Why You Need a Meat Slicer

For years, I bought those packages of sliced lunch meat - maybe two sandwiches' worth of ham or whatever, presented to the customer under a clear dome in the middle of a tray like some museum treasure, or at least a fancy cake.

Then one day I realized what I was paying for - and not only that, but how much of a markup.

That day, you see, I was thinking of buying a small cooked ham. Same company as the lunch meat, same stuff - but there was something very different about the price per pound. Math has never been my strong point, but, leaning over the meat counter, I managed to figure it out: They were charging twice as much for the sliced, packaged ham.

A few seconds spent slicing and packaging the ham meant a 100% markup. I decided to start making my own lunch meat, and I've never looked back.

First, I needed a meat slicer. Since my discovery, I was feeling too cheap to pay for one, so I got it with reward points from a department store. You can get an inexpensive electric slicer for less than $100 - much less on eBay. Mine's an Oster, and it cuts meat as thin as paper, or half an inch thick, or anywhere in between.

You don't have to stick to store-bought cooked ham and sausage. Leftover roast beef, roast pork, pot roast, and turkey roll also make great sandwiches, and they're not so loaded with chemicals as the lunch meat that may sit in the store for several weeks.

If you're slicing leftover meat from dinner, let it cool in the fridge overnight - this makes it much easier to slice. If you don't have time for that, just put it in the freezer for a couple of hours. Good news: though freezing does affect the texture of meat, you'll hardly notice this when it's sliced thinly enough.

While you've got the slicer going, cut up thicker slices of meat that you can reheat in sauce for another dinner. They'll be fine in the freezer until you can get to them, and you'll only have one cleanup session. Slice some potatoes for a casserole, or use it on French bread to get nice, even pieces.

Enjoy your sandwiches and your savings.

Jane Wangersky is the author of In Small Packages: Gifts You Can Mail at Canada's Lowest Postal Rates. For more ideas on saving money, visit smallpackages.ca

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