What causes congealed bacon fat to have a wrinkly surface?
Earlier this week I refrigerated some rendered bacon fat in a small metal prep bowl, for later use. Today, after making bacon again, I went to add more grease and saw a surprising texture on the surface of the congealed fat (click for full 2592x1456 resolution):
If it's not clear from the picture, the surface is very wrinkly, with the edges significantly raised---it looks like it expanded unevenly as it solidified, but this would seem to indicate the presence of water. Water and fat, of course, don't mix and it looks totally homogeneous.
I've stored bacon fat plenty of times before and it always had a smooth surface after solidifying---schmaltz tends to be a bit less smooth but still a flat surface. When I look at pictures online, such as in this blog post, I also see nothing but smooth, flat fat.
I don't think I did anything different this time. I've used these metal prep bowls and I've used glass bowls. Does the way it solidifies say something about the quality of the bacon, how the fat was rendered or how it was stored?
It has been in there for 3 or 4 days and we haven't had any earthquakes or step-dancing parties.
Here's the same 60 mL prep bowl with more fat from the same package of bacon added this morning, on top of the older fat, after sitting for ~30 minutes in the fridge---no longer wrinkly! This seems to rule out the particular batch of bacon as an influence.
Best Answer
Even though you strained your fat while it was hot there is still micro-particles of bacon proteins left in the fat. These particles hold their heat longer than the rest of the fat as its cooling, and rise to the top, and as it solidifies create the texture and slight color change.
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How can you tell if bacon fat is rancid?
Smell. Any other smell other than the scent of fresh meat is a sign that you shouldn't use bacon grease. Once spoiled, it can have a sour, rotting, or fishy odor that makes it inedible. Rancidification \u2013 It is a process of fat oxidation or hydrolysis after exposure to light, air, moisture, or bacteria.Why does some bacon grease solidify?
Your issue is the bits of water and other random junk that accumulates when you render bacon out. You're comparing saturated and unsaturated fat. Some vegetable fats are saturated enough to be solid at room temperature. Example: coconut.How do you get rid of solidified bacon grease?
Line a small cup with heavy-duty foil. Carefully pour the bacon fat into the cup while the fat is hot and place it in the freezer. When the bacon fat is frozen, you can save it for recipes or fry food with it. Or throw it away by folding the foil around the solidified fat and discarding it in the trash.Can you use solidified bacon grease?
The bacon grease will solidify to a slightly off-color white. When you cook bacon again, pull out the jar and add more of the excess fat to it. If you want, you can strain out the solid bacon bits before pouring the fat into a jar....Method.Nutrition Facts (per serving)39Calories4gFat0gCarbs0gProteinHow to Make a Bacon Fat Candle
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Answer 2
Great pan of precious fat you have. To answer your question, fat and meat contain air and water. When the water and air evaporate the fat will move.Those spaces that do not fill in will be wavy.
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