save your bacon

Anyone who has cooked bacon has seen the incredible amount of fat that accumulates in the pan. Municipalities have realized that this type of grease is wreaking havoc on their septic lines and will often encourage citizens to refrain from flushing grease down the drain. Maybe I’ll save it in an old soup can to throw away. However, there are a few ways to reuse the fats and rich flavors left over from cooking bacon to your advantage.

Let the pan cool to the point where you can touch it without burning yourself. Place a thick metal spoon or knife in a jar and pour the fat into a jar. The spoon will act as a heat sink and disperse heat, preventing the cold jar from breaking if the fat is too hot. Remove knife, chill, seal, and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

If you have dogs, try this skillet cleaning hack. Place a cup or two of the dry food in the pan, add a little hot water from the kettle, and let it soak until all the liquid with the flavor attached is absorbed by the food. Store it in a container in the fridge and add it to your dog’s dish at mealtimes in the amount he is comfortable with. You will find this to be a great help in cleaning up grease and anything that has gotten stuck in the pan.

For those who don’t have dogs in the family, add a couple of tablespoons of hot water from the kettle to the pan and let any cooking residue release for a few minutes. Scrape down the bottom with a spatula, then wipe the pan clean with a paper towel. You can compost or place the scrapes and towels in the trash can.

So how can you use the reserved bacon grease? Simply replace half the butter called for in any cookie, cornbread or bannock recipe and enjoy its rich flavor. To add some flavor and prevent sticking, melt a teaspoon or two in a skillet (instead of oil) when you’re cooking patties, sausages, stewing, or sautéing beef. Start your next batch of bacon with – yep! – bacon grease… prevents cold rashers from sticking to a hot, dry pan.

As you can see, there is a lot of ‘cents’ (pun intended) to be made for repurposing bacon grease this way.