Turkey bacon is one of the best hybrid food out there. This is basically turkey meat that is taken, pressed, seasoned and cooked as if it were pork bacon. However, what if you have bought so much that you might find it hard to eat all in one go?
Refrigerating meat is probably one of the best methods of keeping it fresh. But what about turkey bacon? How long will this keep in the fridge? Well, you’ll be able to store it for about a week in the fridge before it starts losing its flavor and some of its color.
So, what happens when you store turkey bacon in the fridge? How long can you expect it last? Will it start to degrade immediately? Well, we have done some of the research so that you don’t have to. Read this article and find out how long you can keep turkey bacon in the fridge.
What Is Turkey Bacon?
Turkey bacon is strips of turkey meat that are pressed and seasoned in much the same way as you would do with bacon. This is generally considered to be less calorific, which leads a lot of people to switch to this from pork bacon.
This is more of a darker meat than pork bacon and it should be easy to distinguish between the two from sight alone. Pork and turkey bacon have plenty of protein, with turkey having slightly less at 17 grams per serving, as opposed to pork’s 20 grams per serving.
Turkey bacon also comes with plenty of sodium and fats. However, doctors have recommended that, in the same way as pork, you should not consume too much of this bacon, as it will lead to an increased risk of heart disease.
Can You Put Turkey Bacon In The Fridge?
Yes, the great thing about turkey bacon is that it will keep for quite a while in the fridge. You can expect turkey bacon to last around 7 days in the fridge if it is wrapped properly.
Often turkey bacon will come in a sealed packet. If you are buying it from the butcher, then it will probably come wrapped in cellophane. This is to keep it airtight and ensure that no bacteria start to grow on it.
It will be important to keep your turkey bacon in the fridge when it is not in use. When you open the packet for the first time, we would recommend that you wrap it again before storing it back in the fridge.
The great thing about turkey bacon is that you can enjoy it cold or hot. You’ll need to make sure that when you are reheating it that you are not putting it on the grill for too long. The meat is very thin, so it will cook a lot quicker than other meats.
How Can You Tell If Turkey Bacon Has Gone Bad?
There are a few ways that you can tell if turkey bacon has gone bad in the fridge. You can use 4 of your senses to check the integrity of your bacon: Sight, smell, touch and taste (although you might not want to try that last one).
One of the first things that you might notice will be the smell. Once turkey bacon starts to go off it will start to emit a strong odor that will only get stronger as the days go by. This smell will also affect the other foods in your refrigerator.
You might also notice that the bacon is starting to lose some of its color after a few days. Touching the surface of the bacon, you will start to notice that the edges are getting a little dry. This will eventually spread throughout the whole bacon until the it is basically inedible.
This is why even when you are storing your turkey bacon in the fridge you will need to keep it airtight, as this will help to preserve it for longer. If your bacon starts to look spoiled, then you will need to dispose of it immediately. Bad bacon can make you very ill and give you food poisoning, which can be fatal.
How To Store Best Turkey Bacon?
Ideally, you should have a completely air-tight container to keep your turkey bacon in. Ideally, we would recommend that you wrap it in cellophane first and then place it in a separate airtight container.
If you store it in this way, then you could extend the lifespan of your bacon by up to 14 days. The less air that you allow to get to your bacon, the better.
Can You Store Bacon In The Freezer?
Yes, you can store bacon in the freezer, although you will need to make sure that you are wrapping it in a much different way. Wrap each individual piece of turkey bacon in cellophane, so that they don’t stick together when they are in the freezer.
You can preserve your turkey bacon in the freezer for upwards of a few weeks. This is great if you have a lot of it and you need to store it for a longer period. However, you should be aware that the longer you leave it in the freezer, the more the texture and the flavor will diminish.
When you take your turkey bacon out of the freezer, you’ll need to make sure that you defrost it correctly by placing it in the refrigerator overnight until it is completely thawed. Make sure you place it in a bowl so that it doesn’t leak all over the inside of your fridge.
Yes, you can cook turkey bacon and then put it in the fridge. However, make sure that you do not put hot or warm bacon in the refrigerator, as this will lead to the spread of bacteria. Let your bacon cool completely at room temperature before you wrap it up and put it in the fridge.
Cooked bacon will store for upwards of 3 days in the fried, so make sure that you consume it within this time. Once you have taken it out of the fridge, you won’t have to cook it again. If you do want to reheat it, then we would suggest that you do so in the microwave on a medium heat setting.
What Is Cured Turkey Bacon?
This type of bacon contains chemical compounds that will help to preserve the bacon for longer as well as maintain its color. These chemicals are usually things like sodium nitrate, which is basically a kind of salt that is often used in the preservation of foods.
Can You Keep Cured Turkey Bacon In The Fridge?
You can keep cured turkey bacon in the fridge for upwards of 2 weeks, after which point it will start to go off. You should make sure that you are checking your cured bacon, as the salt and other preservatives in it will encourage bacteria to grow.
If you want to keep your cured turkey bacon for longer, then we would suggest that you put it in the freezer, using the wrapping method that we have mentioned above. Make sure that cured bacon is completely sealed in an airtight container or freezer bag before you put it in the freezer.
Conclusion
We hope that our guide to turkey bacon and how to store it properly in the refrigerator has given you a better idea of how long it keeps and what the tell-tale signs are of it going bad. Make sure that you are not keeping your turkey bacon in the fridge for longer than 7 days or freezing it again after thawing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Turkey Bacon Easy To Cook?
Turkey bacon is very easy to cook and you can do it in the microwave or in a frying pan. Because the meat itself is so thinly sliced, it will only take around 3-4 minutes to cook completely. When turkey bacon is cooked, it goes whiter in the center and golden brown at the sides.
How Long Does Turkey Bacon Last At Room Temperature?
Turkey bacon can usually be left out for around 2 hours at room temperature. This is because harmful bacteria tend to grow on meat quite quickly. Even if you are not using your meat for a short length of time, you will need to keep it in the refrigerator.
Can You Refreeze Thawed Turkey Bacon?
We would not recommend that you refreeze thawed turkey bacon, as this will lead to it growing harmful bacteria over the surface. If you are freezing it a second time, the chances are it will have a higher level of bacteria, which could lead to very harmful food poisoning.
Have you ever made something so delicious that you wished you could savor it forever?
Only to find that the recipe has now mysteriously vanished from your phone and the entirety of the internet. Yep, there’s not much more painful than that.
Hi, my name is Mark Williams and I have been infatuated with cooking since I was young. I would beg my mother to pull a chair up to the counter so I could watch what she was doing.
