Cold Cut

Cold Cut

Cold cuts are precooked or cured meat, often sausages or meat loaves, that are sliced and usually served cold on sandwiches or on party trays. They can be bought pre-sliced in vacuum packs at a supermarket or grocery store, or they can be purchased at a delicatessen or deli counter, where they might be sliced to order. Most pre-sliced cold cuts are higher in fat, nitrates, and sodium than those that are sliced to order, as a larger exposed surface requires stronger preservatives. In any case, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) advises that those over 50 reheat cold cuts to "steaming hot" 165 °F and use them within four days.

Cold cuts also may be known as lunch meats, luncheon meats, sandwich meats, cooked meats, sliced meats, cold meats and deli meats. In Commonwealth countries and the U.K., luncheon meat refers specifically to products that can include mechanically reclaimed meat, and (pre Mad Cow Disease) offal. In British English, the terms cold meats, cooked meats, or sliced meats are used instead.