You should be storing bacon grease in the refrigerator or freezer

It's a question that doesn't come up in most conversations, but how are you storing your bacon grease? It appears I've been doing it the wrong way my entire life. I store it the way my momma did, and the same way I've seen it done in kitchen after kitchen: kept in an old jar or coffee cup set to the side of the stove within easy reach when needed.

That's not the way to do it, according to the website allrecipes.com. Who knew? I mean, I've never gotten sick or, God forbid, made anyone else sick either, at least that I know of. Talk about a sleepless night if that ever happened.

Safely storing bacon grease is incredibly easy and doing so means you'll have a special, secret ingredient to add to so many meals. The best part? It gives flavor to green beans and other foods that need the taste of bacon without having to fry it just for that. It's a win-win

Here's how allrecipes.com recommends storing bacon grease:

› Strain the bits of bacon left behind in the pan. Place a coffee filter or fine mesh strainer over the mouth of a glass container, like a Mason jar, or another heat-proof container.

› Pour the warm — not hot — grease through the strainer, which will catch all the pieces. You really don't want to skip this step: If you don't strain out the solid bits, the fat will go rancid quicker.

› Seal tightly, and store in the fridge or freezer.

And one more tip to remember about leftover bacon grease. It's pretty much a no-brainer:

› Never pour it down the sink. Once it hardens, it will create a plumbing disaster. On top of that, you're wasting precious bacon grease that you could use to boost the flavor of future dishes.

Incidentally, if you go by Big Bad Breakfast, either in South Pittsburg or the one set to open on the North Shore in Chattanooga, be sure to take home a package of the Tabasco pepper-mash and brown sugar-cured bacon. The leftover bacon grease makes incredible green beans and is so flavorful, it would also be excellent in today's recipe for Hot Bacon Vinaigrette. Fair warning, though: If you don't like a little spice, stick with regular bacon grease. The grease rendered from Big Bad Breakfast's bacon has a definite kick to it.

The first time I had this salad dressing was decades ago when I lived in West Virginia. I loved it right away. It's been a while since I've made it again, because, granted, it's not the healthiest of dressings. In fact, it ruins any efforts you might have at serving a light salad. But once you've had it, you'll want to make it again and again.

It's served warm so that the grease doesn't congeal. It's excellent on a salad with the juicy summer tomatoes we'll be harvesting soon — tastes just like a BLT.

If you don't have any bacon grease set aside and need to fry some bacon to get some, all the better. Just toss the bacon in with the other salad ingredients and drizzle the dressing over top.

Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

1/2 cup bacon grease, melted

1/2 cup white wine or apple cider vinegar

1/2 to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Combine ingredients in a small pot over medium heat, and whisk until fully emulsified and warmed. If it needs a little less bacon flavor, add some olive oil. If the flavor is too sharp, add some brown sugar. Use immediately over salad greens.

Makes about 1 cup.

Contact Anne Braly at [email protected] or annebraly.com.