I'll never forget one evening when we were getting ready to watch a movie at my in-laws and we were getting some perfect buttery, salty popcorn ready (because what is a movie without buttery, salty popcorn?!) and my sister-in-law, who just got back from living in Ohio for two years told us how often she came across people there that swore by adding bacon grease to popcorn instead of butter. I will admit that initially I was a little taken about by the new idea--but because of my love for all things bacon--I was also equally intrigued.

I had never in all my days saved bacon grease and I never knew that was a thing. But it's actually been a thing for many generations. I have since gotten used to the idea and it is now a secret ingredient in my favorite potato salad recipe and because of the smokiness and depth of flavor, I've been storing it in my fridge and using it here and there where I can.

Here are a few delicious ways you can use bacon grease in your cooking and baking and then we'll go over how to store it properly.

*Use bacon fat in place of butter in a batch of corn muffins, cornbread, or biscuits.

*Bacon fat when it is extremely cold can even hold up in pastry recipes like the crust for a quiche.

* Use a couple tablespoons of bacon fat to pop popcorn in a pot on the stove instead of oil.

* Use it as the base for a soup--add a couple tablespoons and start sauteing onions and garlic for any number of soups.

*If you need to thicken your soup--make a roux with bacon fat instead of butter.

*Use it to saute or roast a pan of vegetables like Brussel sprouts, broccoli or leafy greens like collards.

*Spread some onto two slices of bread and make a wickedly tasty grilled cheese sandwich.

*Use it to grease your pan for hash browns or home fries.

*Use a spoonful of bacon grease to make scrambled or fried eggs "egg-stra" delicious! To make things even easier you could cook a couple strips of bacon in a pan, remove them when they are cooked and use the remaining fat to cook up your now extra flavorful eggs.

*Smear some bacon fat on the skin of potatoes and sprinkle with sea salt before baking. The bacon fat seals in the moisture and makes the skin taste amazing.

*You can find recipes for chocolate chip pecan cookies, among many other baked goods, with bacon fat as a secret ingredient. It brings a slight smokiness without tasting like bacon.

Apparently housewives throughout time have been known to keep a can or jar right next to stove to put a little in and take a little out here and there where necessary. These days, you realize that storing it at room temperature forever might not be the best idea for keeping it safe to use. Here's how to store bacon grease so you can use it when you want to safely.

ON THE COUNTER: If you do want to keep your bacon fat at room temperature just make sure you run it through a strainer and some cheesecloth to remove all the little bacon bits. Then you can keep it in a sealed jar at room temp for a month before it starts to go rancid.

IN THE FRIDGE: You can keep your bacon fat in the fridge in a glass jar (a jelly jar works perfect!) for 6 month. Using a glass jar ensures your bacon will taste the same every time. You can add to the jar every time you make bacon--just make sure that you remove everything and clean the jar out about every 6 months.

IN THE FREEZER: If you don't use your bacon grease very often or want a longer storage option--you can store it in the freezer for up to a year. You can just use a fork to chip away the amount you want to use each time you use it. Super Easy!

Do you use bacon fat in your cooking or baking? Share your favorite ways you use it in the comments below. Also, I'd love to know your favorite go-to way of making bacon.