Cold Cuts - Time in Fridge?

[frndshpcptn]

Hi -

I had fresh turkey sliced for me at the deli on Saturday - is it still ok to eat today? Or is time to throw it away?

Thanks!

 

[NotUrsula]

Personally I won't keep deli roast turkey more than 48 hours -- it's the quickest-spoiling of all deli meats, IME. Smoked turkey lasts a bit longer; I'll keep that for up to 4 days.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I've often wondered about this, because you know that the big roast that it is sliced from has been in the deli case for more than a few days. Maybe it spoils faster once it is sliced?

 

[hegsag]

I usually keep my deli meat for a week and have never had any problems.

 

[suejai]

My test is: does it smell funny and/or does it feel a bit slimy? If it does either of those things then I won't eat it. But I wouldn't go much past today or tomorrow in any case.

Ham you can go a bit longer, or anything smoked. But, as NotUrsula said, the fresh meats like turkey and especially roast beef go really fast.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I'm very very picky about my deli meats. Personally - I only eat it within 24 hours. The kids - I'll go 48 hours

Lucky, the Italian store is on my corner - so I just buy smaller quantities and go more often.

My hubby will eat them for a week though

 

[ICF]

I usually keep my deli meat for a week and have never had any problems.

us too....we usually buy it on Sunday from the deli grocery store and use it for our lunches all week.

It is usually ham or turkey and we've done this for years and never had any issues with eating it at the end of the week.

 

[ead79]

I was told by the deli clerk at our local Publix that Boar's Head meets should be eaten within 3-5 days of buying them. So usually if I buy Boar's Head turkey on Saturday, the last day I'll eat it is Monday. But I'm picky about stuff like that!

 

[aprilgail2]

I would toss that right away! I will only eat cold cuts 24-48 hours after buying them.

 

[Christine]

The better the meat, the quicker it spoils. Some of the better lunch meat brands have little to no preservatives. Once sliced they degrade a bit faster than they would whole because of the surface area exposed. So, I wouldn't keep lunchmeat any longer than I would keep leftover meat that I could (probably I would keep it even less time.

I also by Boar's Head and usually buy it late on Sunday afternoon and it's rare that we would even eat it on Friday.

 

[dizluvah]

Many moons ago I worked in a grocery store deli and learned that deli meats have a "shelf" life of 3-4 days. As, other has said it does vary by the type of meat. For example - roast beef I try to use it all up in 2 days (it gets darker - brown rather than red...then rainbow color sheen). I find ham and turkey last longer - I would usually eat them at 3-4 day mark.

One other tip, I never accept "pre-sliced" - you have no way of knowing how long it has been sliced and sitting in the case...I always request fresh sliced off the roast, etc.