Selma Jahn, a Cook’n Club reader, sent us this great idea for storing bacon. We told her we would share it with you — and of course give her the credit! Thanks Selma!

In these days of a higher level of awareness concerning fat intake, there are still a few things that simply require bacon - nothing else will do. So you need some bacon in the house, but once you open a pound of bacon, it doesn't take long for it to become moldy, dried out, slimy or some other state of being unusable. So now, after I bring home the bacon (literally), this is what I do.

1. Open the package and, using a good knife or kitchen shears, cut the entire pound in half crosswise. Place some plastic wrap on a cookie sheet, separate the half-slices, and place them in a single layer on the wrap with edges not quite touching. When the sheet is full, cover with another sheet of wrap and repeat the process until all the bacon is panned - cover the top layer of bacon with one more sheet of wrap. Stick this into the freezer for a few hours or overnight.

2. Get out a quart-sized zip-type freezer bag and the pan of frozen bacon. Remove the top layer of wrap, then start pulling up the next sheet of wrap, separating the bacon slices as you go, being careful to avoid breaking them, and stack the slices until you have about a two-inch stack. Pick it up and slip it into the freezer bag. Continue peeling and separating, stacking and bagging, until all the slices are in the bag. Place the bag into the freezer immediately, before the bacon has a chance to start softening.

3. Whenever you need a few slice of bacon, grab the bag from the freezer, remove the slices you need and stick the remainder back into the freezer. As long as you keep them well-frozen, they remain separate and easy to retrieve - and the rest of the bacon stays completely fresh for several months.

4. There's no need to thaw the bacon you're using. You can place the slices on layers of paper toweling, being sure to cover the top with paper, and cook in the microwave to the desired degree of doneness.

5. If you plan to use the bacon grease, place slices into a cold skillet and saute over medium to low heat. Remove the bacon as the slices reach the desired degree of doneness. You can now use the grease to saute onions or otherwise incorporate it into the dish you're preparing. Or pour the grease into a heat-proof glass container (custard cup, empty pimiento jar, coffee mug, etc.), cover and stick into freezer to save for a recipe that calls for bacon grease. You can add more to the jar whenever you cook bacon. (Just be careful to let the grease cool a little or the container warm up a little to prevent a sudden change of temperature from breaking the glass container!)

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