Pancetta

[jogoode]

I assume pancetta, or anything with a high fat content, doesn't take well to freezing. Am I wrong? I can't eat any more of this pancetta! (Well, I can but I shouldn't.)

[mike_r]

i've frozen prosciutto with no problems on a regular basis, and i think i remember working somewhere where they froze pancetta as well, mostly to slice very very thin...

[Malawry]

I keep pancetta in the freezer, and pull it out every now and then to dice finely and render for cooking with greens like chard or spinach. I don't usually eat pancetta on its own, even though it is good, but rather add it to something else--so I don't think I'd notice if freezing damaged it somehow.

I tend to assume that any meat will freeze just fine, though.

[marie-louise]

I keep it for months in the fridge-each piece individually sealed in a bag w/ a Food Saver. I've never had it spoil this way. I buy it thickly sliced so that I can cut it into cubes; that probably makes it last longer.

[FL Heat]

I bought one large chunk, cut it into smaller pieces, put each smaller piece into a small bag, all the small bags into one large bag labelled "pancetta", put the whole mess in the freezer, and pull out small bits as I need them for cooking. I've used it for cooking green beans, in sauces, on pizza, and in soups, and no one's gotten sick yet!

Diana

[marie-louise]

I bought one large chunk, cut it into smaller pieces...

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I ask the deli to "open the slicer all the way up." This produces 3-4 ounce slices. I like to add a few ounces to all sorts of pasta, vegetable, and braised dishes. I know it is heresy on this board to speak poorly of bacon , but I prefer the taste of pancetta to bacon in cooked dishes. (Don't run me off, I love the taste of bacon on its own.)

[Kevin72]

I too have been getting slabs of pancetta from the deli here, wrapping it well and freezing it with no ill effect. Now that fall's here I'm burning through it pretty quick; it makes a good backdrop for soups and sauteeing aromatics in.

[Behemoth]

I thought the whole point of making pancetta is that it would keep for a really long time in a reasonably cool place.

[jogoode]

Thanks, all: You've saved my pancetta!

I am actually surprised that pancetta keeps so long in the fridge. I had thought that since it's not smoked it would have a significantly shorter fridge-life than smoked bacon.

[eunny jang]

I buy it in big chunks - the man at the store just eyeballs what I ask for and saws it off. It keeps forever, tightly wrapped, in the fridge.

[peanutgirl]

I'd also like to add a nod on the "freezability" of pancetta. I have done this many times and haven't noticed any negative effects.

Sometimes I do as FL Heat mentioned and dice or cut it up and store in the freezer for later use... though I usually don't label it... too lazy .

Bacon also... IMO... freezes well.

I have, in fact at this very moment , a hunk of pancetta resting peacefully in my freezer ( excess from last nights dinner of carbonara) right next to a bag of Shop-Rite brand Tater Tots .

[mrbigjas]

i freeze bacon, pancetta, and guanciale with no loss of flavor or texture that i can tell. i know it'll keep for a long time in the fridge, but i say why bother when i can throw it in the freezer and not be digging around past it all the time when i'm in the fridge.