Can Bacon Be Frozen?

Bacon is a day-to-day item for the grocery list and can be found in many houses, whether you are having it for breakfast, as a sandwich snack, or as part of a meal.

One of the foods that need to be eaten immediately after purchase is bacon. The bacon will last around 2 weeks in the fridge, which is pretty decent.

Bacon can be frozen. You’ll want to use small pieces and freeze them in a zip lock bag. 

Once it is frozen, place it in a freezer-safe container or wrap in aluminum foil and place it in a freezer.

It will last around one week in the refrigerator once it is opened. 

Unopened bacon that is frozen will last around 8 months, while opened bacon that is frozen will last around 6 months.

It can be worth it since it lasts a lot more than the time it lasts in the refrigerator.

If you want to know how to freeze bacon, how to store it, and how to thaw it, then you should stick around.

How Can I Freeze Uncooked Bacon?

It is possible to freeze bacon without a problem so that it is preserved for a long period.

If you bulk buy your bacon, you can keep all the extra in the freezer until you are ready to eat it. It would be better if you didn’t have to worry about it during the weekly shop.

You might think that you can just throw the bacon in the freezer and forget about it. That will freeze and preserve the bacon in a way.

It is important to freeze it in a more appropriate way for the best results. How do you freeze bacon that is not cooked?

It is time to get right into it! There are two main ways in which you can freeze your bacon, and it depends on whether it’s opened or not.

It is a lot easier to freeze if the bacon is still in its original packaging. Place the pack of bacon in the freezer after you take it.

It doesn’t need a freezer hand, so you could place it in one before. If you put bacon in the freezer, we recommend you label it so you know when you put it there.

It takes a bit more of a process to freeze bacon that has been opened, so let’s focus on that.

Bacon

Step by step

  • It’s a good idea to think about whether you want to freeze all of the bacon, or just a few.
  • The pack is already open so you can pick and choose how much you want to freeze! You have to take the slices of bacon that you want to freeze.
  • Roll each slice individually into a small coil, like turning it into a shell of a snail. It’s a great way to save space in the freezer, and it also helps freeze the bacon slices.
  • Take a small tray and place it on a baking sheet. Place the bacon on the tray and make sure they don’t touch each other during the freezing process.
  • The tray has to be retrieved from the freezer after a few hours. The bacon should be completely encased in ice.
  • You can now put them in a freezer-safe bag or container when you take them out of the tray.
  • If you want, you can use several bags or containers to store bacon, as this will allow you to store a certain amount at a time.
  • You should label and date the containers and bags that are in the freezer. It is important to know how long something has been in the freezer, as it will not last forever.
  • The bacon slices should be put in the freezer with the bags and containers. They can stay there for up to a year.
  • It’s recommended that you eat the bacon within 6 months to get the best taste.

It is possible to freeze bacon once it has been opened. You need to make sure that you consume it after you thaw it.

It is fine to freeze bacon, but it is not a good idea to freeze it more than once.

How Can I Defrost Uncooked Bacon?

When your bacon is frozen in the freezer, you have more time to eat it. When you are ready to cook and eat bacon, you will need to thaw it first.

The trickiest part of freezing food is when it is re-warmed. Food can go bad in the process of being re-warmed, so it is important to do it properly.

Especially foods with bacon in them. You could end up with food poisoning if you don’t thaw your raw meat right.

We are going to show you how to thaw bacon, step by step, by guiding you through the process.

Depending on how much of a hurry you are in, there are different ways in which you can thaw bacon.

One of the easiest ways to thaw bacon is to leave it in the refrigerator overnight. This is the best option to thaw bacon that is still in its original packaging.

It can be kept in the refrigerator for another day or two after it is re-thawed. It is easy to cook bacon as normal for consumption.

Wouldn’t it be better to thaw the bacon a little quicker, instead of waiting?

Defrosting in cold water and using the microwave are two other main methods. You should cook the bacon immediately after using either of the methods.

Bacon

Using a Microwave:

  • Use a paper towel to absorb the excess water and bacon fat as the bacon thaws.
  • The bacon slices should be spread out as much as possible to make sure they get properly defrosted.
  • If you freeze them up in coils, you should be able to spread them out on the plate a lot better.
  • We recommend you put another paper towel on top of the bacon to make sure you don’t end up with any fat in the microwave.
  • The bacon should be placed in the microwave and the meat button placed. The right timer will be set when this is done.
  • Set the timer for five minutes and check if it’s working.
  • The timer needs to be set to another 5 minutes if it isn’t fully defrosted. Once the bacon is cooked, it can be kept in the refrigerator for another 5 days.

Using Cold Water:

  • You can go ahead with the next step if the frozen bacon is still in its original closed packaging.
  • If you don’t, you will have to put the frozen bacon pieces into a plastic bag. A bag similar to the one pictured can also work.
  • Take the sink or a bowl with cold water and put the watertight bag inside.
  • The water must be cold and not warm, as it might cause the bacon to be contaminated with dangerous bacteria.
  • After 30 minutes, the bacon should be ready to eat. If that isn’t the case, change the water and leave it for a while until it thaws.
  • Once cooked, the bacon can be kept in the refrigerator for up to another 5 days.

Storing Uncooked Bacon

The risk of food poisoning from uncooked bacon is very high because it is highly susceptible to bacteria that could lead to food poisoning if it is not stored appropriately.

To be on the safe side, we are going to go over the basics of how to store bacon in different places.

The first thing that you need to know is that bacon should never be left in a room at room temperature.

If it is out at room temperature for too long, it is at risk of breeding harmful bacteria and giving you food poisoning.

There are only two ways in which you can store bacon, the fridge, and the freezer. The bacon will last for a certain amount of time depending on the way it is stored.

In the Fridge:

  • Unopened bacon: up to 2 weeks
  • Opened bacon: up to 1 week

In the Freezer:

  • Unopened bacon: up to 8 months
  • Opened bacon: up to 6 months

It is not recommended to leave the bacon in the freezer for more than a year, as the bacon will not taste good.

Can I freeze uncooked bacon?

It has been established that bacon can be frozen and preserved for a longer time. But a more important question is whether or not you should.

Like most things in life, there are pros and cons to each decision. It is up to you, whether or not to freeze your bacon.

Pros:

  • The bacon is going to last a long time.
  • You will have up to 12 months to eat the bacon, there is no pressure to consume it within two weeks.
  • You can freeze bacon in its original packaging, which is very fast and easy.
  • You can freeze bacon that has not been opened, as many or as few slices as you want.
  • As long as the bacon is left in the freezer for less than the recommended amount of time, it will taste just as good.

Cons:

  • The bacon will not be as nice if it is left in the freezer for a long time.
  • If you don’t properly thaw the bacon, you run the risk of it breeding harmful bacteria that could give you food poisoning.
  • If the bacon is opened, you need to go through a pre-freeze process to ensure that it is properly frozen, which might take more effort than you are willing to put in.

Conclusion

We need to sum up everything that we have covered. Is it possible to freeze uncooked bacon? Yes, you can.

You can freeze it if it has already been opened, or if it is still in its original packaging.

The only difference is that the bacon needs a bit more preparation.

Uncooked bacon can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, but it can be kept in the freezer for up to 12 months so that it can be consumed later.

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