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Food Deli meats and cheeses

Discussion in 'Tilted Food' started by DAKA, Mar 8, 2014.

  1. DAKA

    DAKA DOING VERY NICELY, THANK YOU

    We don't usually eat a lot of sliced deli stuff, but now and then a sandwich may work it's way into our mealtime.
    My question is...do you pay the extra $$ for the Premium brands Boars head is what Publix sells along with a bunch of others and also the Publix brand...
    The price difference may be up to $2.00 a pound.
    Do I taste a difference? I don't think I do.
    Boars head claims NO fillers or artificial ingredients, is it hype?
     
  2. fflowley

    fflowley Don't just do something, stand there!

    I haven't eaten deli meats in a while. As in years actually.
    I do remember Boars Head roast turkey seemed superior to other brands.
    The store brands were mushy, salty. They seemed gelatinized. Boars Head felt and tasted like real turkey.
    I can't compare any of the other meats.

    Have you tried making a turkey breast at home and slicing it for sandwiches? Pretty easy to do, much cheaper than the deli and more "real" than the highly processed stuff at the deli counter.
     
  3. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    In a former life, I used to work in a grocery store deli for a chain that takes great pride in training its employees well. They carry a private label line of meats similar in quality to Boars Head. The training I received then has in turn made me super-critical when it comes to deli meat.

    So, in deli meats, some are whole cuts of meat for slicing. Some are like meat loaves--the meat and other meat byproducts has been pressed back into a meat-like shape. Turkey breast is a great example of this, as is ham. Low-grade turkeys and hams are nothing more than meat that has been pressed back together.

    Here's a pretty good piece that explains the differences: The 5 things you need to know about ... deli meats - today > food - Before You Bite with Phil Lempert - TODAY.com
     
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  4. cynthetiq

    cynthetiq Administrator Staff Member Donor

    Location:
    New York City
    I'm critical of my deli meats. I want it freshly sliced so no prepackaged stuff normally unless I'm road tripping and then it's convenience over quality.

    Roast beef, pastrami, corned beef, the quality can be seen and tasted.

    Turkey and chicken not so much so it's a matter of flavor and trust in the brand. I like Boar's Head Salsa-lito turkey.

    A great way to see the difference, walk into a subway and look at the meats. They look like shit in comparison to freshly cut deli. Now NYC used to have great corner stores where a good deli sandwich could be had for not a lot of money. Now, Subways and Quiznos are all over. Shame because NYC beat the Blimpie habit long ago, but the new carpetbaggers have brought Subway and 7-11 from the suburbs into the city.
     
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  5. Japchae

    Japchae Very Tilted

    I stick with Applegate Naturals if I can get them, Simple Truth from Kroger if I can't.
    I don't like the sodium content or preservatives in most deli meats, that's what guides my purchases.
    I also check the water content and the appearance... if there are big chunks of clearish looking stuff, I'll pass...
     
  6. redravin

    redravin Cynical Optimist Donor

    Location:
    North
    Ask for a slice before you buy, a good deli will be happy to give you one.
    If you like it and it fits your budget buy it.
     
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  7. Charlatan

    Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

    Location:
    Temasek
    I don't buy much these days, mostly because I don't make a lot of lunches, but when I do, I get it from the deli counter and they slice it fresh. For a time, I was buying it from a local butcher because it was great quality and, believe it, it was cheaper (like many Western style foods, cold cuts are expensive here).

    I will be in France in four week's time. There is a butcher I go to there and make sure that I am stocked with good salamis and Spanish hams (I get my cheese elsewhere). I can't wait.
     
  8. rogue49

    rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

    Location:
    Baltimore/DC
    It DOES make a difference where you get it.

    San Diego sucked for deli. Dry, brown...off flavor. (most anywhere...I think the dry weather and "healthy" mindset screwed with it)
    East Coast, does it better...even in your general stores. (fresh, flavorful, well kept)
    Price does help.
    Rep and mindset helps greatly too.

    One name....Attman's (in Baltimore)
    90+ year Kosher deli..so popular, there is always a line, but they move fast (looks old school and worn....but they own the whole block)
    ANY sandwich is HUGE ...and it melts in your mouth. (around $12+)
    Worth the trip for anyone in the Baltimore/DC area (now one in Potomac)
    Menu :D
     
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  9. Levite

    Levite Levitical Yet Funky

    Location:
    The Windy City
    It definitely does make a difference, although of course I am limited by only purchasing kosher meats, from kosher delis. I am fortunate to have lived mostly in cities large enough that some of the supermarkets have kosher deli counters-- these can do in a pinch, but they're not usually very good. They lean heavily on Aaron's and Empire, which are the biggest industrial kosher meat producers, and their products are neither amazing, nor always of superb ethical origin.

    However, there are a couple of places here in Chicago, and a couple in Los Angeles (and, of course, many in New York) that are quality independent delis that make many of their own products-- pastramis, corned beefs, salamis, etc. The Romanian Kosher Sausage Company in Chicago is actually internationally known for superb sausage and deli meat, and I can vouch that its reputation is well deserved. And I order some deli and charcuterie from places online-- one is a deli and meat market in Brooklyn, one is a charcuterie producer in New Jersey somewhere.

    But fresh and locally handmade is definitely better than industrial prepackaged. No question.
     
  10. redux

    redux Very Tilted

    Location:
    Foggy Bottom
    My grandparents grew up in that East Baltimore neighborhood.

    My go-to deli is Parkway Deli (off of East-West Highway in Silver Spring, MD, a few blocks from the MD/DC line).

    Kosher style, not Kosher.
     
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  11. Lindy

    Lindy Moderator Staff Member

    Location:
    Nebraska
  12. omega

    omega Very Tilted

    I remember that place. I went there a couple times. I used to live less than a mile away, off of 16th street. If you ever get up to Germantown, try royal bagel bakery. Loved that place.
     
  13. redux

    redux Very Tilted

    Location:
    Foggy Bottom
    Non-deli related response:
    You must have been near what is now the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center and is soon to become a giant mall with cookie cutter condos and food courts!
     
  14. omega

    omega Very Tilted

    Summit hills apartments.
     
  15. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX
    I don't think enough of sandwiches to spring for the better quality deli meats, but
    I do admit they tend to taste much better, less 'chemicl' taste & less sodium.
     
  16. Shadowex3

    Shadowex3 Very Tilted

    We've never spent money on the really expensive stuff, boar's head is as "premium" as we ever paid for and even then I found it not much better than Publix brand. Then again it's Publix so that might not be a very fair comparison. Mostly we don't eat lunchmeat because it tends to be so salty as to bother us, although Whole Foods has an in-house turkey breast that's got no salt added that we'll get occasionally.

    I do remember one childhood anecdote asking about one of the more... uh... Unique offerings at a deli counter: "Shadowex3 I am your godfather and as such it is my duty to protect you from certain things in this world. Head Cheese is one of them."
     
  17. Charlatan

    Charlatan sous les pavés, la plage

    Location:
    Temasek
    Head cheese is awesome. You are missing out.
     
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  18. Lindy

    Lindy Moderator Staff Member

    Location:
    Nebraska
    Turkey breast should not taste salty. Corned beef, hard salami, pastrami, salty is part of what they are.
     
  19. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    Generally, they shouldn't, and it can be a signifier of quality. Cheap "oven roasted" "breasts" are often injected with various salt solutions to flavor them. There are also a variety of smoked whole breasts that are meant to be salty, due to the curing process, just as with the cured meats you mention. I love honey smoked turkey rolled up with Muenster cheese.
     
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  20. Levite

    Levite Levitical Yet Funky

    Location:
    The Windy City
    I have to say, my favorite deli sandwich by far is tongue. It's not always to be found, and must be sliced thin and served warm, preferably on rye with mustard. But when it's available, I just adore it. It's so succulent.

    Probably second to that I love really, really good pastrami (also warm and on rye with mustard). Really high quality rare roast beef probably comes in third, but that I like on challah, or a kaiser roll (mustard and ketchup). I enjoy hard salamis of various kinds too: Tuscan, Hungarian, Romanian, landjager, kantwurst, soppressata, and saucissons sec.

    Harder to find or harder to find kosher, but things I also enjoy include bresaola, viande des grisons, beef pates, beef prosciutto, duck prosciutto, and lamb pancetta.

    Not a fan of: corned beef, turkey in any deli form.
     
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