Originally Posted By chickendumpling Weird topic I know but I'm curious so I thought I'd ask. Does anyone still do this? I remember when I was a kid my grandma had a tin canister with a strainer in it that she kept the bacon drippings in but I don't remember seeing her actually use it the fat later. How do you even use it? I figure you just use it like shortening but like with what foods. I know you're not greasing your cake pans with it! Yeah, I could call my grandma and ask her and I will but I'm curious to hear what you guys have to say.
Originally Posted By alphabetmom My grandmother used bacon grease too. But I sure don't, I don't hardly even cook bacon.
Originally Posted By mele I used a little bit of bacon grease last night. I had fried up bacon to crumble into some potato salad. I used a teeny bit of the leftover grease to saute some green beans. I was going to saute them anyway, so I figured it was no worse than oil or butter. (I'm out of olive oil). When they were cooked, I stirred in some breadcrumbs. Not the healthiest dish ever but the rest of the meal was actually pretty light. I've only used bacon grease a few of times, usually only to saute veggies (like onions or garlic) in. I'm pretty sure my great-grandmother used to keep a bunch of it in a jar in the cupboard. Ick. I've heard of frying bacon in a cast iron skillet and then baking cornbread in the skillet. I have a friend whose mother actually fried chicken in bacon grease. It sounded way too rich and fattening (and maybe a teeny bit wonderful). ;-)
Originally Posted By Lady Starlight I love wilted salad,it's made with a 'bacon fat' dressing and sugar and vinigar..YUM!
Originally Posted By chickendumpling <<I don't hardly even cook bacon.>> I didn't used to either but when DS came home from summer camp last year he had really developed a taste for it so I try to have it on hand. It's not an everyday thing but boy when you have a hankering for it, nothing tastes better. Thanks, mele. The green beans, onions and garlic makes sense. And sounds good. I don't want to harden everyone's arteries around here but I am trying to slowly learn how to expand my limited cooking repetoire. And what better way than to add bacon fat! LOL. And that cornbread idea sounds pretty good... I remember my grandma used to put a hunk of something in her pork and beans and I wanna say it was bacon fat but I don't remember. Does that sound right? Well maybe not "right," lol, but correct.
Originally Posted By chickendumpling Oops. Sorry LS. Didn't mean to ignore ya there, you're post wasn't up when I posted mine. I've never heard of wilted salad. Is that is actual name? Have you had it in a restaurant or do you know how to make it?
Originally Posted By chickendumpling man I could use an edit button right now. duuuhh. "you're" = "your"; "is actual name" = "it's actual name." lol.
Originally Posted By gottaluvdavillains Marie Calendar's has a hot bacon dressing on their salad bar... My kids will cook their eggs in the the drippings from cooking bacon first.
Originally Posted By Pixie Glitter My mom has always put some bacon in her baked beans. And I think my dad used to cook pancakes in bacon grease, but it would have been fresh from just frying bacon on the same griddle. . . no recycled grease from a can, thank goodness, cause the very idea of that gives me the jibblies.
Originally Posted By LuLu >>Well maybe not "right," lol, but correct. << LOL, yeah, it's just not right... The thought of bacon fat is giving me the jibblies too, and this from someone who has no fear of fats! But some are good for you and others, well, UGH! ;-)
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Alrighty well Litter will probably never eat at my house again. Jibblies, wibblies we use bacon fat in our house. Generation after generation... Mainly we use it for our beans. Pinto beans that are refried. Or in chili beans. Sometimes use it to fry potatoes. My mom taught me that while some will think it's unhealthy - we are also BIG EVOO users (extra virgin olive oil); if you use bacon grease you can use less than if you use other oils. A little goes a longer ways and you can't beat the flavoring. So there. ;>
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Tonight I'm serving Select One beef burgundy, I'll fire up the microwave here the Country Inn and Suites. :>
Originally Posted By Pixie Glitter I have no objection to bacon fat/grease. It's the idea of a jar of it sitting out on a counter for months on end that does me in--lol. Or do you refrigerate it? Because then it would be okay. It's just my personal theory that the reason pioneers didn't have a very long life span was because they kept poisoning themselves with ancient jars of bacon grease at room temperature. ;-)
Originally Posted By Pixie Glitter Well, then, you can rest easy knowing that you are assured to be graced by The Wonder That Is Me at your dinner table again in future. You lucky girl!
Originally Posted By Lisann22 What more could I possibly want <rolling eyes>. I find if funny that a chicken is asking about grease. ;>
Originally Posted By llanatoye After my Mom passed away I was cleaning out the refrigerator and way in the back was a small, white ceramic crock with a little spoon clipped onto the side. You guessed it, it was bacon grease! So funny, I don't really remember her cooking with it but she must have when us kids were small and as she got older it was just habit to save the bacon grease. Uh, I threw it away, miss my Mom like crazy but that wasn't a momento I wanted to put in the fridge and save. Although it would be kind of funny for my son when he has to clean out my refigerator when I'm gone.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost Southern cooking uses Bacon Grease quite often. The only real reference I have heard about, is cooking green beans in bacon fat. Seems ironic that one would take a relatively healthy veggie and cover it with fat. How do southerners live past 35?
