The other day DearSugar dragged me to the kitchen and asked me to inspect her sliced deli turkey. It had been sitting in the fridge for more than a couple of days and she wasn't sure if the turkey was still edible or not. I explained that there are several ways to tell when cold cuts have gone bad:
- Start by looking at the sell by date. All lunch meats (whether they are prepackaged or fresh cut from the deli) have a sell by date. It's best to consume the meat within seven to 10 days after the sell by date.
- Generally speaking, once it's been opened, eat within three to five days.
- If the meat is extremely slimy with a film on the outside, throw it away.
- Any odd or off smells of vinegar, ammonia, or yeast mean it's time to throw the turkey, pastrami, or ham out.
- This goes without saying, but if there's any mold or growths on the meat or package, dispose of it immediately.
Heine
Blugirl
Dries Van Noten
I had bad lunch meat once from Subway. It was roast beef. The roast beef had a strange sheen to it... I shouldn't have eaten it, but I was hungry. Yeah. I was sick for a day after that.
When in doubt, throw it out.
1Yes, I have felt that slimy sheen on old deli turkey. Ick.
2that picture is making me feel sick
3i refuse to read this
how about DON'T EAT LUNCH MEAT.
it's totally gross.
These are great tips! Thanks.
4skigurl, my thoughts exactly! it's always bad!
5omg that is making me SICK just thinking about it!
6I don't think lunch meat is gross! I just always make sure to eat it within about 4 days of buying it.
7That slimey look is a dead giveaway. There's also that funny odor.
8This is an article? Really?!
9Oh lord the slime has got me before...
10Definitely toss it if it's at all slimey or has a weird smell to it. My parents buy sliced deli meat all the time and my dad has eaten bad meat more times than one. Generally, you should only buy as much meat as you can eat in 3 days or so...don't go buying a pound of turkey if you're not going to eat it all in 3 days or you will have slimey gross meat that you'll have to throw out.
Also, deli meats can harbor Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, which most people can fight off easily, but if you're pregnant or immunocompromised, you're best off not eating deli meats at all unless you heat them up to 140 degrees.
11My grandson ate some turkey breast that was out of date
12he got up in the night with his stomach hurting but today he said it didn'thurt record they is any harm doen.MJ
thank you that was very helpful! i wonder what the judgemental commenters eat that others might find disgusting?
13I thought this was a really good article. I purchased premium cracked pepper turkey 3 days ago. It was slimy almost like it was dipped in fat and it had an off smell. From ready your article it's apparently bad even though it was just purchased and wasn't left out that long. BUMMER.
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