# Real Parmesan cheese **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 8, 2017, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333 "2017-10-08T22:36:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/1 "2017-10-08T22:36:14Z")
I love it - not the powdered granules you get in the shake can. How long would it last, shredded, in the fridge? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/2 "2017-10-08T23:08:16Z")
A long time. But it will dry out. (Not that that matters much.) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2017, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/3 "2017-10-08T23:13:52Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > A long time. But it will dry out. (Not that that matters much.) I keep it for months in a sealed plastic container. If for some reason (like I’ve been traveling) I haven’t used any for months, some mold may develop on the top layer, which can be discarded. But I usually use it up much too quickly for that to happen. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/4 "2017-10-09T00:33:19Z")
Thanks! There’s not much that can’t be improved by Parmesan! ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/5 "2017-10-09T01:36:16Z")
Once you’ve had the real thing, you’ll never go back to sawdust in a green can. No need to pre-grate it, either. We use a [kitchen rasp](https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/microplane-rasp-grater/) to grate directly onto whatever needs cheesing. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/6 "2017-10-09T01:37:40Z")
> [@Twoflower](#): > > No need to pre-grate it, either. Yep. Grating fresh Parmesan onto your dish is one of life’s great pleasures. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/7 "2017-10-09T01:38:41Z")
I buy a big block to shred, and then freeze the shreds, leaving just enough for a month or so in the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/8 "2017-10-09T04:35:25Z")
It can dry out, but that doesn’t affect the flavor. Sometimes it gets moldy in the refrigerator, sealed in a container, like any other cheese. You can keep it in the freezer and take it out an hour before you use it. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/9 "2017-10-09T06:08:18Z")
I found some Parmesan at the grocery store wherein the container it’s sold in is also the grater. So you get the flavor of fresh grated, and the convenience of a shake can (and obviously no grater to clean up afterwords). That said, I still think the green shake can still has it’s place in the kitchen. Like for pizza, and quick/cheap spaghetti. (by that I mean spaghetti that is made with jarred sauce. If ya; gonna go cheap, go cheap all the way.) ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/10 "2017-10-09T07:35:59Z")
mouldy parmesan? what the hell are you doing to it? Keep it whole, grate just enough for the immediate purpose then pop it back in the fridge wrapped in grease-proof paper. It’ll last for months…just like it does before you buy it. But yes, the real stuff is infinitely better than pre-grated ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/11 "2017-10-09T12:41:46Z")
I keep it in the freezer. I just used up a big container from Costco that was in the freezer for about two years. Tasted fine on my lasagna. Bought another (normal-sized) container of grated Parmigiano Reggiano yesterday and it went straight into the freezer. [recipe] Made this with it yesterday afternoon: Preheat oven to 400-450-ish. Line a big rimmed cookie sheet with NON-STICK foil. (Very important that it be non-stick. Greasing the pan does NOT have the same effect.) Cut or break up a head of cauliflower into florets. Better if you cut them as flat sides enhance the final product. Pour a generous amount of olive oil into a ginormous bowl and add cauliflower. Toss vigorously until florets are coated with oil. Add to bowl a handful of grated parmesan and a handful of Panko breadcrumbs to your preference. Toss vigorously until florets are coated with cheese-breadcrumb mixture. Add more olive oil if necessary. A lot of the cheese-breadcrumb mixture will NOT stick. This is okay. Dump the whole shebang onto your NON-STICK foil-lined cookie sheet, spread out somewhat, and put into screaming hot oven. Set timer for 20 minutes and check. If you’re inclined, take cookie sheet out and use tongs to turn over some of the pieces so flat sides can brown and put back into oven. The random cheese-crumbs that did not stick to the veg will have formed crusty bites of deliciousness on the pan. Taste and you will know bliss. Remove from oven when your preferred level of GBDness (Golden Brown and Deliciousness) is reached. It is hard to keep from eating the whole head of cauliflower by yourself when you make it like this. The veg comes out incredibly sweet, with this crusty, cheesy, toasty coating. And the toasty cheesy bites lying between the florets are even better. This is why NON-STICK foil is necessary. [/recipe] ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/12 "2017-10-09T13:57:15Z")
> [@Twoflower](#): > > Once you’ve had the real thing, you’ll never go back to sawdust in a green can. No need to pre-grate it, either. We use a [kitchen rasp](https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/microplane-rasp-grater/) to grate directly onto whatever needs cheesing. That’s basically what I use (I just have a cheap Oxo brand one, though.) And there’s a huge difference between the domestic and imported brands of parmesan. I’ve tried several times to use some of the more common domestic brands like Bel Gioioso and Stella, and they are almost just as flavorless as the stuff in a can. Maybe there’s a good brand out there somewhere, but what I’ve tasted does not taste at all like Parmigiano-Reggiano. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/13 "2017-10-09T13:59:14Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > mouldy parmesan? what the hell are you doing to it? > > Keep it whole, grate just enough for the immediate purpose… I buy parmesan reggiano ‘whole’ (well, in blocks about an inch to an inch and a half thick, and about three or four inches by about five or six inches). I use a microplane grater, which someone upthread called a ‘kitchen rasp’, to grate enough cheese to fill a pint plastic tub (which originally held grated parmesan reggiano from the supermarket 😉 ). It sits in the back of the cheese drawer in the fridge until it gets used. _One_ time, and it’s been a couple/few years, I saw some mould in it. But I’ve been grating and storing it the same way for years, and that’s the only time I’ve seen mould in it. As for drying out, I like to have the parm on-hand when I want it. I like soft and fluffy parm, but I don’t mind if it has dried out. Heck, like everybody else, I grate the rind. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/14 "2017-10-09T14:12:44Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > That’s basically what I use (I just have a cheap Oxo brand one, though.) And there’s a huge difference between the domestic and imported brands of parmesan. I’ve tried several times to use some of the more common domestic brands like Bel Gioioso and Stella, and they are almost just as flavorless as the stuff in a can. Maybe there’s a good brand out there somewhere, but what I’ve tasted does not taste at all like Parmigiano-Reggiano. It’s the aging, followed by diet. Most of the domestic stuff I see is around 12 months, while the imported is 18-24 months. Also, the domestic Stella and Bel Gioioso don’t have those delicious, umami-rich rinds. I buy chunks like **Johnny L.A.** , and will grate about 1-2 cups worth at a time on a box grater. When the chunk is down to almost just the rind, we have a hand crank for fresh parm at the table. And, of course, keep the rinds for soups and other dishes. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/15 "2017-10-09T14:14:41Z")
I’m not a huge fan of the rasp. It breaks it down so fine that it breaks the crystals and you don’t get the beautiful little gritty pop of flavor as often. I just shave from the block as required. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/16 "2017-10-09T14:17:25Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > When the chunk is down to almost just the rind, we have a hand crank for fresh parm at the table. And, of course, keep the rinds for soups and other dishes. I used to have a hand-cranked grater, but it broke. Handy, but not as durable as the microplane grater. I grate the rind with the rest of the cheese. Instead of having the rind on top, it’s on the front or back, perpendicular to the grater. So I never have rid left over to put in anything. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/17 "2017-10-09T14:48:04Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > … > [recipe] > Made this with it yesterday afternoon: > Preheat oven to 400-450-ish. > Line a big rimmed cookie sheet with NON-STICK foil. (Very important that it be non-stick. Greasing the pan does NOT have the same effect.) > Cut or break up a head of cauliflower into florets. Better if you cut them as flat sides enhance the final product. > Pour a generous amount of olive oil into a ginormous bowl and add cauliflower. > Toss vigorously until florets are coated with oil. > Add to bowl a handful of grated parmesan and a handful of Panko breadcrumbs to your preference. > Toss vigorously until florets are coated with cheese-breadcrumb mixture. Add more olive oil if necessary. > A lot of the cheese-breadcrumb mixture will NOT stick. This is okay. > Dump the whole shebang onto your NON-STICK foil-lined cookie sheet, spread out somewhat, and put into screaming hot oven. > Set timer for 20 minutes and check. > If you’re inclined, take cookie sheet out and use tongs to turn over some of the pieces so flat sides can brown and put back into oven. > The random cheese-crumbs that did not stick to the veg will have formed crusty bites of deliciousness on the pan. Taste and you will know bliss. > Remove from oven when your preferred level of GBDness (Golden Brown and Deliciousness) is reached. > > It is hard to keep from eating the whole head of cauliflower by yourself when you make it like this. The veg comes out incredibly sweet, with this crusty, cheesy, toasty coating. And the toasty cheesy bites lying between the florets are even better. This is why NON-STICK foil is necessary. > [/recipe] Just wanted to add that I used to steam the cauliflower ahead of time, but it’s an unnecessary step that you can skip. It will get plenty tender in the oven. Also, the florets should be about ping pong ball size. I just had the leftovers for breakfast. DEE-licious. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/18 "2017-10-09T15:13:45Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I used to have a hand-cranked grater, but it broke. Handy, but not as durable as the microplane grater. I grate the rind with the rest of the cheese. Instead of having the rind on top, it’s on the front or back, perpendicular to the grater. So I never have rid left over to put in anything. **Zyliss** of Switzerland makes an inexpensive (steel/plastic) rotary grater built like a Sherman tank. I’ve had the same one for over twenty years. I think it’s much easier to use at the table than the hand grater. The wheels of cheese are usually cut erratically in the back of the store by real erratic humans, so look for the pieces with the least rind on them. Of course, as **D\_Odds** says, save the rind to enrich soups. Tuscan white bean-and-escarole is usually where my wintertime cheese rinds end up. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/19 "2017-10-09T16:37:16Z")
I was hoping to learn more about non-real Parmesan cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333/20 "2017-10-09T16:42:09Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > I was hoping to learn more about non-real Parmesan cheese. [Most Parmesan Cheeses In America Are Fake](https://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/11/19/the-dark-side-of-parmesan-cheese-what-you-dont-know-might-hurt-you/#28d1095e4645) > [@](#): > > As good as the cheese is, and as famous as it is, you rarely actually get to eat it - even when you think you are. The English translation of the cheese is Parmesan, and when you buy it in England you get Parmigiano-Reggiano. It’s the law. The American translation is also Parmesan, but when you buy it here, you could be getting almost anything - except usually Parmigiano-Reggiano. > > I noted in my last column that by law, Parmigiano-Reggiano is allowed to contain only three very simple ingredients: milk (produced in the Parma/Reggio region and less than 20 hours from cow to cheese), salt, and rennet (a natural enzyme from calf intestine). Three other ingredients, Cellulose Powder, Potassium Sorbate, and Cheese Cultures are not found in Parmigiano-Reggiano - they are completely illegal in its production. Yet all three are in Kraft 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese (I’m not sure if that means it is supposed to be 100% “parmesan” or simply 100% grated, which it certainly is). It’s far enough from the real thing that Kraft was legally forced to stop selling its cheese labeled Parmesan in Europe. ETA: I just checked the chunk of Trader Joe’s Parmigiano-Reggiano I have in the fridge. It contains milk, salt, and rennet. That’s all. . [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-parmesan-cheese/798333.md?page=2)