How Long Can You Keep Turkey Bacon In The Fridge?
The amount of time you can keep turkey bacon in the fridge depends on whether it is cooked or not. You can keep cooked turkey bacon for up to three days in the fridge, uncooked for seven to fourteen days (if the packet is opened), and uncooked unopened packet for a week after its ‘use by’ date.
Regarding the bacon you buy in the store, you can keep this in your refrigerator for about three or four days without issue, or if you know that you are not going to use it all that quickly, it is best to freeze it. Also, if you have no plans on eating your prepared bacon immediately, you can keep it in your freezer for up to 6 months. You can store an extra portion of cooked bacon in the fridge, where it will remain fresh for several days. If you do cook your bacon, put it in the fridge with the idea of having it ready to go anytime you need it.
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If you leave your bacon out on the counter at room temperature for some time after cooking, it might not last long after you place it in the refrigerator. If you take all of these precautions, your cooked bacon may last for four to five days in the refrigerator before it starts going bad. From this point forward, you will have an accurate idea of the length of time that each kind of bacon lasts when placed either in the refrigerator or the freezer.
| Bacon in different forms | Shelf life |
| Unopened bacon | 2 weeks in fridge |
| Uncooked bacon | 6 months in freezer |
You may already know that frozen bacon can last months in the freezer, while thawed bacon needs cooking within days after being placed into a fresh cooler. Unopened bacon actually lasts for up to 2 weeks in your fridge, and freezes for up to 8 months. Opened, uncooked bacon will keep one week in the fridge and up to six months in the freezer.
Whether or not you have opened the package, uncooked bacon lasts for seven days in the fridge, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Once bacon is opened, it can last for approximately 7-10 days in the refrigerator — the sell-by date on the package can expire during this time in storage, but the bacon will still be safe to eat past its use-by date as long as it is stored correctly.
If you are planning on cooking any remaining bacon in the coming days, then leftover bacon is okay in the refrigerator, provided that you re-wrap it in its packaging or in a new sheet of plastic wrap. If you heat up then re-refrigerate your bacon, this will dramatically reduce the time that it is fine in the fridge. The best way to make sure that your turkey bacon is still good when you are ready to cook and eat it is to buy it when it is still in-date, then put it right back into the refrigerator as soon as you get home.
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If you cooked more turkey bacon than you could possibly eat, and kept any leftovers in the refrigerator, do not wait too long to eat them all; they only remain good for 3-4 days. If you do opt for the former, you are encouraged to eat any leftovers within three or four days of cooking your turkey. After feasting on the turkey, chill any leftovers as fast as you can (within 90 minutes), cover, and store them in the refrigerator. If you have any leftovers including the cooked turkey, you can expect those to keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Cooked turkey should never sit outside of the fridge longer than two hours, at the most, as food-borne bacteria begin to grow on meat kept at between 40-140 degrees F. Before you put the turkey into the oven, the turkey needs to be room temperature, so remove it from the refrigerator (1 hr for whole turkey, 30 minutes for cuts) before you cook. Do not simply throw your turkey onto a platter and store in the refrigerator; exposing meat to air overnight is the fastest way to develop a dry bark at the surface. Before placing the turkey in the refrigerator, you should cover it loosely with foil while cooling so that no airborne bacteria can get to it, potentially leading to food poisoning.
If your turkey bacon is turning brown or gray, has a foul odor, or feels slimy or gooey, it is gone bad, and you should get rid of it immediately. If you have cooked your bacon, you can keep it in the refrigerator (in an airtight container) for seven days to heat up later or use it in recipes during the week. The shelf life of your turkey bacon will depend on if it is been cooked or not, whether its packaging is still sealed or if you have already opened it, and, of course, where you intend to keep it, either in the fridge or in the freezer. Since turkey bacon is so versatile, that we can use it on pizzas or lettuces, mixed in with our chicken pasta, added in hamburgers and sandwiches, as well as mixed into casseroles, it makes sense that we would want to ensure we are keeping it the right way. If you are looking to cook a bunch of bacon all at once and save some time cooking, knowing how and where to store it can help you out immensely.
It would be unfortunate to discard bacon that is still just as good, so let us talk about keeping your cooked bacon in the freezer. Any true bacon enthusiast will reject the idea of having any kind of cooked bacon left over, but that may be exactly what is happening. You cooked a bunch of tasty bacon in your last nights late-night baking spree, just thinking how amazing that is going to be.
If you are wondering how long a pre-cooked turkey bacon will keep it is quality and flavor while stored in your home, we can tell that you should expect it to keep up for a period of up to five days. While a fresh package of uncooked turkey bacon may stay fresh in your refrigerator for up to 14 days after the expiration date, cooked turkey bacon may spoil in just five days.
How do you know when turkey bacon is bad?
It should have a leaner, meatier flavor and taste somewhat like turkey. However, it is undoubtedly bad and should not be consumed if it tastes sour or rotting. Avoid swallowing or consuming rotten turkey bacon because doing so might cause serious stomach trouble and even necessitate a trip to the hospital.
What happens if you eat slimy turkey bacon?
Any bacon that smells bad looks discolored or has too much slime on it should never be eaten. Eating raw turkey bacon, even if it’s still fresh, can make you ill. Some people claim that you can get food poisoning or, even worse, salmonella poisoning.
What happens if you eat expired turkey bacon?
It is not advisable to eat turkey bacon if it tastes sour or rotting. Avoid swallowing or consuming rotten turkey bacon because doing so might cause serious stomach trouble and even necessitate a trip to the hospital. Once the turkey bacon package has been opened, it is suggested to store it tightly wrapped in foil or a zip-top bag and use it within a week.