How To Store Your Raw Bacon In A Clean And Convenient Way

It seems that everyone is on the same page about bacon packaging: it's inconvenient. Bacon is often tightly packed in plastic packaging, but it isn't resealable. Instead, your only option to store the raw bacon is to freeze the entire package at once, meaning every piece sticks together. That is, unless you follow one clever social media trick.

The idea comes from Instagram user @ginajiyoonc. Next time you want to store bacon, don't keep it in the plastic packaging. Instead, grab a long sheet of parchment paper, and spread the bacon out evenly onto it, ensuring that no two pieces are touching. From there, roll the parchment paper up from the bottom, so that all of the bacon is folded into one long roll. Then, separate the bacon by cutting the parchment between each piece (the bacon should look like folded-up Fruit Roll-Ups). Now, the bacon can be frozen all together in one freezer-safe container because the parchment paper will prevent the pieces from sticking together while they freeze, and the individual cut portions allow you to use the bacon as needed rather than having to defrost all of it at once. Doing so helps prevent food waste.

Yes, it's frustrating, but there's a valid reason why bacon doesn't come in resealable packaging: because people keep buying it. Although Reddit users confirm this is an ongoing frustration in households, we still keep eating it, so there's no real reason for bacon companies to spend the money designing new resealable packaging — packaging that would inevitably cost more with the addition of the seal. "We have experimented with smaller packs with fewer slices," Jim Monroe, vice president of Corporate Affairs at Smithfield, a bacon brand, told Today in 2023. "They weren't very popular."

While the parchment paper trick is great for the freezer, it might not be the best way to store bacon in the refrigerator because it won't become solid and easy to handle like it would if frozen. But don't refrigerate it in its original packaging. Instead, wrap it securely in plastic wrap, removing as much air as possible and ensuring it's sealed on all sides; the bacon should last for seven days. If you don't have plastic wrap, aluminum foil will work as well. You can also cook the bacon all at once, and store the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to five days. Just make sure to store it in an airtight container with paper towels, so it stays crispy.