Time To Stop Wasting Sliced Deli Meat

Keep Your Lunch Meat Out Of The Landfill

Some time ago I wrote about a pretty slick trick for saving bacon. (Bacon Is A Terrible Thing To Waste, April 12, 2017) When there's just one or two of you a pound of bacon can spoil before you eat it all, so I suggested freezing it as a means of preserving it. Not too revolutionary a concept, right? But it was the way in which I froze it that was rather unique. Instead of throwing the whole shingled package into the freezer and then having to deal with trying to separate the slices as you need them, I rolled up each individual slice and froze them that way. Using that trick, you can get an entire pound of bacon into a quart freezer bag and you can take out a single slice or ten of them, depending on your needs, with no fuss or effort. Thaw them in the microwave for thirty seconds or so and you're ready to go.

Well, I found I was having the same issue with packaged deli meats. Deli meats go bad quickly once the packages are opened. You've only got a three to five-day window to use it up and as much as I like ham and cheese sandwiches, I really don't want to have one every day for a week. So once again, the freezer is the answer.

Most deli meats are sliced very thin. I knew throwing the whole package in the freezer was going to be as much of a pain as doing the same thing with bacon. So I tried separating the slices into portions. For example, I usually put four slices of ham on a ham and cheese, so I divided the package into four-slice portions, separated by deli paper, and froze them. It worked okay, but unless they were completely thawed, the thin slices tore as I tried to separate them. And since most packaged deli meats are “water added,” they get wet and messy when you thaw them. Okay. Back to the drawing board. I used the deli paper to separate the individual slices. Eh. All that got me was wet slices wrapped in wet deli paper when the meat was thawed.

And then the little light bulb came on: why not freeze the deli meat slices the same way as I froze the bacon strips?

I picked up an eight-ounce package of Hormel Natural Choice Sliced Smoked Deli Ham. I opened the pack and started to work, taking each slice and rolling it into a neat cylinder. The rolled cylinders went seam side down onto a sheet tray and then into the freezer. After about an hour they were set enough that they wouldn't unroll and they wouldn't stick together, so I removed them from the sheet tray and popped them into a freezer bag. I labeled the bag with the contents and the date, and it went back in the freezer. Now I had a nice little bag of frozen ham rolls. Next time I wanted a sandwich, I got the bag out of the freezer, selected four rolls, put them on a paper towel in the microwave for thirty seconds, and just like that, I had the makings for a nice lunch.

According to the USDA, “Lunch meat is safe indefinitely if kept frozen. Use it within one to two months for best quality.” I've never had a package of ham last me more than two months, so I can't testify to the verity of that statement, but it is certainly a better alternative than letting it go bad in the refrigerator after just a few days.

The same method works for chicken, turkey, roast beef and whatever else you get from your deli or packaged meat aisle. I will say this: it works a lot better with prepackaged meat like the aforementioned Hormel product. Or whatever your brand preference might be. Freshly sliced meat from your store's deli is a little more finicky. Especially poultry. Not a lot of water and not a lot of fat. My wife is a big fan of Boar's Head Ovengold Turkey. Let me tell you, that stuff shreds like a mad thing when it's sliced super thin, which is the way she likes it. Can you say “pulled turkey sandwich?” And freezing it the common way only exacerbates the problem. But it rolls up pretty well if you ask your deli person to separate it as it's being sliced and then process it as soon as you get it home before it has a chance to sit in the meat drawer of your refrigerator.

Hey, there's a lot of talk these days about food waste, so why not try a simple method to help keep your lunch meat out of the landfill? I know it takes a few minutes of tedious effort to roll up slices of ham or roast beef or whatever. (Rolling up bacon is extra fun because it's nice and greasy.) But the payoff is well worth the pain when you can just go to the freezer, unzip your Zip-Loc, and have nice, neat, perfectly portioned, mess-free little meat roll-ups right at hand for whatever your needs might be. It's an especially good idea if you want to save a few bucks by buying in larger quantities than you otherwise would. Think Sam's, Costco, or your local restaurant supply store. Instead of shelling out supermarket prices for little half-pound packages, buy two or three pounds, roll it up and freeze it. And you'll have quick and easy sandwiches for a couple of months.

As I wrote before, a great way to (literally) save your bacon can also work for your ham, roast beef, chicken or whatever you want to serve your family rather than your dog or your trash can. Saves food, saves money. Win-win situation. Try it today.

Want Quick, Easy Bacon? Let George (Foreman) Do It!

I Don't Know Why I Didn't Think Of This Before

I have written quite a lot about bacon over the years. It's one of my favorite topics, to say nothing of its being one of my favorite foods. I've written about bacon in general and I've written about specific bacons. I've written about how to buy bacon, how to store bacon, and how to cook bacon. And it's that last topic that I want to address here.

I have previously noted that my favorite way to prepare the porcine ambrosia that is bacon is the simple, old-fashioned way: fry it up in a pan or on a flattop griddle. And for the most part, that remains true. That's the way my mama taught me almost sixty years ago, and it's still the best of the traditional methods. But what about some of the less traditional methods, hmmm?

Microwave ovens and their attendant gadgetry did not exist back when I first slapped a slice of bacon on a slab of steel. Do I have a microwave now? Yes. Do I have a microwave bacon cooker? Yes. Do I insert the latter into the former on a regular basis? No way. The only time I microwave bacon is if I'm in a desperate hurry or if I don't really care that it comes out with a case of chewy, dried-out rigor mortis. When I'm making bacon bits for a salad or a baked potato, I'll nuke up a couple of slices. Otherwise, almost never.

Another new-fangled cooking device is the air fryer, which is actually nothing more than a countertop convection oven. I wrote fairly recently about using this method to cook bacon, and I'm in favor of it. The major drawback is that you can only cook three or four slices at a time. Not too practical if you're cooking for a lot of people.

Now, when it comes to mass bacon cookery, nothing beats the tried and true restaurant method of putting it on a rack on a sheet pan and sticking it in the oven at 400° for fifteen to twenty minutes. You get nice, flat, crispy bacon with no turning or watching or babysitting. Maybe it's just my palate, but I can detect a slight flavor difference when it's made that way. Nothing that's a deal breaker, though. It's way better than the microwave method. Besides, my wife likes it that way and it's certainly easy. So I'm good with baking your bacon, too.

But here's my epiphany, and it's something that's been staring me in the face for years and I don't know why I didn't think of it before: let George do it.

Boxing legend George Foreman first stuck his name on an electric contact grill back in 1994. His “Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine” was an instant success and has gone through many iterations and upgrades since that first model. Which I still have, by the way. It's been supplanted for everyday use by one of the newer, bigger, more colorful jobs, but the original little white one I bought twenty-five or so years ago still works when I plug it in, a testament to its durability.

George (the grill, not the boxer) does all kinds of things in my kitchen, including making great grilled cheese sandwiches. I had recently put him to work doing just that and he was still sitting on the counter drying out and waiting to be put away last night when I got a hankering for some bacon. And I don't know why it took twenty-five years to occur to me, but it did. I was kind of tired, kind of in a hurry, and I didn't feel like hauling out the air fryer or waiting for the oven or cleaning up the griddle. And I wasn't desperate enough for the microwave. So I thought,“Hmmmm,” as I stood looking at George's shiny red surface. I did a quick Google search to see if anybody else had had the same thought. Caspita! Was I late to the party! Numerous George Foreman grill bacon recipes and videos immediately popped up in my search.

Armed with the knowledge that it could be done and how to do it, I preheated my machine, slipped three slices of bacon on the lower plate, closed the lid and walked away to do other prep. I went back two minutes later, lifted the lid, flipped the bacon, closed it up again and walked away for another two minutes. When I returned, I retrieved three of the prettiest slices of perfectly cooked bacon I had ever seen. They were as flat and as evenly cooked as if I had used the oven method, but it took about a third of the time. I like my bacon a little toward the crispy side but it was still nice and tender, not at all like the undesirable microwaved results.

Truth be told, bacon cooked this way still does not have the same.....character, I guess.....as good ol' pan or griddle-fried bacon. But there's something else it doesn't have: excessive fat. After all, that's the point of a “Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine.” The fat was all rendered out into the nifty little catch tray, making for a much simpler cleanup. So, while grilling bacon on a contact grill does not necessarily make it a “health food,” it does offer a nominally healthier alternative to frying. And it's certainly faster, easier, and cleaner.

Now, if this is something you've been doing for years and it wasn't really a big revelation to you, just roll your eyes, say “Duh!” and go read something else. Mi dispiace. I'm a little slow sometimes. But if I've opened even one eye to a delicious, easy, and sorta healthy way to cook that marvelous, magical meat that is bacon, then I've accomplished my mission.

Oh, man! I don't have any of my absolute favorite Benton's bacon in the house right now. I see a road trip to Madisonville, Tennessee coming on. And with a power inverter in my car, maybe I could plug George in while I'm driving and........nah. But don't be surprised if my hotel room smells like (sigh) bacon.

Forget the Big Box Stores. Equip Your Kitchen At A Restaurant Supply Store

Want To Cook Like A Pro? Shop Where the Pros Shop.

A lot of people started doing a lot of cooking and baking in the last year or so. And most of them made huge mistakes by going to their local big box and/or discount stores to buy the equipment needed for all that culinary activity. After all, where else are you going to go to buy pots and pans and such, right? Not right. Let me tell you where to go. (Hey, people tell me where to go all the time) Go to your local restaurant supply store.

You want to cook like a pro? Shop where the pros shop. Even if you don't want to cook like a pro, even if you just want to throw together a decent meal for your family or bake some cookies or a loaf of bread or something, you should still shop where the pros shop. There are lots of reasons why. The three that come immediately to mind are quality, selection, and price.

Let's look first at quality. Do you know how many times a day the average skillet or saucepan gets tossed around in a restaurant kitchen? I promise you there is not a single piece of cookware you can buy at Walmart or Target that could stand up to that kind of use. Okay, maybe one: a Lodge cast-iron frying pan. Those things are practically indestructible. But when it comes to everyday pots and pans, you will never beat the quality you'll find at a place that serves the food service industry.

Commercial grade cookware and bakeware is tough because it has to be. You really need to spend ten minutes in a restaurant kitchen and you'll see why. I used to have a cook in one of my restaurants who was notorious for beating up cookware. With the pace and pressure in a professional kitchen, nobody expects you to handle your cooking tools like they were made of some rare fragile element. But this guy was so far beyond normal wear and tear that I once threatened to take the cost of the next pan he damaged out of his paycheck. I can't even imagine what would happen to a set of the stuff most people buy for home use. Actually, I would have to imagine it because most health department regulations do not permit non-commercial grade cookware in commercial kitchens. So if the cookware and utensils I buy at a restaurant supply will hold up to the.....shall we say “less than careful”.....handling it gets in a professional kitchen, imagine how long it will last in yours.

Now, are all these pans going to match? Are they all going to be shiny and colorful? Will they have a celebrity chef's name on them? Hell, no. The stuff you're going to bring home from a restaurant supply store is going to be functional and probably a little ugly. But what do you want? Pretty pans with famous names on them that you'll throw out next year when they get warped and scratched and beaten to a pulp or sturdy pans that you'll keep for years and years to come?

Selection is another thing. Go to Wallyworld and I'll tell you what you're going to find: fifty different sets of the same four or five pans. There'll be cheap stainless steel ones and colorful aluminum ones and some painted with copper paint because it's the latest fad, but they're all going to be the same combination of a 7” or 8” sauté pan, a 9” or 10” sauté pan, a 1 quart saucepan, a 2 quart saucepan, and a 4 quart Dutch oven. Throw in lids for all but the smaller sauté pan and you've got yourself a “nine piece set.” Just choose the color or the brand name. Some of them will include a bunch of flimsy spoons and utensils so they can advertise a “twenty piece set” and make you feel like you're getting a real deal. Eh, not so much.

Now, at a restaurant supply store, you're going to find a lot of things you would never in a million years need or use unless you have a very large family. I mean, most people are not going to make soup in a 32 quart stock pot. And the average baker is not going to have much use for a 40” piano whisk. That said, such places are also loaded up with “normal” stuff that the everyday home cook will use: pots, pans, sheet trays, racks, mixing bowls, cutting boards, cutlery, utensils, storage containers, etc. You'll find everything you need to make killer pizza at home. There are baking pans and bread making tools and cake decorating supplies. Aprons and oven mitts and pot holders. And it won't be like going to Target or Bed, Bath and Beyond or Costco where you'll find a whisk or two hanging on a peg. No, you're local restaurant supply will have an entire frickin' wall dedicated to nothing but whisks of every size, shape, and configuration.

You can even find some small appliances there that will easily out perform and out last anything you'll buy in the big box stores. Things like immersion blenders, for instance. But don't try to go in for the big stuff – stoves and refrigeration units and such – because they're meant for commercial use and aren't generally compatible with residential wiring. But for everything else, your restaurant supply store is your one-stop shop. Just be sure to tie a pillow to your chin before you walk through the door for the first time because your jaw will drop when you see the variety of things available at prices you can afford.

Which brings us to the last point; you won't beat the prices and/or value you'll find at a restaurant supply store. I can lay hands on an 8” aluminum frying pan at my local store for eight bucks. Non-stick is thirteen. Okay, I see an 8” non-stick pan advertised at Walmart for six dollars. But you know what the difference is? The one I buy at the restaurant supply store will still be round after I drop it a couple of times and I'll still be cooking in it next year and the year after while you've been back to Walmart twice to replace yours.

On the other side of the spectrum, you can drop by someplace like Williams Sonoma and pick up a nice 8” All-Clad Non-Stick Fry Pan. Just make sure to stop at the bank first 'cause it's gonna cost you $140. When it comes to consumer vs commercial quality, All-Clad, like Lodge, is one of the rare exceptions. Most All-Clad products are tough enough that they can hold up in a professional kitchen. But unless you're some big name TV chef, you're not going to spend two or three-hundred dollars on a single pan. Not when you can buy pans that are equally functional, if somewhat less pretty, for twenty or thirty bucks.

Not everything is cheaper at a restaurant supply store. But, by and large, things will be less expensive simply because you, the retail consumer, are not their primary customer. They are not retailers. They are there to act as wholesalers to businesses buying in bulk. That you can walk in off the street and snag a bargain on one or two individual items is just icing on the cake.

Most restaurant supply stores are open to the public. Some are not. Restaurant Depot, for example, requires you to be a member of the food service industry in order to shop their stores. US Foods CHEF'STORE does not. A lot of communities have locally owned and operated supply stores, which are almost always open to the public. Since it might be something of a safari to go to one of these merchandise meccas, you might want to check the store's shopping policy before you head out.

If all else fails and your local store turns out to be “members only,” don't despair. There's always the Internet. WebstaurantStore.com is a cook's paradise, featuring over 342,000 items in their catalog and shipping to ninety-six percent of the US within two days. Ka Tom Restaurant Supply is another good online source. I have furnished restaurant kitchens from both. Downside: shipping costs. Yeah, Webstaurant has a “plus” program that nets you free ground shipping and priority ordering, but it's a hundred bucks a month, so, no. Check them out at www.webstaurantstore.com and www.katom.com.

I'm not saying I buy every single thing in my home kitchen at restaurant supply stores. The aforementioned Lodge cast-iron cookware is just as good from Walmart as it is from my local supply store and it's priced about the same. And let's be real; a wooden spoon is a wooden spoon no matter where you buy it. But if you've got a restaurant supply store fairly close by, you really ought to invest the time in checking it out. If you know somebody in the food service industry, you might want to take them along as sort of a “native guide” the first time you go. I promise you'll be overwhelmed and maybe a little intimidated. And you'll likely say “what the hell is that for?” quite a bit. But once you get the lay of the land, you'll never go back to the big box stores for your cooking and baking tools. And a lot of restaurant supply stores carry bulk foods as well, so you can often score big savings there, too.

Bottom line: when it comes to quality, selection, and price, you don't have to be a pro to shop like one.