Glass is a ceramic, primarily made of SiO2 and other trace ions. Plastic is made of organic, generally non-polar molecules called polymers (mostly carbon and hydrogen). Fat is also comprised of organic, non-polar polymers made up of glycerol and fatty acids. Similar materials share similar intermolecular attractive forces.

I use a old ceramic Vermont maple butter container that has it's own rubber seal and folding metal clip to keep things closed tight. Sits on the counter right by the stove for easy access.

I usually pour bacon grease into a ceramic mug and then discard it after it's hardened. Out of curiosity, what else would you use it for instead of discarding?

Mimi2856, I freeze mine, and use it as the fat when I make chili - Just a teaspoon or 2, instead of butter or oil, adds a lot of flavor to the onions and garlic I saute before adding the meat in most chili recipes.

I like to candy nuts with it! They come out with this wonderful smokey/sweet/salty flavor, yumm!

uuhh... you mean "next to IMpossible", right?

mimi2856, in almost every type of southern cooking bacon fat is essential to flavoring food. It is the only proper ingredient to making a roux for Cajun recipes, and many people use it as a substitute for butter anytime you want a meatier flavor. I keep mine in the refrigerator instead of on the counter. For the record this does not apply to beef fat which does not solidify as thoroughly.

Plastic in the microwave, yikes yikes yikes.

Mimi - I use the bacon fat in place of butter in baked goods and caramels.

I always store mine in a little widemouth glass 1/2 pint jar. I don't like piling batches of fats on top of one another if I'm actually going to be using it for something, so this keeps it in small, easy to use amounts.

I foil line a custard cup, then pour the bacon fat into that. I than freeze it, and when hardened, I lift the foil out, and wrap the disk of fat, and store it all in a freezer bag.

My hungarian grandmother used bacon fat as her fat of choice--it makes a huge difference in the taste of things like paprikash, my grandmother's stuffing and meat loaf recipes, etc. I keep it on hand for "Gramma cooking."

I use mine to fry eggs, cook onions for meat-based stews and -- the best -- in risotto. I don't know what it is, but adding a tsp or two of bacon fat to risotto toward the end just makes it infinitely tastier and smoother.

The disadvantage of storing bacon fat in glass: when the greasy, glass container slips out of your hand and shatters on the kitchen floor, it is a horrible mess. Ask me how I know.

I store my bacon fat in a small glass Cento jar that originally stored artichoke pieces.

It's almost full. Which is so exciting.

But I hear you, msbetsy... I came thiiissss closssee to dropping it yesterday!

Hey, how long do you all store bacon fat in the fridge? I started doing it months ago (after reading about it here, of course!), but then the jar got hidden in the back and I just never remembered to use it... Wondering if it's still OK, or I should just start a new one and put it more front and center this time...

Growing up, we saved bacon fat out of financial necessity. And we had a lot of it - I grew up on a dairy farm, and bacon and eggs were an everyday breakfast for the adults doing all of the hard labor. We saved it in washed out metal cans (like soup cans) and used it mostly for frying eggs in.

I still use a little Tupperware container. It's never used for anything else, so no worries of needing to wash it. I keep it in the fridge and use any time I want to have a bit of smokey flavor. Can it be kept out at room temperature instead?

i store bacon fat in a cleaned out metal can right on the counter. i like scrambling eggs with a little bit of it, but use the majority of it in homemade dog treats for my puppy :)

I use a little ceramic bowl and store the bacon fat in the fridge.

Apart from frying eggs, I also use it for frying potatoes, eg hash browns, Rösti, Bratkartoffeln etc.

Brooklynnina, I don't know about out on the counter, but I've had my jar of bacon fat in the fridge for, oh, 8 years now?...and it's still fine to use. It doesn't go bad :)

As for what to use it for, I use it to make refried beans, for frying potatoes and onions and for anything really, where I want that subtle hint of somkey goodness :)

Well technically it can go bad through Rancidification, so its best to store it in the refrigerator in a container with a lid, to minimize contact with air.

It is actually fairly similar to salted butter, with about 40% saturated fat and .1% sodium, compared to butter's 60% saturation and .5% sodium (butter is a relatively 'bad fat'.) Both of these factors contribute to how fast/likely a fat will go rancid, in that salty environments are inhospitable to bacteria, and saturated fats are less susceptible to picking up free radicals (funky flavors) from the air. Salted butter should do better on the counter than bacon fat.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/7186/2

We used to keep bacon grease in a jar in the freezer. My boyfriend wasn't thinking once and poured HOT GREASE into the FROZEN JAR on the counter and it exploded all over me, my new sweater, the cabinets, etc. Now I put it in a cup or bowl until cool, scoop it with a teaspon into little heaps, freeze those, and store in a ziplock. It's a little more work, but more boyfriend proof. :)