It seems like when I get ham & turkey from the deli, they start getting slimy and spoiled within a few days. How do you get your deli meats to stay fresh longer?
2006-07-13 08:16:26 · 4 answers · asked by angellozenterprises 2 in Food & Drink ➔ Other - Food & Drink
The best way to insure the longest life of any meat not frozen is to maintain an interior refrigerator temperature between 32 and 35 degrees. You'll need to place a couple of thermometers in the fridge to be sure of this since the temperature is not the same in all areas of the compartment. Usually, the coldest area is on the bottom shelf, or in a drawer, in one of the back corners. All meats, if you're trying to keep them for more than a day or two should be kept at the temperature range I mentioned.
If meat gets slimey, it doesn't mean that it's spoiled. It is beginning to, I will admit. But it can be salvaged and used and will not in any way be any more unhealthful for you than fresher meat. You just have to wash it off in a solution of about 25%vinegar and 75% water, being sure to get all of the slime off of it and removing any unpleasant odor in the process. Sniff it after rinsing it thoroughly in clean water. It may smell slightly vinegary but shouldn't have any sour or spoiled odor. If it does, repeat the vinegar and water wash,, then the rinse. This should get rid of any remaining smells. If not, feed it to your dog or cat, or throw it out. But you shouldn't have to if you've caught the meat early enough.
Vinegar kills bacteria on contact. It will sterilize the entire surface of the meat making it entirely edible. I learned this trick in a meat market about 50 years ago when I was shown how to wash wieners that had been in the sales case long enough that the fats in them exuded grease through the skins. We washed them thoroughly as I've described, then rinsed them under running water until they smelled good. We sold a lot of wieners and never had any complaints.
Try it, it works.
2006-07-13 08:35:03 · answer #1 · answered by quietwalker 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Instead of the plastic bags that they come in, Put them in Plastic containers. Make sure everytime you seal them you get most of the Air out. Even your turkey will last atleast a week and a half
2006-07-13 15:20:21 · answer #2 · answered by jlayton134 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you buying meats without preservatives (nitrates. etc.).
They taste wonderful and are better for you, but they won't last as long as the others....and when the others start to turn, you know they are REALLY nasty. Don't even feed them to the neighbor's dog.
2006-07-13 15:23:17 · answer #3 · answered by Bobbie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no
2006-07-13 15:19:48 · answer #4 · answered by jamie h 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋