Using up ham slices

[CluelessVegetarian]

My DD is the only one in the house who likes ham sandwiches. I know they aren't very healthy but since she's a very fussy eater and underweight I'm happy to give her anything she likes. I buy the smallest packs available but since they only last for two days we always have too many left over. Sometimes she might have only slice in a sandwich before I think we need to throw them away.

Any ideas what else I could do with them apart from sandwiches?

I've tried to Google recipes but can only find ones that actually seem to ask for ham pieces like pancetta. I've tried substituting the ham slices for pancetta, e.g.' Ive tried frying them lightly and putting them in pasta but neither of the kids liked that. I suppose similarly they wouldn't like them with eggs or rice either. Any other ideas?

Bonus question: do they really just last two days in the fridge as the storage instructions claim?

What about ready made sausage rolls? Do they also last strictly just for two days?

Thanks!!

Ham lasts for ages, I wouldnt throw it out after two days!

I make ham and cheese puff pastry pinwheels a lot. I also spread ham with cream cheese and chopped olives and roll up as a sort of canapé.

Oh I'd ignore that 2 days after opening thing. Ham lasts for ages as long as it's well wrapped. I'd use it up until at least the use by date. You can also tell when it's not good to eat any more.

Ham and egg bites. Put squares of ham in a cake tin. Push down like they were pastry. Mix eggs with cheese/ whatever you want to use up in the fridge as long as it is chopped up. Pour eggy mix in ham 'pastry'. Bake.

If I'm using in a pasta recipe I just put in at the end to warm through in the sauce....

Have with scrambled eggs or omelette. I also like it with rice and a fried egg.

Or ham egg and chips.

And yes it's fine frozen, you can freeze the made up sandwiches too and they'll defrost over night or probably by lunchtime if just in normal warm classroom.

I have literally never eaten ham within 2 days after opening. What nonsense! It’s fine for 4 or 5 days. If it smells ok I eat it!

I take it you haven't got a dog who would hoover that up.

Put it in an omelette?

Only DS1 eats ham in our house. I roll slices of ham into a tortilla wrap and freeze. I take one out in the morning to defrost, throw in some salad and mayonnaise and roll it back up again.

I always use ham up by making a spicy tomato and ham pasta bake as then it doesn't matter how much ham goes in.

You can also just make up more ham sandwiches and freeze them. We used to have these a lot in the eighties. Take it out of the freezer at breakfast, by lunchtime it is defrosted!

One nice thing is ham wrapped around leek in a cheese sauce.

Yep I make up the whole pack into sandwiches and put in the freezer, they’re fine taken out in the morning and will be defrosted by lunchtime with the added bonus that they keep the rest of the lunchbox cool.

There’s a good ham salad recipe on BBC Good Food. It’s the one with peas and potatoes.

you can line a muffin tray with them and crack in an egg (whisked if that's preferred) and bake for about 10min.

It’s totally fine in the fridge for more than 2 days when opened. Wrap the pack round so it doesn’t dry out but that’s it. Just let her eat it over the week.

Other ideas - ham and cheese toasties. Chopped up in omelette. Wrapped round with omelette in a tortilla. Or just eat it out of the packet.

And if you did want to freeze it, if you layered it up you could just make a sandwich with a frozen slice of ham and it would surely have defrosted by lunchtime?

Chop it up and put it in practically anything. Baked beans, omlettes, rice, soup. You could even stick it in mash.

Maybe cornflakes would not be a good idea.

I also thought the whole point of cured meat is for it to last ages but the storage instructions say to use within two days of opening.

We eat opened ham a week 3-4 days after opening and are still alive to tell the tale, and that is just opening the "resealable" pack than never reseals properly and throwing it back in the fridge. It will last ages in a sealed container.

Cheesy chips with cut up ham mixed in.

The packs of ham I buy only ever have 4 slices in anyway, ds eats that in 2 sandwiches in his packed lunches over the week.
Maybe just buy smaller packs.
The thought of freezing ham makes me feel funny! Not saying not to do it, just seems odd to me.
And I don’t pay much attention to use by dates in general. You know when food has gone bad usually, it smells or feels stale.

Savoury cheese/ham bread & butter pudding. Great for using up bread that’s not super fresh as well!

Thanks everyone for the great ideas. I made fried rice yesterday and just put in cut up ham slices and both kids ate it. I think the trick is not to fry or cook the sliced ham. Previously I'd tried to fry it to replace diced ham in recipes but maybe that makes it horrible.

Regarding not knowing when it's gone off: I have been a vegetarian for about twenty years now so I've got no idea what spoilt ham looks or smells like. Happy to use other stuff beyond the expiry date but I'm always super wary of meat especially because I don't want to taste it to check. It's great to know they will keep for at least four days and not just two. Next time I'll make sure to put them in an air tight container.

Is it the same with chicken slices? I think the storage instructions say 24h usually but do they keep longer as well? What about the ready made (ie pre cooked) chicken pieces?

@TheChosenTwo I buy the smallest I can find and they usually have 7-10 slices.

Which ones do you buy?

What do you mean they only last two days? They're so processed, it's not like it's raw meat. Can't believe anyone is stupid enough to pay attention to what packets say. It's all a marketing ploy to make you buy more.

Yeah, use within X days is food manufacturer code for 'throw it away and buy more'. Don't fall for it.

But I don't understand why you seem so overwhelmed by a packet of ham. They only seem to have enough in for a couple of sandwiches, 3 at most as some packs only have 3-4 slices in.

I don't use anything that has been opened for longer than the two or three days on the packet or that has gone last it's use by date, but I do freeze things that are on their last day.

The reason they say only a short time after opening is to cover themselves.

Cooked meat (amongst many food items) is packed in a protective atmosphere using gases that stop bacteria growing, once the pack is open that protection is gone and the rate at which the product will degrade will depend on how it is stored and handled. They can guarantee it will be fine for 2 days but beyond that it is difficult to tell.

Well wrapped in a decent fridge at the right temperature it will likely be fine for 4 days
or more. But they can’t tell you that on thr packet as it might not be.

We use common sense here, taste and smell. Definitely keep it longer than 2 days-usually a good 4.