You wake up early in the morning hungry, looking over the counter, you spot that bowl of bacon leftover from last night, you look to yourself and wonder “can you eat cooked Bacon Left out overnight?”.
Leftovers are a pretty common thing in households, this is because we oftentimes end up getting or cooking more than we can actually consume.
And who can blame you? Sometimes we feel a lot more hungry than we actually are.
This article is all about leftovers, Bacon leftovers to be precise.
We would be analyzing how healthy they are and answering questions like can you eat cooked bacon that was left out overnight? Go get a glass of something chill and enjoy.
It is generally advised that you do not eat cooked bacon that has been left out overnight as it can be easily contaminated by bacteria.
Are Overnight Bacon Leftovers Healthy?
Generally, It has become quite common to keep leftover food overnight as long as it is in the fridge.
But then how long should it stay in the fridge? And most importantly, is it healthy to keep leftovers in the refrigerator?
Well, when answering the former question of how long your overnight leftover should be kept in the fridge.
We usually would recommend they are kept for a maximum period of 3-4 days.
This is because, over time, your really delicious and highly nutritious Bacon which you couldn’t finish and therefore left in the refrigerator could lose a lot of that nutrition.
This could lead to food poisoning and Indigestion, which when you look at it, is a pretty bad thing.
This, sort of answers the next question of how healthy it is to keep leftovers in the refrigerator (It is not healthy).
Tip: It is recommended you check the expiry date of any bacon before purchasing.
Can You Keep Cooked Bacon Overnight?
Now choosing to keep a protein-rich food like cooked bacon is heavily dependent on what method you choose to store your cooked bacon.
Leaving your cooked bacon overnight at regular temperature or room temperature might not be such a good idea as bacteria activity at such a temperature tends to increase.
So it is highly recommended that bacon doesn’t stay out (at room temperature), for more than 2 hours.
Deciding to keep your cooked bacon in the fridge might be a better idea, as cooked bacon can stay healthy for as long as a month while being frozen.
It can always be reheated in a microwave, a stovetop, or an oven (at a very low temperature to avoid it getting rubbery or overcooked).
And since it has only been in the fridge for just a night, you are still guaranteed cooked bacon that is still a bit fresh.
Tip: You should put your cooked bacon in a zip bag and ensure it is properly sealed before placing it in the fridge.
Can You Eat Cooked Bacon Left Out overnight?
Well, if you don’t want to pay the Doctor a visit at the hospital, I most definitely recommend you throw that leftover bacon that you left out last night away.
As we have already established, you are advised not to let meat stay away from the fridge for more than 2 hours.
However, if the bacon you have leftover is dry-cured, you might not consider throwing it away so quickly.
It should have a longer shelf life and might not be as easily accessible to bacteria as fresh bacon would be.
Still, it is way better to be safe as food poisoning and indigestion are some of the illnesses you might suffer from should you choose to eat cooked bacon that has been left out overnight.
Tip: Be sure to throw away any meat that looks suspicious.
What To Do Before Eating Overnight Bacon Leftover?
You’ve checked and realized you’ve got some leftover bacon from last night, and you were wondering what it could be used for or what to do with it before eating it.
Luckily, there are a few things you could probably do to leftover bacon before eating. The first of which would be to reheat it.
Although I do not recommend it, there might be a 1 in a 10 chance that the bacon leftover from the previous night could still be edible.
Reheating the bacon could help to salvage or further preserve it.
The heat from the microwave, oven, or stove pot would kill the bacteria that might be acting on it.
Once you are done reheating your leftover bacon, you could then decide on what to eat it with or how to eat it.
For dry-cured bacon, you might not have to worry about it still being edible, as it has a longer shelf life than regular bacon.
Still, it is advised that you reheat it just in case.
Tip: Add a little olive oil to your bacon while reheating, to make it a bit more crispy.
Ways To Preserve Cooked Bacon
If you find that you are left with a lot more bacon than you actually need, storing it would be the most logical thing to do (duh).
But what is the best way to store cooked bacon?
When storing your cooked bacon, it is better you decide on just how long you would want to store it or rather, when you intend to use it.
The following ways should be quite useful in preserving your cooked bacon.
Storing Cooked Bacon In The Fridge
Storing your leftover cooked bacon in the fridge is more of a short-term solution.
This is because cooked bacon stored in the fridge is only expected to be good for 3 to 4 days.
Which in my opinion is enough time to decide on what to do with it.
Before storing it in the fridge, it is recommended that you further cook or reheat it to a level that is at least what you usually cook it.
This helps the bacon retain its crispy texture.
After this, you use a paper towel to blot off any residual fat or grease that might be lying on the surface.
Once that is done, you then let your bacon cool off (at least until room temperature), after which it is advised you put it in an airtight container.
You can also put it in a Ziploc bag and then proceed to place it in the fridge.
Storing Cooked Bacon In The Freezer
This is a more suitable option if you intend to store your cooked bacon for more than 4 days.
Frozen-cooked bacon could last a whole month in its frozen state.
The process of keeping your cooked bacon in the freezer is a lot similar to storing it in the fridge.
Where you further cook or reheat the bacon, use a paper towel to blot off the residual fat or grease, then allow it to cool to room temperature.
Now, this is where the difference comes in.
Before putting the cooked bacon in the freezer, you are advised to line a baking tray with parchment paper or baking sheets.
Simply place the cooked bacon on the tray, then flash freeze in a freezer for a period of 3 hours.
Once the 3 hours are done, take out the bacon, put it in a Ziploc bag or an airtight container, and then store it back in the freezer.
The reason behind the flash freeze is to prevent the bacon from getting stuck to other bacon, making it easier to pull out whenever you intend to use it.
Tip: You could write the date on which you placed the bacon in the freezer to ensure that it doesn’t get worse while in the freezer.
Conclusion
Hopefully, we have been able to fully answer the question “can you eat cooked bacon left out overnight?
There you have it all you need to know leftover cooked bacon. How to store it, How healthy it is, and what to do with it before eating it.
I recommend checking our previous articles as you might learn something new. For now, stay good, drink a lot of water, and stay healthy.
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