Food safety

[Pastachef]

Hello everyone, I'm fairly new, (I read here a lot, but don't post.) I cook for a sorority and am wondering if someone can tell me how long it is safe to keep deli sliced turkey breast and also processed sandwich meats in the refrigerator at work. I say five days, but a 'real' chef told me several days longer. Of course the girls health is a major concern with me, so I'd like another opinion. Thank you very much.

[lynne]

Once lunch meat is sliced, it has a shelf life of 3-5 days. (factors include storage temp, how much air is in contact witht he meat, and the cut). If you are buying whole meat pieces, it is better to slice as you need; the loaf or block lasts much longer than sliced.

[Pastachef]

Thank you very much, Lynne. So it turns out that I was right through common sense and raising children of my own. I'd rather err on the safe side in throwing food out at the sorority [*]null

[Nicko]

Welcom SHUGIE8645@AOL.COM. When it comes to lunch meat, I always go with the old saying "when in doubt, throw it out". You might consider getting a light commercial grade vacuum sealer. My wife and I just bought one and it really helps to keep the food fresh for a much longer period of time.

[Pastachef]

Thank you. A vacuum sealer would be ideal for the turkey breast that I leave unsliced. Other than that, the girls have free access to the refrigerator, so I store the meats in plastic containers with lids after I've sliced them. Teaching them about bacteria, refrigerator temps, etc. is never an easy task. They leave lids off, forks, spoons and knives inside the containers, etc. Yikes! It's the age. And they're always in a hurry