Kitchen Q&A: Can You Freeze Bacon Grease? (And More)

Converting Cake Recipes To Make Cupcakes Is Easy--See Tip Below

Would you freeze bacon grease to keep a steady supply on hand? Or do you know how to convert your favorite cake recipe to cupcakes? What about how to bring eggs to room temperature quickly? This week’s Kitchen Q & A answers these questions and more.

Kitchen Q&A: Can You Freeze Bacon Grease? (And More)

1. Can bacon grease be frozen? Yes bacon grease can be frozen for future use (just chisel or scrape off the amount you need and toss it in the pan). But unless you have a steady supply of bacon grease on hand that you can’t use up fast enough, I would just keep it in the refrigerator. Pour off cooled bacon grease into a thick glass jar or mug and refrigerate, topping it up with fresh bacon grease as you have it. Refrigerated bacon grease lasts for months and months with no problem. If bacon grease goes rancid, you’ll smell it–toss the lot.
2. Should I still grease and flour non-stick baking pans? If the recipe instructs that a baking pan be greased and floured or “prepared”, then yes, you should at least grease them but the flour is optional (I always do both). You could also spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper or make your own pan grease in advance, see Homemade Non-Stick Spray Recipes.
3. Why do my homemade pickles always shrivel? Shriveling may result from using too strong a vinegar, sugar, or salt solution at the start of the pickling process. In making the very sweet or very sour pickles, it is best to start with a dilute solution and increase gradually to the desired strength. Overcooking or overprocessing may also cause shriveling. See: Common Causes Of Poor Quality Pickles: Tip Sheet.
4. How long does olive oil last? How do I store it? Olive oil will last for about two years, if it goes rancid there will be a smell to it. Store olive oil in a cool, dark place. No need to refrigerate it but if you do, you’ll notice that the oil will get cloudy and solidify. If this happens, remove the bottle of olive oil from the fridge and leave at room temperature–it will return to its normal state.
5. How do I measure baking pans to see what size they are? Measure from inside edge to inside edge.
6. I have a favorite cake recipe that I would like to try making cupcakes with, is this possible? Sure, most cake recipes make fine cupcakes. Rule of thumb for standard sized cupcakes is to fill the cupcake holders just over half full and then bake at 350° for about 18 to 20 minutes (or until toothpick in center comes out clean).
7. Is there a way to bring eggs to room temperature quickly? You bet! Simply cover eggs in a small bowl with warm (not hot) water. They should be good to go in about 5 minutes.
8. Any tips for removing coffee pot stains? Yes, strip those ugly stains with one simple pantry ingredient: vinegar! See How To Clean A Coffee Pot.
9. There are white powdery spots on my baking chocolate, is it still ok to use? The powdery white or gray spots on chocolate is known as “bloom”…this happens when the chocolate was exposed to warm temperatures. No need to worry, it’s still perfectly fine to use in your baking.
10. My fridge is always a mess, any suggestions for making the cleaning job easier? Oh yes, this is the best way I’ve found yet to keeping my fridge clean: Tip: Clean The Refrigerator Daily In 10 Minute Chunks.
11. Can you melt chocolate in the microwave? Yes and it’s pretty easy to do. Reduce power to 50% or medium, and heat for one minute. Stir (the chocolate squares will likely still be hard), heat for another minute (at 50% or medium heat), stir again. If the chocolate pieces are quite a bit smaller by this point, keep stirring until they are completely melted. If the pieces are still pretty big, heat for another minute at the same temperature then stir until completely melted.
12. What’s the difference between jam and jelly? Fruit jelly is made with the juice of the fruit only (no fruit pieces), while jam uses the whole fruit. Jelly is usually more smooth and gel-like while jam is chunky with real fruit.

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