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freezing bacon

preparing bacon to freeze

This one might be something a lot of you do already, but if you don’t please allow me to recommend that the next time you buy bacon you get an extra package to squirrel away in the freezer. It leads to happy Saturday mornings like this one:

Him: Let’s make french toast. Do we have something to go with it?
Me: Let me check the freezer… YES! WE HAVE BACON!

preparing bacon to freeze

I cut the whole package of bacon in half only because I find it easier to separate later (it also is easier to cook crispy when you don’t have to worry about the other end burning). I cut a strip of parchment paper the width of the bacon then put a strip down, fold over, put another strip down, fold that over, etc. Put it in an airtight container in the freezer and when you need some you simply unroll the package and pop out a few strips at a time. There, so much nicer than trying to pry off a strip from a frozen mass of bacon.

update: I just wanted to add that I have seen this a few places before I started doing it. The one that immediately comes to mind is this post over at Eating Well Anywhere.

· comments [41] · 06-23-2009 · categories:food · freezerpantry ·

41 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Laura // Jun 23, 2009 at 6:35 am

    another great idea- thanks!!

  • 2 kat // Jun 23, 2009 at 6:37 am

    I freeze bacon all the time & that parchment paper idea is brilliant!

  • 3 prasti // Jun 23, 2009 at 6:50 am

    lol! we buy an extra pkg. of bacon all the time just for those saturday mornings. i think my husband and i have that same exact conversation :). btwn. us and 2 kids that love bacon we usually end up using the whole lb.

    thanks for the freezing tip!

  • 4 Beth // Jun 23, 2009 at 6:59 am

    If you like that, then this will blow your mind: cook bacon in the oven on a cookie sheet. It cooks perfectly evenly,, without having to stand over it and fiddle with it constantly, and it takes about the same amount of time!

  • 5 roni // Jun 23, 2009 at 7:06 am

    brilliant! we always have an extra package in the freezer but chipping away at the pack is a pain…or desperate defrosting in the micro.

  • 6 The Redhead Riter // Jun 23, 2009 at 7:41 am

    I always do this because I can not bear to be baconless…my family thinks I am obsessed, but I never hear them complain that we don’t have any around! Humph! LOL

  • 7 Karen // Jun 23, 2009 at 7:43 am

    I do that too, but I use wax paper, which is cheaper. For the record, I’ve also bought Wellshire all-natural already-cooked bacon at Whole Foods, and it’s great! You just nuke it for a few seconds. It’s ideal when you just want one or two slices of cooked bacon to stuff in a sandwich; I wouldn’t serve it just on a plate with pancakes.

  • 8 steffy // Jun 23, 2009 at 8:02 am

    bacon is one of those few things that are really easy to cook from frozen, but you are so right… cooking those massive frozen chunks of it is a pain. This is very helpful. Thanks so much!

  • 9 Debbie // Jun 23, 2009 at 8:07 am

    Genius! Thanx

  • 10 Seanna Lea // Jun 23, 2009 at 8:22 am

    I am a vegetarian, but I cook meat for my hubby. It will be good to do this, because then I can not wonder if that normal size package will last till the next lazy Saturday breakfast or dinner.

  • 11 Val Ann C // Jun 23, 2009 at 8:28 am

    Oh I’m too lazy to re-package the bacon. I freeze it in the original package and cook the whole pound at once. I store the leftover cooked strips in the fridge to use for salads, garnishes, snacks, etc.

    I find the easiest way to cook frozen bacon — put the brick of frozen bacon on top of a broiler pan and place in a 300F oven. Check it occasionally and separate the strips as it melts. It won’t burn if the oven is on “bake” (not on “broil”). When the strips are thawed, spread them neatly on the broiler pan and continue to bake until crisp. EASY!
    You can use this method with a very low oven, 200F. It will take longer, but the bacon won’t burn and will get nice and crisp as the fat drains into the broiler pan.

  • 12 megan // Jun 23, 2009 at 8:43 am

    Thanks for the suggestion to cook bacon in the oven. We’ve done that in the past with success but for the sort of bacon we buy (Applegate Farms Sunday Bacon) pan frying works out better.

  • 13 laura // Jun 23, 2009 at 9:10 am

    I like to chop and freeze meal-size portions of bacon in waxed paper bags or parchment pouches. I know, how much trouble is it to chop bacon, but for me it makes spaghetti carbonara, etc. seem much more doable on a busy night. If you use low heat, the bacon the pieces melt apart as the fat renders out.

  • 14 Katherine // Jun 23, 2009 at 9:26 am

    Totally unrelated: I miss that brand of parchment paper – can’t get it where I live now.

  • 15 Alicia // Jun 23, 2009 at 9:42 am

    I also freeze small slices of pancetta. Then if dinner is looking a little lackluster the pancetta saves the day (risotto, soup, pasta sauces etc.) mmmm

  • 16 Julie // Jun 23, 2009 at 10:05 am

    Could you do this with plastic wrap too?

  • 17 Nancy // Jun 23, 2009 at 10:24 am

    Next time I buy bacon I will do it when no one is home and then maybe I can freeze it? My family will stand in the kitchen and watch me cook it….so it doesn’t last very long.

  • 18 emily // Jun 23, 2009 at 10:46 am

    There is no other way to make deliciously, evenly cooked bacon than with a bacon press. I have one similar to this: http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.K15223.desc.Cooks-Essentials-Hardcoat-Enamel-II-85-JapaneseSkillet

    I know they make metal presses too, but I’m not sure how those do. They look too small for the length of the bacon.

    I really feel like a master of the kitchen when I use that press. It’s amazing.

  • 19 Kate F. // Jun 23, 2009 at 11:36 am

    I freeze bacon and pancetta this way. Pancetta is nice to have on hand for risotto and pastas and I never remember to pick it up at the store, so keeping it in the freezer is great. And I am another cook-bacon-in-the-oven person–it works perfectly with no mess and flat strips. If you line the sheetpan carefully with tinfoil you also have a super-easy time cleaning up!

  • 20 Misty // Jun 23, 2009 at 11:40 am

    Now why haven’t I thought of this before? I used to do something similar when freezing burger patties for my husband (I’m veggie). Now I can easily make bacon for him too!

    When cooking it in the oven, does it get bacon grease everywhere?

    I wonder if this would work for fakin’ bacon too…

  • 21 megan // Jun 23, 2009 at 11:55 am

    Misty – When you cook it in the oven you do have to make sure to watch it carefully, I’ve set off my smoke alarms doing a large batch of bacon that way. I don’t think it got my oven any more greasy than roasting a chicken.

  • 22 pam // Jun 23, 2009 at 12:06 pm

    sooo awesome! great idea!

    even though i can probably eat a whole pack of bacon by myself… :/

  • 23 Uyek // Jun 23, 2009 at 1:09 pm

    I DO do exactly this and it is well worth the extra prep!

  • 24 Abby // Jun 23, 2009 at 2:39 pm

    I freeze entire packs of bacon all the time, and it’s not a problem because it doesn’t usually take us that long to go through a pack!

    But I like this idea, too. Do you reuse the parchment? I’m into reusing everything I can these days.

  • 25 Lynn in Tucson // Jun 23, 2009 at 2:51 pm

    Genius.

  • 26 Jane // Jun 23, 2009 at 4:49 pm

    I cook my bacon first and then freeze it. 30 secs in microwave for hot bacon. A minute for crispy bacon for salads and baked potatoes :-)

  • 27 maria // Jun 23, 2009 at 6:12 pm

    Great tip! I’ve always used one I found in Cook’s Illustrated: you roll up each slice of bacon, put it in a freezer bag, and freeze it that way. Then it’s easy to remove just one strip of bacon. I actually store my bacon in the fridge this way, too.

  • 28 Meredith // Jun 23, 2009 at 7:38 pm

    Brilliant. Thanks for the tip!

  • 29 Donna // Jun 23, 2009 at 7:58 pm

    Thanks for the tip! I often freeze bacon, but the parchment paper is a great idea.

  • 30 catastrophegirl // Jun 23, 2009 at 8:30 pm

    i buy ‘ugly’ bacon – multi pound boxes of end pieces that are about half the cost of the pretty stuff. generally take about half of the package and shred it with kitchen shears into inch or half inch slivers and freeze it in a bag. separates easily and can be cooked up straight from frozen for bacon crumbles on salads, pasta, etc.

  • 31 justcooknyc // Jun 24, 2009 at 5:00 am

    good tip — i didn’t know you could do this

  • 32 Michelle // Jun 24, 2009 at 5:06 am

    I wish I saw this early because I just froze some bacon this weekend. Luckily it wasn’t the whole package so it won’t be that much of a pain to defrost.

  • 33 margaux // Jun 24, 2009 at 5:52 am

    um, i want bacon now. thankyouverymuch. great idea!

  • 34 jennifer // Jun 24, 2009 at 7:16 am

    ooh… great idea! my husband just got a big bag of bacon yesterday. i’m going to have to try out this little trick.

  • 35 Emma // Jun 24, 2009 at 10:39 am

    Holy, that’s brilliant. Between this and the BACON SALT (thanks a lot for that one, btw), my porky needs are met.

  • 36 Lauren // Jun 24, 2009 at 3:20 pm

    I like doing this, too, but I fold the paper ‘paper-fan-like’ around the bacon instead of around and around to save paper because, yes – I am that cheap. Does that make sense?

    Having bacon on hand at all times is like always having twenty bucks in your wallet.

  • 37 jamieofalltrade // Jun 24, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    Great idea! I would have never thought of this and just thrown the whole thing in the freezer.

  • 38 cindy // Jul 7, 2009 at 10:41 am

    What an awesome tip! I freeze a bunch of other items, why not bacon which is perfect for me because there’s only 2 of us in our household and we can never finish an entire package!

    I was wondering what brand of parchment paper is pictured? I don’t think I have seen a kraft one. Thanks!

  • 39 Erin // Sep 21, 2009 at 12:59 pm

    If you want to freeze bacon for easier access, roll each slice up, stack in a air-tight tupperware, & freeze away! You can then pull as many slices out as you like and they thaw quickly. To get the best bacon, remember to cook on low and cook long, may it be in the oven or on the stove top.

    http://nolovemoresincere.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/freezingbacon/

  • 40 ChandaDiane » Blog Archive » Kitchen Tips // Oct 20, 2009 at 8:09 am

    […] a new one-step approach that is just genius! Megan at Not Martha illustrates this beautifully!! Freezing Bacon […]

  • 41 Julie // Jun 6, 2013 at 8:30 am

    I once came across a way of freezing blueberries to keep them from sticking together and now I use the method for a lot more food items. I tried it with bacon and it works. Just place each slice of bacon separately on a tray, laying them flat. Put them in the freezer long enough that they are frozen. Then, transfer them to a freezer container. They won’t stick together.

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