Make Instant Ramen Taste Gourmet With The Leftovers From A Batch Of Bacon

Ramen is one of the most versatile foods in the world, whether you make it from scratch or a package. However, while there are many ways to upgrade instant ramen, one of the most surprising methods involves using a type of grease that is often thrown away. Yes, we're talking about bacon grease. 

Bacon grease is absolutely loaded with rich flavor, so a little can go a long way toward turning a batch of bland ramen noodles into a savory, gourmet-quality dish. The grease imparts a powerful pop of flavor that can have many different undertones, depending on the type of bacon you use. For instance, smoked bacon will yield grease with a smoky taste, while maple bacon's grease will be slightly sweet. 

When adding bacon grease to ramen, you only need 1 to 2 tablespoons to get its full effect, any more and you risk overpowering your other ingredients. Although the easiest way to use bacon grease is as a finishing oil, it also works great for frying aromatics like onions, garlic, ginger, and scallions. You can also use it to cook your favorite ramen proteins, including ham, sliced pork, tofu, eggs, and even spam. If you're a fan of kimchi, you're in luck as well; the rich, salty flavor of bacon grease helps balance out its sourness. There are so many great ingredients you should be using in instant ramen and almost all of them can benefit from the addition of bacon grease.  

If you had parents or grandparents who stored bacon grease, you're probably familiar with them keeping it in a jar or coffee can on the kitchen counter. However, this isn't the best way to keep grease fresh from a food safety perspective. Instead, to avoid throwing away bacon grease and prevent it from going rancid, you should store it in either your refrigerator or freezer after straining it. 

Straining bacon grease before storage is essential, as leftover meat bits can cause it to spoil quicker, even if not kept at room temperature. You can use either a coffee filter or a fine mesh strainer, such as this one from Winco, to remove them. Once the grease is strained, it can be kept in the refrigerator for three to six months or in the freezer for up to 12 months. For long-term cold storage, grease can be put in any freezer-safe container or inside an ice cube tray after it has slightly cooled. 

When you want to use your frozen grease, let it defrost in the fridge for a day. If you're using it as a finishing oil over the top of your ramen, gently re-heat the chilled bacon grease to return it to a liquid state. For frying aromatics, veggies, proteins, or eggs, it can be heated as a solid before tossing in your ingredients.