I quit eating lunch meat when I learned about nitrates, but when I learned how to cook paper-thin slices of turkey at home, homemade lunch meat was on!
Turkey on whole wheat. No cheese, a little bit of lettuce, lots of pickles, lots of olives, just a few jalapenos. Mayonnaise and mustard.
Back in my college days, that was the sandwich I ordered every time I went to Subway and I loved every bite.
Until I learned about nitrates. I immediately broke up with all lunch meat and never looked back. That is until my kids starting going to a peanut-free school.
Not being able to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made me feel incapable of making lunches altogether. Like someone was holding my hands behind my back and told me to make lunch with my feet.
I know it sounds strange, and it sounds strange to type it out.
OF COURSE, there are other things kids can take to school besides a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
I know this first hand because 4 of the 5 days of the week they’re NOT taking a sandwich. They love homemade Lunchables, Italian meatballs, or chocolate chip hummus in their lunches.
But it was a mental block. Not being able to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made making lunch those other 4 days seem practically impossible.
With PBJ out of the question, I went back to my favorite lunch meat again – turkey. I’m still not okay with buying lunch meat.
Now, I know some stores now carry nitrate-free lunch meat, but the last time I saw a 10.5 oz package of sliced turkey it was priced at $8.
I don’t know about you, but my budget can absolutely NOT afford paying $12 per pound for sliced turkey every week! I knew there had to be a better way.
My first attempt was to buy a whole turkey. I bought the smallest one I could for just over $1/lb, roasted it in the oven the same way I roast whole chickens, cut off the wings, legs and set the breasts aside to slice thin for sandwiches.
Although this sounds good in theory, it didn’t work how I had hoped.
There are tendons in the dark meat that made it tough to get even slices for the kids’ sandwiches. Even if I did get a decent slice, the kids kept finding even more tendons in their sandwiches. (The Girl kept spitting them out, saying there were “bones” no matter how careful I was when I cut the turkey).
The breasts were easy to slice through, but the natural grain of the meat made a single slice fall apart into smaller pieces. The kids would have to re-assemble their sandwiches at school because the meat would fall out from between the bread.
Using a whole turkey would have been fine if my goal was to make turkey salads, to dice turkey for dipping or salads or even eating the pieces whole. But using a whole turkey to make lunch meat simply didn’t work.
Homemade Lunch Meat
Next, I tried a whole turkey breast. They come in a single package, ready to roast all by themselves. There are no bone to deal with and thanks to salt, the slices won’t fall apart when you cut them.
I seasoned the outside with homemade seasoned salt and roasted it in the oven according to the package directions.
The resulting turkey breast was so moist and so flavorful, I knew the kids would love it in their lunches!
Except that the slices were too thick!
My goal in making homemade lunch meat was to re-create the floppy thin slices that lunch meat is known for. Fresh out of the oven, the turkey slices weren’t thin at all. They more resembled the slices you get when you carve the Thanksgiving bird – and you and I know that this wouldn’t pass as “lunch meat” for the kids.
So I threw a hail Mary pass, stuck the breast in the fridge and tried to slice it thin again after it had been thoroughly chilled.
And it worked!
With a completely chilled turkey breast and a very sharp serrated knife, I was able to cut slices as thin as you’d expect to find in any lunch meat package. They folded, flopped and made absolutely delicious turkey sandwiches – without nitrates or preservatives!
Additional Recipe Notes
I recommend slicing up the whole turkey breast at the same time. You might as well if you’ve already got the tools out! Use a kitchen scale to weigh the slices into 8 oz portions. Place each portion into a freezer-safe container and pull out one portion each week. This is how we made one turkey breast last a whole month.
Cost Breakdown
The turkey breast I bought was 48 oz (or 3 lbs) and I got it for $8. Making my own lunch meat is the equivalent of paying $1.33 for an 8 oz package of processed lunch meat.
Compared to the store-bought all-natural variety, I’m saving 78% by making my own homemade lunch meat!
Watch How to Make Homemade Lunch Meat
- 1 whole turkey breast (approx 48 oz)
- 2 tsp homemade seasoned salt
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Rinse the turkey breast and pat dry. If yours comes with a twine casing, leave that on.
- Rub the homemade seasoned salt - or other seasoning of choice - all over the turkey breast, massaging it in as you cover the meat.
- Place the turkey breast in an 8x8 glass pan and drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil. Turn it over and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
- Roast in the oven for 90 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165-170F.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Cut off the twine, if necessary, and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, use a very sharp serrated knife (I have this one) to cut very thin slices of turkey breast, aiming for a slice that's as wide as the knife blade.
- Store in the fridge, freezing any portions that won't get eaten within a week.
I love doing this! Tastes so much better when we know it’s clean eating.
Unfortunately, I love turkey tooooo much to use the whole thing just for lunch meat. I often use the *leftovers* for lunch meat.
Also, we buy lovely eye of round beef roasts whenever we can and make lunch meat out of those leftovers too. And pork tenderloins are always a frugal option here for fun Italian sandwiches with eggplant and onions.
We have an electric knife and electric slicer that work wonders and my husband can slice the meat super thin.
I’ve been wanting to do this with beef too, but wasn’t sure of the cut – thanks for the tip Jennifer! I can only imagine the thinness with an electric slicer!!
This is awesome! I wasn’t sure on the cut of beef either. Do you just oil and salt roast that too? If the turkey comes out and the kids eat it, I’m totally investing in an electric knife.
Maybe you can find an electric knife at a garage sale or thrift store. I’m sure that would help make things easier for you. Bummer about those PB&J sandwiches.
Exactly!!! What in the world do Vegan children do at schools which restrict nuts??! That shouldn’t even be LEGAL, to dictate what another child can consume. If a child is THAT allergic, then those parents need to provide a different venue to school their ailing child!! Sorry, just my opinion.
Bahahaha oh wow. Calm down.
Peanut butter is far from the healthiest choice anyway.
Soy nut butter
Almond butter
Cashew butter
Sunflower butter
Tahini
Biscoff cookie butter
Coconut butter
Hazelnut butter
Don’t worry. It’s totally possible for vegan children to coexist with children who will die if they eat peanuts.
As a Mom of a child with severe food allergies, I really appreciate your compassionate answer. Thank you so much
Soy nut butter and sunflower butter is very unhealthy options actually.
How is sunflower butter unhealthy Charlotte?
Yeah. That’s against the law. No discrimination in schools. And even if is wasn’t, it’s ridiculous and really terrible to tell a kid that they can’t go to school bc of an allergy that isn’t their fault. What a horrible thing to say.
$90 for a single knife is sooooo not in my budget! But I’ll bet my $14 DeliPro will work just fine…even if the slices are a little bit thicker.
Wanda – I totally understand this! My knife set was actually a Christmas gift from my dad 10+ years ago. He’s a chef and told me that a good set of knives is invaluable, and that when you have a good set, they’ll last a lifetime. He has a set he bought when he first starting cooking 30 years ago! We all have priorities of course, but I believe there are some things that are worth spending more on for better quality. 🙂
Thanks for the post! I have been trying this too. I was also unhappy with the thick or crumbly slices. I am going to try it soon! I haven’t had a good deli sandwich in months!
You’re very welcome Megan! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. 🙂
This is great! I would love to save some money and be 100% sure that the meat is good to go! Thanks! 🙂
Thanks Bethany!
Thanks for posting this. I also love deli meat but hate nitrates! I am going to put Cajun seasoning on my turkey breast! I also love the price!
Ooh – Cajun seasoning sounds good!
I love doing turkey this way! I would love if you let us know if you try the beef and how it goes. Do you have any suggestions for ham? I know I’ve seen ham on your menus so have been wondering what you buy or look for when purchasing hams. I don’t even know where to begin. Would much appreciate your advice and guidance?
I’ll definitely update if I try ham or beef Lacey! As for buying it, I aim for the ham steaks and dice them myself. Or I’ll freeze extras from Easter or Christmas and just use those. We honestly don’t eat ham too often, so I haven’t put as much effort into the research as I would say chicken, since we eat that weekly.
Oooh, I have the ham question as well. I really don’t like turkey (though of course will make this for the husband and the kids), but I LOVE ham, so would love to do this the same way if you can offer any guidance… or at least, tell us how to experiment!
I’ll be sure to share the ham when I do it Meg!
I would love to try this. Could you give specifics on what kind of turkey breast you bought? I’ve bought a few before and they weren’t very good. Maybe it was my cooking method but I would love to know what kind you bought so I could purchase the same kind.
I don’t remember off hand Julia, but I’ll look the next time I’m in Aldi. 🙂
Honeysuckle white is delicious. Comes with gravy packet I throw I freezer. I’ve been doing this for years. I can slice chicken and beef so thin you could just about read through it but my turkeys always been chunky so thanks for the help with the serrated knife.
Bravo!
Thanks!
This turned out fantastic! I made it for myself, added some crushed black pepper corns, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, and onion powder. Toss these in toaster with multigrain bread – superb! Thanks for sharing.
You’re most welcome Rach! Thanks for sharing the spice combination you used!
This sounds great! Many recipes I have seen in the past were complicated or involved pureeing and shaping meat, which just doesn’t sound appetizing lol
LOL – that doesn’t sound appetizing to me either!
Actually to me it sounds great. I was hoping your recipe was for just that. I bought a ham press and it makes ground meat into a loaf you can slice. I just made a ground turkey olive loaf that is great with ketchup on a sandwich. What’s nice about it is when it’s hot and humid and you don’t want to heat up the whole house with the oven you make it in a pan of water on the stove. I put a huge piece of foil over the whole thing to keep the steam in and it helps it cook faster. It came with a meat thermometer so I can tell when it’s done. Unfortunately there aren’t many recipes for these things but if you are creative and can cook you can come up with just about anything. Some ppl make whole roasts in them and you could cook your boneless turkey breast in it too if it fits in it. Like you I’m also trying to cut down on nitrates that are in packaged food. Thanks for posting your idea.
Brilliant idea, as usual! 🙂 Pinning and sharing!
Thank you Dena!
Tiffany, two of my littles are going to school for the first time this Fall and I needed an idea like this one! Thank you so much!
You’re most welcome Anjanette!
Thanks for a homemade “subway” samwich!! I’ve changed my entire eating habits. Just started a month ago. I’m eating FRESH everything possible….all veggies, the prettiest cherry tomatoes I can find; good ole bright red gala apples, strawberries, avacados ( healthy- high in protein) salmon, Good choice of Chicken breasts, fresh spinich, carrots, with a sprinkle of fresh grated parmesine cheese, and the list goes on…oh and I drink a cup of warm water with half a lemon every morning before my first meal….gotta get plugged in with my vitamin c…and NOW I can put all my fresh veggies along with my HOMEMADE TURKEY – fresh bread of my choice, and my husband will LOVE the sandwich from his desk at work…..and be thinking of how “smart” his wife has become….when it comes to eating. Thanks again. Turkey is on my grocery list today!!
You are so welcome Judy! It sounds like you’re making some amazing changes in your home – congrats!!
I love this! We do school at home, but my youngest two boys have been balking at PB&J on sandwich/wrap days. I was curious, how long you think this would last in the fridge after cooked, chilled, and sliced? Not that it will have any trouble being eaten I’m sure!
I am going to try this idea today! I also found my turkey breast at Aldi (shop there all the time). I was wondering if you know of a source for poultry without the added basting solution. Homemade still seems a better solution to store bought lunch meat but the beginning product with aded basting solution still seems a bit problematic to me. Love your sight–I read it all the time and find great recipes and many useful ideas.
Thanks Joelle! Are you referring to the packet that came with the breast? I threw that away, lol.
Thanks for responding. I also threw the packet away–I assume it’s full of all kinds of yucky stuff :). But I was referring to the self basting solution already injected in the turkey breast. Maybe products are different where you live but here in IA it’s hard to find a turkey without a %15 or %20 basting solution injected. Some of the ingredients are just salt but there are other things in there as well. I assume it’s still better than store bought lunch meat and I think way tastier as well!
I have this question, too. I always throw out the gravy packet, but in the past I have had a terrible time finding one with a brining solution I feel good about or can even eat (food allergies). I will check next time I am at Aldi since I know their ingredients are usually good. Often times those brining solutions have things like MSG, caramel color, dried milk, or “natural flavor.” I wonder if rolling and brining a plain turkey breast would having a similar effect…
I love the idea of making my own sandwich meat especially turkey! Every time i’ve tried before it’s fallen apart thank you so much for this tip! I am wondering if your turkey breast is prepared differently since you mentioned salt.
Is your kid’s school all nut free or only peanut? In case you want variety perhaps trying other nut or seed butters for variety could be helpful too. For example almond butter or sunflower seed butter ( I love sun butter) are great.
Hey that looks very delicious I just love eating meat. Thanks for sharing the recipe its really good.
Thank you!
Quick question but I ended up buying a turkey breast that was already cooked. Would you recommend cooking it still? There were directions for serving hot.
I wouldn’t. I would chill it and slice it thin as I outlined in the post. Think of it as you got to skip a step! 😉
If you cook an already cooked piece of meat it will get overcooked and dry.
Love lunch meat, was raised on it, -( I’m from Philly PA!) and love turkey breast, can’t wait to try this! Thanks, Nancy
Aww rats. I was so excited to try this.. but I think I bought the wrong turkey breast… maybe not? Mine has the actual bone underneath. 🙁 I’m confused. Turkey’s are not my strong point 😛
If you can cut the breast off the bone Sarah, you can make it work! Either cut it off before or after you cook, and let the meat chill thoroughly before cutting.
Have you tried freezing the turkey slices? I have a Food Saver. I am considering cooking a turkey and roast beef, then freezing the slices. It is just my huband and myself.
I haven’t tried this Theresa, but it should work. You can freeze store-bought lunch meat, so there’s no reason why you couldn’t do this too. I’d portion out enough to serve your family for a week and freeze in that portion, so it’s easier to thaw and serve. 🙂
Instead of peanut butter use Biscoff Spread it’s made out of cookies.
http://www.biscoff.com/indulge/biscoff-cookie-butter
No nuts!
Not a bad idea for those who are nut-free Tjet, but I’d caution against the excess ingredients. Maybe a sunflower butter or pea spread would be a healthier option?
Excess ingredients? Just a suggestion, as you said no pb allowed in school. Thanks for the sunflower butter suggestion as well I will look for it!
Love the idea of making my own lunch meat (and would also love the ham & roast beef alternative). Years ago I had a turkey sandwich at a little deli that also had a bit of pineapple on it and was sprinkled with sunflower seeds. Delish. I’m going to try a version of that with a grilled pineapple salsa and either some sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. Could be great cold with lettuce or arugula or warm/panini with swiss or brie cheese.
Hi Tiffany- where do you typically buy your turkey breast? My husband is starting classes this semester and we need an easy packed lunch solution (he doesn’t like peanut butter). I love this idea! Thanks.
Hi Abigail! I’ve bought mine at ALDI. I’m sure other grocery stores would have it, I just haven’t purchased elsewhere yet. I’ll keep an eye out though the next time I’m at Kroger!
My daughter loves Boars Head deli BBQ chicken. I think I’ll try this and brush BBQ sauce on the turkey breast.
Hi Tiffany. I just want to ask if you could follow this recipe but use chicken breast instead of turkey breast?
I think so! The grain of chicken is slightly different, but I think you’ll get a similar result. 🙂
This is the best thing I’ve read ALL freaking day. I get SEVERE black out migraines and I’ve been told nitrates could be to blame. It’s worth a shot, and hey, if it’s not the cause, I’ve cut at least one bad thing from mine and my family’s diet. Have you tried this with ham?
I have not yet Kimberly – waiting for a chunk after Christmas! 😉
Any idea if there is a “chunk of ham” available without nitrates and without spending a fortune? My husband loves ham for sandwiches, so I have been buying Aldi’s “Never Any” nitrate free ham…but I bet I could save so.much.money if I got a “chunk” and did this. Found your blog yesterday and I’ve been reading ever since! Thanks!
Hi Christine! I’m sure there is, it’s just a matter of finding it! I’d look near the meat section – my Kroger has ham, but I haven’t read the ingredients. Thanksgiving and Christmas might be a better chance to find higher quality, and I’d keep my ears open for anyone that’s offering “natural” ham around the holidays. That’s probably going to be the best you can get!
hi tiffany!
Found you on pinterest. I love this idea. I too hate all the additives in food. I removed package food from my diet about 80% a few years ago but still bought lunch meat. Bought a 3lb butterball at Food Lion for 9.99(thru away the packet yuck!!) and I’m crock potting it. Fingers crossed. I’ve actually made roast beef before and it worked great every time. roasted tho. Thanks again
Wow, thank you so much for this post! I’m pinning it so I can go back to it again. I’ve been buying the nitrate free packaged turkey, and you’re right, it’s so $$$. 🙁 I love how doable this is (and am wondering why I literally never thought of this option before, haha)
Thanks again!
You’re very welcome!
This did not work at all, and I was so excited! I bought a whole young turkey with rib bones and skin. I skinned it and cut the breasts off the bones before preparing and cooking it according to your recipe. What I got was thanksgiving turkey that could have never hoped to have been sliced like yours in the picture. Very disappointing 🙁 If you do this recipe again, more pictures or a video would be very helpful.
I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you Cassidy, but if you read the post, you would have seen that my first attempt was to do exactly what you did, and it didn’t work for the same reasons you quote. In fact, I specifically wrote,”… using a whole turkey to make lunch meat simply didn’t work.” That’s why I recommended purchasing a whole turkey breast, then cooking and slicing according to the recipe. If you followed the recipe as written, I’m sure you would have had a better turn-out.
But she cut the breasts from the bird before baking? ! Why Is that different to buying the breast separately? Are the breasts frozen?
When you purchase the turkey breasts separate from the carcass, they’ve already been brined to preserve moisture in the meat. That’s the salt difference that Tiffany referenced in the original description. Whole birds don’t have the same brining solution as the breasts alone.
Hi there! I am desperate for turkey sandwiches and clean lunch meat is so expensive so I am excited to try this! Is there a particular brand of turkey you purchase? All I am seeing in my grocery is butterball and I’m not too thrilled about that brand.
Hi Emily! I bought the turkey breast at ALDI. Throwing away the gravy packet improves the list of ingredients tremendously!
This is a fantastic post! But for those who don’t want to put in the time/effort, I can tell you that there are many deli meats that do not contain nitrates. You have to go to the service deli where they actually slice meat for you. I happen to work in one, and I can tell my customers which meats do not contain nitrates. You would be surprised. You may always ask your deli counter person to show you the label on the meat. I am always happy to help a customer compare one brand with another whether it’s nitrates or sodium content or whatever that they are looking at. While it may not be as good as home made, there are still alternatives out there, you just have to take the time to ask the questions!
Thanks so much for sharing this with us!!
Delicious! I made it last week and it turned out delicious! My husband enjoyed heavily with this and this is a unique recipe. Thanks for the share.
Which way did you slice your turkey?
I honestly don’t remember Sarah, but I usually slice against the grain to get a more tender piece of meat. Try that first, and if the pieces start crumbling, rotate the meat and try a different way.
I did a search for ‘turkey breast for slicing’ & yours was the 1st post. I bought a bone in turkey breast on sale mainly for sandwiches & wasn’t sure what would be the best way to cook it. My search is over! Thank you for your time & effort to detail this recipe so well. I think I’ll cut out the bone before I cook it… what do you suggest? Thanks again!
Hi Lori! If you want lunch meat, I’d definitely cut out the bone first. As a warning, it may or may not slice like you want it to. I tried doing something similar with bone-in turkey and it was more like Thanksgiving pieces than sliced lunch meat. Boneless was the only way to get it to work right, BUT, if you already have it and don’t mind shredded turkey JUST IN CASE it doesn’t work out, then what can you lose?
I am so excited to find this recipe from you! My son has Addison’s Disease (adrenal glands don’t work), and I have recently started trying to help him make better choices, while keeping with foods he likes. Our first switch was buying organic apples. I can’t afford to buy all of our fruit organic, but he does eat an organic apple daily. Then I switched his bread to sourdough. Now I’m working on the lunchmeat! I can’t wait to try this! Next will be homemade granola bars. Baby steps!
Baby steps is right Collette – kudos to you!! The ones you’ve picked so far are great. Keep it up!
My sweet love, John says his favorite kind of lunchmeat is bologna. When I told him last night just how many preservatives were in there, his immediate reaction was, “Oooooooooh myyyyyyy gooooooooosh!” I told him that you’d have to have a Ph.D. in science just to figure out what all those ingredients are made of! Let alone how they’re pronounced! I even told him just how fattening the stuff is, but he still can’t resist. He has made a promise to me, however, that if and when we live together, he’s gonna trade store-bought preservative-laden lunchmeat for the all-natural kind! I wonder if there’s a way to make preservative free, homemade bologna? My favorite kinds of lunchmeats are: turkey, ham, barbecued pork, hotdogs, salami (though not recently, thanks to my American sister calling me “fatso!”), pepperoni, summer sausage, bologna (sometimes), roast beef (not too spicy), and my most recent fav, London Broil! I even wonder if I could find a way to make a lunchmeat version of one of my favorite cuts, prime rib.
try to purchase Turkey bread w/o the bones , but I found carageenan in the ingredients.Please be careful. My wife feels much better not eating carrageenan.
Absolutely – ingredients always trump labels!
You do know nitrates are in all green veggies right? Uncured doesn’t mean nitrate free…they use celery instead.
I do, and that’s why you have to read the ingredients on everything. “uncured” doesn’t necessarily mean nitrate-free as you mentioned. One work-around is using large amounts of celery juice instead. However, you can find uncured meat that does NOT use celery juice either.
Thanks for this I’m going to try it, but wondering if you’ve ever brined the turkey breast overnight before roasting? I’ve bribed a whole turkey for Christmas and other occasions and it was great. Just a thought for anyone to try!
I haven’t Natalie, but that’s a great idea!
Do you cook this covered or uncovered?
I’d cook it covered Alana.
I love turkey lunch meat! We raise ours here on the farm. Usually get about 15 lbs of breast meat off a large Tom. I cut the breasts out whole and soak in the fridge in a salt, pepper corn, and garlic brine overnight and then bake. Let it cool and chill it overnight, put it in the freezer for a couple hours and slice it with the slicer. I get thin, yummy slices that make perfect sandwiches! Yeah the bread, pickles, mayo, and cheese are all homemade too lol
You said you’re making homemade lunch meat to get rid of the nitrates. What about the bread you are using?
We got a bread machine and started making homemade bread. It tastes so good! Now it doesn’t last as long as store bought, but I prefer it to the other. PLUS you know what’s inside it.
We make our own bread. 🙂
Is this recipe for just one turkey breast? I just bought a “Whole raw turkey breast” which is basically the body of the turkey with neck, legs, wings, & innards removed (ick, sorry). Should I double the amounts of seasoning salt and olive oil? Cook longer?
I think I bought what you bought, so I’d go with what’s written. Enjoy!
Would the result be the same if I cooked it in the Crock-Pot instead? I just love how juicy and tender meat is out of the Crock-Pot…what are your thoughts? I was thinking 3 hours on high possibly? Thanks so much for this recipe!
I’m not sure Danielle, but in my experience, meat in the crock pot tends to come out fall apart tender… which is great, but not when you need it to be solid enough to slice. You can always test it out though!
If you could, I’d appreciate if you’d post a link to the exact boneless turkey breast item you use. I want to see a picture of it so I get the right thing. =)
I’m one of those girlies who absolutely loooooooooooooves lunchmeat! Every week, since October of 2015, I’ve been alternating between lunchmeats when I go to the store. At Safeway, I buy their barbecued pork slices, and at Albertson’s, it’s usually a tossup between lunchmeats. Sometimes I buy London broil, sometimes ham off the bone, sometimes I even buy Healthy Ones chicken. What’s even more amazing is if there’s a lunchmeat I haven’t tried yet, the deli counter workers let me have a sample before I buy, this way I’ll know whether or not I would like whatever meat I want to try. I used to buy Land O’ Frost Lean And Cured Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast, thin sliced. However, whenever I opened the package, it always smelled like someone went poopy in there! Eeeeeewwww that smells rotten! Maybe it was a bunch of yucky preservatives. This alternating of lunchmeats began when I gained about 20 pounds after eating Genoa salami for two months straight! I wonder if there’s a way to make a lunchmeat that has the same taste as Genoa salami, but isn’t so fattening. I’d certainly like to try making lunchmeat one day, but I’m not sure where to start, as there are so many different varieties of meat to choose from. Would a chef’s knife work for achieving this goal?
Sorry to sound cruel but dictating what 98% of what children eat because 2% of them will have an allergic reaction also qualifies as discrimination. It works both ways. Mama Bear doesn’t always get to make the decisions for everyone else.
I love this idea! I have a few questions about the frozen slices… Do they hold up once thawed, or do they fall apart? How long do they stay “fresh” once thawed? Do you heat them up at all before serving, or eat them straight out of the thawed package? Finally, my oldest is SO picky! Does the meat taste different after being thawed? Sorry for so many questions, but I appreciate any answers. Thanks!
Hi Kim! The slices hold up well enough for a sandwich for sure. They’re good for 4-5 days maybe? Just as long as any typical sandwich meat would be once opened. I usually don’t heat them up, and we didn’t notice any difference in taste at all, other than it tastes more like and less like a “meat-like substance” LOL.
HI!
One thing you mentioned was “thanks to the salt,” if we were to cut back on the salt do you think that the turkey wouldn’t hold together? Need to figure out low sodium lunch meat… it seems like a mystical thing. LOL!
Thanks for the recipe! Will be trying this soon. My family loves OM cracked pepper deli meat.