Because bacon is such a staple in American culture and cultures around the globe, it can be helpful to answer the question, “Can you refreeze bacon?” After all, it is a precious commodity…right? Join us as we explore a variety of ways you can preserve bacon for the long haul right in your own freezer.
Table of Contents
- Can Bacon Be Frozen?
- Can You Refreeze Bacon After Thawing?
- Can You Refreeze Bacon Twice?
- Can You Refreeze Bacon After Defrosting
- Can You Refreeze Uncooked Bacon?
- Can You Refreeze Cooked Bacon?
- Can You Refreeze Turkey Bacon?
- You Can Definitely Refreeze Bacon!
Can Bacon Be Frozen?
First and foremost, if you’re wondering if bacon can be frozen in the first place, the answer is yes, absolutely!
Bacon freezes beautifully. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways.
No matter how you do it, freezing bacon makes it so that you can buy bacon in bulk and use it when needed, or even fry up a few slices daily if that’s your thing. Being able to freeze your bacon means totally up to you!
How to Freeze Bacon
In order to freeze bacon, you’ll first want to know how you plan to use it.
If you typically fry up the entire package of bacon in one go, or plan to use unthawed bacon within a week of thawing, then you can toss your package of bacon into the freezer and pull the package out when needed.
If, on the other hand, you’re more of an occasional bacon-eater, you will benefit from freezing your bacon slices individually so you can grab them on an as-needed basis.
Note: Freezing, thawing, and refreezing bacon can have consequences related to illness from bacteria, thus, it is important that you perform these actions the correct way as detailed below.
Freezing Bacon the Right way
Place wrapping on baking tray
To freeze your bacon slices individually, simply place some wax, foil, or parchment paper on a baking tray.
Line up the bacon
Line up as many bacon slices as you can comfortably fit side-by-side (do not stack bacon directly on top of one another).
Place more wrapping on the bacon
Next, lay another layer of wax, foil, or parchment paper on top of your first layer of bacon and add more bacon strips. Continue this layering method until you’ve gone through all of your strips.
Place in the freezer
Carefully take your layered baking sheet and place it on a level surface in your cooler or freezer for a few hours or until the bacon is rock solid.
Remove from freezer and place in container
Remove the wax, foil, or parchments and seal your individually frozen bacon slices in a freezer bag. Mark the date on the bag and use the bacon strips within a few months.
Note: Bacon can also be frozen after they are cooked! Simply cook your bacon pieces, allow them to cool, and use the method above to freeze individual slices before placing them in a freezer bag.
Can You Refreeze Bacon After Thawing?
Once you’ve thawed your bacon, can you refreeze it again? That depends on your chosen method of thawing!
If you thawed your bacon in the fridge then the bacon should be safe to refreeze.
However, if you thawed your bacon at room temperature, which isn’t recommended, you cannot refreeze your bacon.
If you choose to thaw your bacon in cold water or in the microwave, cook the bacon first, and then refreeze. This will help prevent bacteria from forming. The bacon will taste just as fresh as it did when you first cooked it up provided that you consume it within a month of having frozen it.
Can You Refreeze Bacon Twice?
You can, but be careful.
Thawing, refreezing, then freezing again may be convenient, but it is also an easy way to introduce harmful bacteria into your diet. If you’re unsure whether or not you’ll need to refreeze your bacon, the best thing to do is to simply thaw the bacon in the fridge or cook the entire amount of bacon you’ve thawed by other means before freezing it again.
Do your best not to ever thaw bacon at room temperature.
How Many Times Can You Refreeze Bacon?
You want to keep the amount of times you refreeze your bacon to a minimum. To help with this, try doing the method we suggested at the beginning by freezing individual bacon slices so that you can grab the amount you need at a time without having to unthaw and refreeze so many bacon pieces unnecessarily.
Can You Refreeze Bacon After Defrosting
Can You Refreeze Bacon After Defrosting in the Microwave?
You can refreeze bacon after thawing it either in the microwave or by other means, however, just be sure to cook it first if you’ve thawed it in the microwave.
Also, be sure that you aren’t refreezing bacon that has sat out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours or that has been refrigerated for over 7 days. In either instance, bacteria growth could have occurred on bacon, in which case it is no longer safe to consume.
Can You Refreeze Uncooked Bacon?
Yes, you can refreeze uncooked bacon as long as you do not thaw the bacon via microwave cold water, or at room temperature. Unthawing bacon these ways prior to refreezing may not be safe because bacteria may form on the bacon during the unthawing and refreezing processes. Your best bet is to simply thaw the bacon in the refrigerator so that you can safely refreeze it later.
Yes, this takes longer, but it is worth the effort so as to avoid negatively impacting your health.
Note: Did you know that bacon can be taken directly from the freezer and cooked while it is still frozen? It’s true! You can bake bacon from frozen by frying or microwaving it; the choice is yours! Just be sure to add another 50% cook time to your standard cook time and to watch the bacon closely to ensure it doesn’t burn.
Can You Refreeze Cooked Bacon?
Yes, you can refreeze cooked bacon.
Cooked bacon can be purchased already cooked or it can be fried up at home. In either case, cooked bacon can easily be thawed and refrozen. Know that you can easily take cooked frozen bacon straight out of the freezer and into the skillet, or microwave, with no thawing process! This means you can always enjoy cooked bacon without having to worry about whether or not it was properly thawed.
Can You Refreeze Turkey Bacon?
Good news…you can treat turkey bacon the same way you would treat regular bacon. This means you may freeze it using the methods mentioned above, and that you can fry, bake, or microwave the bacon directly from the freezer without thawing.
If, however, you wish to thaw the bacon completely, bear in mind you’ll need to consume the bacon within 7 days or cook the bacon right before refreezing it if you did not thaw the bacon in the fridge.
As always, never thaw turkey bacon at room temperature.
You Can Definitely Refreeze Bacon!
Bacon lovers rejoice…you can definitely refreeze bacon. Just be sure to be mindful about how you do it and to never thaw bacon at room temperature. Remember that both cooked and uncooked bacon varieties may be heated directly from the freezer if desired. We hope this helps you the next time you’ve got a hankering for bacon!
Enjoy!
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