Where art thou Trader Joe's?

We should start a thread about food myths...the reheated chicken and poisonous sweet potato peelings reminds me of the time my husband declared that you had to drain the tin of kidney beans because the 'juice' in the tin with the beans was poison and would kill you. How you managed to eat beans that had been sitting in poison and still live he never considered, but he was fanatically about draining them...just in case...

poisonous sweet potato peelings

never heard that one either!   

We should start a thread about food myths...the reheated chicken

That's not actually a myth though. You can get food poison if you don't re-heat it properly and you really shouldn't re-heat it more than once.

Rice is another one that can cause problems. It needs to be cooled down quickly after being cooked, put in the fridge, and only reheated once. And only kept for a day.

i reckon you could say that about *any* food ---  store carefully, re-heat thoroughly, and don't re-heat more than once!

Basic food hygiene.

I admit that I have assumed that cheap food is bad food and have failed to spend much time at the deli counter. I have seen the light! I thank you all for your advice.

Related question: are you able to taste things before you buy them at the deli counters here?

I shop at the Sainsbury's deli counter and they've always let me taste before I buy (rather generous samples, as well!).

Of course, as with everything, it may depend on who is behind the counter.  I'm lucky in that the people at both my small local Sainsbury's and the larger one a few towns over all have been very nice and helpful.