I grate Parmesan with a potato/vegetable peeler similar to the first one seen at this site. I’ve had it for so long that I can’t remember when or where I bought it, and the serrated blade is still plenty sharp. The parallel-to-handle variety works better than the perpendicular-blade arrangement, as long as it’s got a sturdy enough handle to get a firm grip. I’ll sometimes even use it to shred onion for certain dishes (raw and for cooking), although there are better tools to get that job done.
What kind? The one I had looked like this one. I’m not sure of the brand. I probably picked it up at Bed Bath & Beyond. After a year or so, the handle broke off. I wonder if this one would be more durable.
This one looks like the closest to my old one. 1068 reviews and mostly positive.
Some of the negative reviews complain that it’s no good for cheddar or mozzarella. Um. I only use it at table with Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, or any other hard cheese I might want to grate onto my pasta. Do your softer cheeses on a box grater with the bigger holes.
After the one I had, I’m leery of plastic handles.
When Mrs. L.A. moved in, she finally convinced me to buy a food processor. Up until then, a box grater, paddle grater, and knives were good enough for me. Now that I have a food processor, shredded cheddar cheese and freshly-grated hashbrowns are much, much more frequent. (Hashbrowns every Saturday.)
Like said, 20 years.
You like hash browns? Try making a Swiss roesti for dinner sometime. One huge latke, and you can use it as you will…top w/cheese, meat, veggies. Goot schtuff!
Love it too. Well all cheese.
No need to pre-shred. I keep a block in the fridge in a zip lock. And will just nosh on a chunk. No need to use a grater IMHO. A sharp knife will make paper thin slices. A quick chop with a chefs knife will make quick work of that if you want it ‘shredded’.
A restaurant I eat at a lot shaves the P-R into pieces a few inches square on top of their salads. Sometimes I just eat them first before tossing the salad. Each slice is very thin, like a solid cheese potato chip. I think it really pays off to get big pieces instead of dust.
Dennis
There is no point to even owning parmesan when you can have Romano.
They are quite distinct cheeses. I prefer Parmesan in most applications, but pecorino romano is wonderful, too.
I too prefer Romano, but my Wife likes Parmesan more, so that’s what we use.
We keep a small chunk of it in the fridge and grate it as needed with a cheese grater, or sometimes a micro plane.
But what I came in here to say was; America’s Test Kitchen did a taste test of Parms a while back.
Of course they preferred some imported Italian brands that you aren’t going to find in your neighborhood supermarket, And probably not anywhere close by without a determined search, (one of the things about that show that really annoys me), but of the brands tested that are* commonly available*, they preferred Boar’s Head, which IIRC, is an American brand, but the cheese itself is imported from Italy.
Anyway, I bought some and it is better, although not the best I’ve ever had.
If you buy ‘Parmesan Cheese’, expect it to be ‘fake’. If you buy ‘Parmigiano-Reggiano’, then you *should be safe, since the designation is protected by law. And if you’re in doubt, just check the price tag. If it’s anything less than 15 bucks a pound, it’s not Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- That’s the going rate here in California…it may be cheaper on the East Coast (or not)
Trader Joe’s has it for $12/pound.
Costco is another place to get Reggiano relatively cheap.
That typically where I get it. Also, Whole Foods and a local chain called Mariano’s (actually, many of the local supermarkets these days will have imported parmesan reggiano. Looking in the fridge, the one I have from Mariano’s was $12.99/lb. It’s this brand, aged 24 months.)
Aw, TJ’s is only aged 20 months!
I admit I break out my microplane or my grater when needed, but when I have a fresh hunk (err, aged hunk) from Costco, it goes into the KitchenAid. Freeze. Grab what I need.
As opposed to, say, cinnamon or nutmeg (which lose all their flavor), grating Parmesan has no effect on its long term prospects.
I’ll have to check that one out next time I’m at TJ’s. I don’t go there too often, but the last time I was there I only saw the domestic one, this one, I believe, and that was just like all the other young domestic parmesans I’ve had: just worthless. The imported one sounds much better (also it’s aged twice as long.)
Another tip: the closer the cheese is to the rind, the more of those flavorful umami-bomb crystals you get. So, if you’re into that (and I certainly am), select pieces with visible rind attached.
Love freshly grated parmesan on freshly popped popcorn.
I love good parmesan and its cousins, but even the swill in the green can makes a dandy Alfredo sauce when you don’t know what to have for supper. My husband is partial to a certain brand of aged Provelone, but it honestly stinks as bad as Limburger. I have to remind him to wash his hands after his nosh.