When it comes to eating turkey bacon, there are some things to look for. The natural pink color of turkey bacon is due to the fat in the meat. If the turkey bacon is beginning to spoil, its color may change from pink to a gray or brown shade. This color change will start slowly and can be subtle.
The smell of turkey bacon is another way to determine if it’s rotten or good. Fresh turkey bacon will have a unique smell, but a rotten one will be sour or fishy. This smell may turn off people who don’t have a strong sense of smell. The bacon will smell strong if it has a rotten or rancid smell. You can also feel whether the turkey bacon is salty or bitter by the touch.
What is Turkey Bacon?
To make turkey bacon, minced or chopped smoked turkey is mixed with spices and preservatives. The mix is then shaped into strips that look like bacon. The USDA says that some turkey bacon products like Pork may also have other meats. So, if you only want strips for gobblers, look at the list of ingredients. Instead of pork bacon, most grocery stores sell turkey bacon as an alternative.
It is made by chopping or grinding together light and dark turkey meat and skin, adding seasonings and preservatives, and then pressing the mixture into strips like bacon. Some companies even make pieces that look like bacon by using light and dark meat stripes. It can be cooked just like regular bacon. Most of the time, it’s cooked in a pan, in the microwave, or the oven until golden and crispy.
How can you Tell if Turkey Bacon is Bad?
The color of turkey bacon is also an indicator of its quality. A light pink color is indicative of freshness. Darker pink and grey shades can indicate spoiled bacon. In addition to color, look for a distinctive smell. Check the texture too. It should be moist and not slimy. If it doesn’t feel right to you, it’s probably not good. It’s not worth eating, but it might save your dinner from nasty sour-smelling turkey bacon.
To determine whether your turkey bacon is bad, check its shelf life. Most bacon stays good for seven to fourteen days in the fridge after opening it. If the bacon is brown, has a bad smell, or appears slimy, it’s time to toss it. Even if you think it looks okay, don’t try to use it after its expiration date. You’re more likely to eat spoiled turkey bacon than a perfectly healthy one.
Turkey bacon is often preferred by people who don’t eat Pork or are trying to eat less fat. It comes in the familiar shapes of bacon rashers. But some smaller butcher shops may make their turkey bacon, but you’ll probably buy it at the grocery store, and it’s important to know what to look for:
Appearance
This processed meat is made from a mix of turkey’s white and dark meat. It is diced, pressed, and sliced into the shape of bacon rashers before being packaged for your convenience. Most companies that make meat will package it into rashers, making it easier for you to check the pack. Take a few seconds to check the package carefully. Look for discoloration; your bacon should be light and dark shades of pinky-red, with no brown, blue, green, or grey spots. If it’s not pink or red, throw it away right away.
Check to see if the package is nice and flat or has air bubbles. This could mean that the turkey inside has started to go bad and is letting off-gases into the packaging. Also, look in the corners of the package; you don’t want to see any liquids. Try to buy packages with the longest Use By or Best Before dates, as this will give you the longest shelf life.
Smell
Since most turkey bacon packages are vacuum-sealed, it’s hard to smell any strong smells. But you shouldn’t smell anything bad when you open that seal either. If you smell something sour or rotten, you should probably not cook and eat that turkey bacon. What you should smell is raw meat, and only raw meat. Another way to determine whether or not your turkey bacon is bad is by smell. When it is slimy, it’s probably past its sell-by date. If it is sour or rotten-smelling, it isn’t good. The texture of the bacon is also a clue as to whether it’s still edible. A dull, grayish color is another sign of bad bacon. And, don’t forget to check the date, too.
Texture
This is an odd product because it is diced, pressed, and then sliced, so the diced meat won’t be completely flat in some places. It often feels soft and pliable, almost squishy, and has just a hint of moisture. But it should not feel slimy or sticky at all! If your turkey bacon feels like a wet, sticky mess, don’t take any chances and throw it away. If the meat feels slimy, it’s most likely spoiled. When turkey bacon begins to degrade, lactic acid bacteria start to grow. The result is a slimy texture that’s almost unappealing. Don’t eat spoiled turkey bacon, and throw it away. If you’re unsure whether turkey bacon is spoiled, try a small piece and see if it looks okay.
Taste
By now, you should have figured out if your turkey bacon is safe to eat or not based on how it looks, smells, and feels. But if it was cooked by someone else, you might want to keep your head on straight. Turkey bacon should taste like a mix of turkey (leg and breast meat) and bacon (this is more of a mouth-feel thing).
It should taste meaty, maybe a little like turkey, and leaner. But it’s bad and shouldn’t be eaten if it tastes sour or rotten. If you swallow or eat bad turkey bacon, you could get a bad stomachache or even go to the hospital.
Mould
Should never see anything but pinkish-red meat. Anything making a new life is a big no-no and should be thrown away immediately.
How Long is Turkey Bacon Good for?
Turkey bacon can be kept in the fridge for 7–14 days. It will stay safe to eat for a long time in the freezer (but the bacon will only keep its best texture, aroma, and taste for six months before it starts to dry out). The safest way to get turkey bacon ready to cook or eat is to move it from the freezer to the fridge the night before. Place the chicken on the bottom shelf of the fridge, where it will be the coldest, in a deep plate or bowl to catch any juices that may leak out.
You can also put frozen bacon in a ziplock bag and a bowl of cold water. Make sure to change the water every 15 to 20 minutes or every 20 to 30 seconds in the microwave on the defrost setting. If you don’t have much time and want to cook the turkey bacon immediately, you can use cold water or the microwave to thaw it. If you cooked more turkey bacon than you could eat and put the rest in the fridge, don’t wait too long to eat it all; it will only be good for 3–4 days.
How to Store Turkey Bacon?
While turkey bacon can be stored for up to five days in the refrigerator, the quality will decrease over time. This means that it’s best to use it within three to five days of purchase. To prolong the life of turkey bacon, store it in the freezer, but don’t freeze it for longer than five months. It would help if you also planned on using it before the expiration date to avoid waste. In the fridge, you can also freeze turkey bacon if you’re not planning to use it within that time frame.
To avoid wasting money and energy, freeze leftover turkey bacon. You can repackage the turkey bacon in smaller portions and freeze it for another time. Turkey bacon can last up to 6 months in the refrigerator if properly wrapped. However, storing it in the freezer is a better choice because it takes more energy to cook it. Besides, buying turkey bacon in bulk is a great money saver.
Is Turkey Bacon Healthy?
Turkey bacon can be a good fit for some people, especially those with special dietary needs.
Fewer Calories and Fat than Pork Bacon
About 25% fewer calories and 35% less saturated fat can be found in turkey bacon than in Pork (2, 3). This makes it a good choice for people who want to eat less fat or calories. But it still has a lot of calories, with 30 calories per slice, of which more than half come from fat. Even though turkey bacon has fewer calories than pork bacon, you shouldn’t eat too much.
A Good Option for those Who don’t Eat Pork
Some people don’t eat Pork because they are allergic to it or can’t digest it well, and others don’t eat it because of their religion or health. If you don’t eat Pork, pork can eat turkey bacon instead. Even though turkey bacon doesn’t taste and feel exactly like pork bacon, many still like its smoky, salty, meaty flavor.
What is Turkey’s Bacon Nutrition?
Regarding nutrition, turkey bacon is not all that different from regular bacon. For example, one slice of microwaved turkey bacon has about 30 calories, 2 grams (g) of fat, 2 grams (g) of protein, no carbohydrates or fiber, and 164 milligrams (mg) of sodium, which is about 7 percent of the maximum recommended daily intake for healthy adults.
Pork bacon of the same size has about 40 calories, 3 grams of fat, 3.5 grams of protein, no carbs or fiber, and 162 milligrams of sodium (also about 7 percent of the recommended daily intake). The main difference between Pork and turkey regarding health is that Pork is red meat and turkey is not.
Conclusion
In addition to checking the shelf life of your turkey bacon, you should also check whether it has a sell-by date. If the turkey bacon is in good condition, it should still be light pink and have no odor. However, if the turkey bacon is not in good condition, it’s better to discard it. If the turkey bacon is untouched, it can be safe for up to two weeks. While turkey bacon is generally less expensive than regular bacon, it does not taste the same, and its nutritional profile and shelf life differ.
Eating it within seven to fourteen days of the sell-by date is best. You can also freeze turkey bacon, and be sure to check the packaging for spoilage. Turkey bacon is best eaten seven and fourteen days after the sell-by date. If it is not, throw it out and replace it with a healthier one.
Turkey bacon is a great alternative to Pork because it has a lot of protein; if you store it right, a package can last a week or even longer. But if your perfectly pinkish-red turkey bacon is turning grey or greenish-purple, it’s time to throw it out. Turkey bacon will be kept in the fridge for several months in the freezer for a week or two, but it should never be left out on the kitchen counter.
