Wirecutter kitchen writer Michael Sullivan, who wrote our article about seasoning cast iron cookware, recommends using bacon grease to maintain the seasoning on a cast iron pan (or even a carbon steel pan).
He does not, however, recommend using it for a skillet’s initial seasoning.
Why? “Because bacon grease is a saturated fat that includes sugar, salt, and food impurities,” he explains. Those elements prevent a stable polymerization, the process that forms a nonstick coating on a pan. If you were to season a brand-new cast iron skillet with bacon fat, you would most likely be left with only a tacky film. Oils with increased levels of unsaturation will oxidize faster and make more polymers, so they’re best for seasoning.
“Do cook with bacon grease, or cook bacon in the cast iron pan often, though, to maintain the initial seasoning,” Michael adds. “That will help keep it really slick.”
So feel free to use it liberally when sautéing vegetables, frying eggs, or even sizzling new strips of bacon.
To preserve bacon grease for cooking, Michael suggests letting the grease cool slightly and then straining it through a fine-mesh sieve into an airtight container. You can also find all-in-one bacon-fat containers with built-in strainers, which can make great gifts for serious bacon lovers (we have such a container in the Wirecutter test kitchen).
Just keep in mind that grease has a shelf life: You can store it in the refrigerator for three to six months or in the freezer for up to a year.
