Bacon grease - are you a strainer or a bacon bits keeper?

[fldhkybnva]

My grandmother never strained bacon grease and so I have never done it but with my new recent fascination with the stuff, and thus trying to find new ways to use it I'm reading that a lot of people strain it. Are you a strainer or a bacon bits keeper? Do you find that the bacon bits cause any issues with it perhaps getting rancid more quickly? I think I'll stay in the non-strainer camp, but just wanted to find out what others like to do.

[Chazz27]

I found a grease container at kitchen store that has a strainer on top. I do use it and I keep mine in the refrigerator. Years ago (many) I kept grease in an old coffee can on the stove. It never went bad.

[THoey1963]

My mom used to keep two cans on the stove. One can for her current (fresh) lard / Crisco and an empty to poor bacon grease into. Just through a lid on it and kept it there. Never remember any issues with it going bad.

[JerryMe]

I bake mine in the oven and I typically don't have 'bits' so I'll go in the non-strainer camp. I would, however, strain if there were indeed bits. I use the fat for cookie recipes as well as greasing a pan and therefore, I wouldn't want bits.

[Tonality666]

I don't strain, and unfortunately, I don't use the refrigerated bacon fat nearly often enough. How long can one expect to keep bit-enhanced bacon fat in the fridge? Weeks? Months? Longer? I usually end up discarding it after several months and starting over.

[JerryMe]

I've never had it go bad. The canning jar in the frig is at least six months old and I'd have no problem pulling it out and using it.

[wapfcat]

We're only just finishing ours up and it's been in the fridge for over a month now, at least. I would definitely judge by smell; if it smells "off" at all, then don't use it, but if nothing's growing and it smells like it's supposed to, then it's fine.

[Uncle Bob]

I have this 'thingy' ...I think designed for the purpose...it catches bit's and pieces...nothing like a food strainer or coffee filter though. So in broad terms I 'strain' it. ~~ Never had any go rancid.

[kengk]

I don't strain it but I do pour into my grease jar carefully to keep as many of the bits out as possible.

I keep it in the refrigerator and have never had any go bad.

[tcamp]

That is exactly how I handle it.

[juliejulez]

This is what I do also.

[jrvedivici]

Don't strain......if your keeping it long enough for it to go rancid then you need to cook something with it sooner!

[chloebell]

I don't strain either. And, it freezes very well. Therefore, no going bad.

[fldhkybnva]

Do you keep it in the freezer all the time?

[chloebell]

Sure do. I've never had a problem. :)

[fldhkybnva]

Can you use it straight from the freezer? I just wonder as I'm not familiar with the physical properties of bacon at freezer temperatures.

[chloebell]

Yes. For instance, if I'm going to fry eggs and/or bacon, I stick a fork into it to break it up, heat up the pan and there you go!

[fldhkybnva]

Easy, peasy thanks

[treb]

filter, it's more versitile with out the debris!

[Hank Hanover]

I strain it because the bis tend to burn.

[MsMaryMc]

+1

That's exactly what I was going to say.

[fldhkybnva]

What's your method? Does a coffee filter work or will the grease not pass through?

[MsMaryMc]

I use a fine mesh metal strainer. A few very small bits get through, but it's not enough to worry about.

[Sal Vanilla]

The filter would eat up the grease! You COULD pour it into a clear container and then when it hardens skim off all that is not bits (bits go to the bottom). THEN use those bits and their grease to make crust or a spinach salad dressing or fry up an egg...

[jaykayen]

No, I don't strain bacon grease, but I will strain my fry oil.

I don't keep grease more than a week out. Longer than that I will freeze.

[Sal Vanilla]

I leave the bits. I have never had bacon grease go rancid.

A while back I witnessed someone dumping what amounted to probably 2 cups of bacon grease into the garbage. I had to go have a lie down and demanded my husband deliver cold compresses and some sort of chocolate.

Sorry, had to get that out. I still suffer flashbacks. Talking it out helps.

[jeanmarieok]

I don't strain mine, either - it has never gone rancid on me, either.

[NonnieMuss]

I had to clutch my pearls just imagining that. The horror! I don't strain either, and have never had any go rancid. When I last moved some friends came over to help with lamps, framed pictures, fridge stuff etc. that I didn't want to trust to the moving company. I put a (Yankee) friend in charge of the bacon grease. She is still not over it.

[fldhkybnva]

I love it! I just recently got into bacon grease and I think it'd be on my list of "in the car with me" items during a move.

[Sal Vanilla]

Oh my gosh. Thanks for the laughs... beginning to end.

[lisavf]

Our refrigerator died on us last week, and one of the first things I rescued was my bacon grease! I think I would have been devastated by losing that more than anything else in my refrigerator. I can buy more milk, but it took me YEARS to get all the layers in my bacon grease container!

And to answer the OP, I don't strain, but when I'm pouring it off into the container, I stop when it gets too gritty. I don't mind a little bit of "bits" though.

[ipsedixit]

I strain because it lasts longer.

The first thing to go rancid are the bacon bits.

Also, I reserve the bacon bits to mix into my Panko ...

[fldhkybnva]

Now that sounds like a good idea.