon with this gadget
- The ultimate brunch toastie to go with your Bloody Mary
- Fatty pork is healthy
