Finding Alternatives for An Age-Old Kitchen Practice

Waste Not, Want Not: Bacon Grease

I know you have one of these jars too. Mine is lost to the depths of my fridge and used only on weekends when we finally have time to cook a real breakfast. Inevitably, the jar then ends up re-disappearing in our fridge until the following weekend.

I’d always assumed the act of pouring off bacon grease was purely to avoid expensive plumbing issues (if you are dumping your bacon grease down the kitchen sink — hot water or not — I will keep my fingers crossed for you). Once the jar was full, I simply threw it out.

I learned this weekend that there are other uses for this stuff. No, I will not be making bacon grease candles either. Instead, I tried using the solid form instead of butter and the liquid form instead of olive oil for a few different recipes. I was surprised to learn that the grease actually elevated flavors in unexpected ways and, despite my concerns, it did not result in an overpowering bacon taste.

Give one of these a try. You might want to keep that jar handier than you think.

· Use in place of butter when caramelizing onions (especially great when using these onions on a burger)

· Melt and drizzle over steamed green beans (only need 1 tablespoon)

· Grease muffin tins with it when making cornbread or other savory muffins

· Slightly warm and use instead of olive oil in a salad dressing