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How Long Does Bacon Last in the Fridge?
southernliving ^ | 2/7/2021

Posted on 02/09/2021 9:36:01 AM PST by mylife

Wasting good bacon is against the law in certain parts of the South—according to some people. So if you are reading this while sniffing or inspecting a package of bacon that's been in the back of your refrigerator for an indefinite amount of time, I'll get right to the point.

Whether you have opened the package or not, uncooked bacon will last for seven days in the fridge, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. That rule applies whether the bacon is thick-cut or thin, hickory or maple-smoked, the fancy stuff or the cheap stuff. You've got seven days.

Store it right. If you have leftover uncooked bacon, don't just put the opened package back in the refrigerator. Keep it from drying out (and making the other contents of your fridge smell like bacon) by storing it in a sealed container or resealable plastic ziplock bag, or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil.

Freeze it properly. If you can't eat enough BLT Salads and Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Bacon to finish a package of bacon in a week, your best bet is to freeze it. Although foods that are properly stored in a freezer are safe to eat indefinitely, the USDA recommends using frozen bacon within one month. Prevent freezer burn by wrapping the unopened package in a layer of aluminum foil (and label it with the date). If you tend to cook bacon in smaller amounts, flash-freeze individual strips so that they don't harden into a single slab and you can easily defrost as much as you need.

Once you're sure that the bacon is safe to eat, brush up on your bacon cooking basics. And if you're in need of some recipe inspiration, I recommend these Bacon Pancakes.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Food; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: bacon; foodstorage
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To: Dutch Boy

Really. What is “leftover bacon?”


21 posted on 02/09/2021 9:43:39 AM PST by Seruzawa (TANSTAAFL)
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To: PGR88

bacon is cured...left unopened in a sealed bag, can kept in the refrigerator, it should last forever.


22 posted on 02/09/2021 9:43:53 AM PST by cherry (410 to a measly 128....suck it up )
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To: DIRTYSECRET

I did that last year when I bought some meat market fresh bacon on discount (7 days already ticking). Cooked half of it all at once and froze the other half (since used).

Nothing wrong with it and it was CHEAP.

I’ll eat bacon but don’t normally buy it.


23 posted on 02/09/2021 9:44:18 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Call on Joe Biden to follow Donald Trump's example and donate his annual salary to charity. )
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To: mylife
What is this, the “buy more bacon” council?

I always thought bacon was close to salt pork. Civil war soldiers would carry salt pork for weeks at a time. Refrigerated salt pork will keep from months.

Of course dysentery probably killed as many civil war soldiers as bullets did...

24 posted on 02/09/2021 9:44:25 AM PST by Fido969 (,i.)
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To: Radix
What about eggs? Is it OK for eggs to be green?

I would not eat them here or there, I would not eat them anywhere.

25 posted on 02/09/2021 9:45:21 AM PST by PGR88
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To: Radix

The sauces that come out of a strip or 2 of bacon are tops. My chicken in red wine recipe mixes in good with rice.


26 posted on 02/09/2021 9:45:52 AM PST by DIRTYSECRET
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To: albie

It is a “cured” meat, so if it’s decently sealed up, it could last quite a bit longer than 7 days.

Now salami, that you could leave sitting around for a year and it would still be edible.


27 posted on 02/09/2021 9:46:03 AM PST by Boogieman
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To: DIRTYSECRET

Just eat the whole package and the problem is solved.


28 posted on 02/09/2021 9:46:08 AM PST by oldasrocks
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To: mylife

I’m slowly rotating some of my frozen meats to my fridge.

One month is pre-pandemic levels of what I held on to.

With financial uncertainty and questions of supply (plus some really good “FREE” coupons) last year, I’ve got a decent stockpile right now.


29 posted on 02/09/2021 9:46:53 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Call on Joe Biden to follow Donald Trump's example and donate his annual salary to charity. )
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To: Fido969

It takes 7 days just to cure bacon, curing preserves it, but its bad unopened in 7 days?

I call BS


30 posted on 02/09/2021 9:47:51 AM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: mylife

About 30 minutes...................


31 posted on 02/09/2021 9:48:01 AM PST by Red Badger (SLEAZIN' is the REASON for the TREASON .................................)
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To: Fido969

32 posted on 02/09/2021 9:48:12 AM PST by z3n
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To: Texas Eagle

LOL, someone asked me how long you can keep red wine after its opened, my mom laughed and said “he has no idea”


33 posted on 02/09/2021 9:49:32 AM PST by Jolla
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To: mylife

“This tastes too much like bacon” (said no one, ever).


34 posted on 02/09/2021 9:49:42 AM PST by Migraine ( Liberalism is great (until it happens to YOU).)
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To: mylife

The real challenge is not how long it lasts but why is it already gone.


35 posted on 02/09/2021 9:49:53 AM PST by Reno89519 (Buy American, Hire American! End All Worker Visa Programs. Replace Visa Workers w/ American Worker)
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To: mylife

smell it


36 posted on 02/09/2021 9:50:16 AM PST by LibertyWoman (Despite what your momma told you, violence does solve problems. American Sniper Chris Kyle)
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To: mylife

There’s wet cured bacon, and dry cured bacon. I’m not sure I would call wet cured bacon “real bacon”. It’s nasty. Dry cured bacon can be hung for the entire winter “open” in the right conditions.


37 posted on 02/09/2021 9:50:56 AM PST by Born to Conserve
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To: Dutch Boy

What is leftover bacon? Is that even possible?


That is my question. What is this “leftover bacon” of which they speak?


38 posted on 02/09/2021 9:51:20 AM PST by cuban leaf (We killed our economy and damaged our culture. In 2021 we will pine for the salad days of 2020.)
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To: mylife

As long as it isn’t green. If it is green, send it to the Biden Admin. They LOVE green stuff!


39 posted on 02/09/2021 9:51:23 AM PST by Mr Rogers
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To: Migraine

Indeed. I always worry about making things in the fridge taste like bacon /s


40 posted on 02/09/2021 9:51:53 AM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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