11729 Parmesan cheese

I'm surprised you don't find it tastes so good at the Deli - at our local Co-op they grate the piece you have chosen to buy so it tastes just as good as if you grated it yourself - depends how long you keep it I suppose but in our house it only lasts one or two days

You can grate and freeze it and it keeps it's freshness.

I have a big Alessi grater, which makes light work of parmesan. Expensive, but far better than those little graters or the other type, where the skin of my knuckles gets into the grated cheese! :nah:

[IMG]http://www.design-conscious.co.uk/mall/designconscious/customerimages/products/AL-TODO.jpg[/IMG]

I can't actually believe that I'm discussing the merits of grating parmesan by the way!

[quote=Nielo;111602]Yes, You’re right, I expect I am buying too much and storing it too long.

I do like to have a hunk of parmesan [B][U]in the fridge[/U][/B] to grate fresh for use as I need it though.[/quote]

Nielo Nooooooooooo :no:- haven't you got a cool cantina? Wrap the parmegiano in a tea towel and it will keep as fresh as you need it. So says Gino our deli owner and supplier of the winner of the world's best parmegiano in 2008. True it won an award. (and that makes me qualified!)

Good thread by the way.:yes:

[quote=Russ;111607]You can grate and freeze it and it keeps it's freshness.

I have a big Alessi grater, which makes light work of parmesan. Expensive, but far better than those little graters or the other type, where the skin of my knuckles gets into the grated cheese! :nah:

I can't actually believe that I'm discussing the merits of grating parmesan by the way![/quote]

Hey Russ,

I kind of like that fancy grater you have! We use a small Zyliss which does a good job as well and no scraped knuckles. You cut a hunk, put it into the hopper and take a little spin.

[quote=Nielo;111600]It’s a real chore grating the parmesan – my job as a child so no wonder I hate it!

Has anyone got a cheap, easy method that takes the drudgery out of the job?[/quote]

Yup, it's called a man!:bigergrin:

What a poncy grater that is Russ! :laughs:

It was also always my job to grate the Parmesan - seems it was traditional for the youngest female to have this job - and I've always used the old round type with the small holes - justa lika mamma e nonna used toa use! I quite enjoyed doing it - I used to eat most of it - but it very easy until the block of cheese was a couple of days old and had hardened up a bit or you got near the rind - but that was also the tastiest bit. This is the type I'm talking about - couldn't find a decent photo on the net, but it's the grater type on the right hand side that fits on the top of the tin - I'm sure you'll know exactly which type and you can get them in any market for a couple of euros.

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PS Don't keep your cheese in the fridge - just somewhere cool.

Not a very good picture, but this is the type of stainless steel grater that I've had since I was married. Easy to clean, grates just what you need so it's fresh. We will usually (when just family) pass it round the table with the piece of cheese and everyone grates their own.

Like others - I keep my parmesan wrapped in a tea towel in the fridge, but I do that with salami too - so it doesn't sweat and 'go off'!
Of course that's only if they last long enough :laughs:

Don't forgot to save those rinds to throw in soup for the "umami".[IMG]http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Food/eating-24.gif[/IMG]

How very dare you!:wideeyed:

Alessi ( Alessi: Italian Design Factory – prodotti Alessi) is one of the finest ITALIAN designers of kitchen gadgets around, I'll have you know.

Why is it that some people grate more than others JC? :winki:

[quote=juliancoll;111613]What a poncy grater that is Russ! :laughs:
[/quote]

Like I said - a poncy cheese grater - owned by a poncy geyser who quotes prodotti Alessi as if it were some kind of fashion Guru! You'll be drinking that bloody Green & Blacks Hot Chocolate next! :winki:

I don't quite see the need for insults, but whatever floats your boat.:veryconfused:

I don't drink hot chocolate - it spoils the taste of the Krug I use to brush my teeth with.

Krug! You cheapskate! I rest my case - which is rather heavy. :eeeek:

As Lisa already said, rotary graters are a great solution. I have a couple of them, one here in Spain and the other one in Italy. I think that they are superb and they easily grate the cheese producing a very thin "filatto" texture which is superb. Very easy to clean and they can go into the dishwasher. My usually long fingernails are also very "grateful" since I started using those gadgets years ago.

To keep Parmesan cheese I always use a marble cheese board with a clear glass dome or bell cover. Never in the fridge. It helps to keep the distinctive sharp flavour of Parmesan cheese.

Oh, I know the type you mean Gala - we call it a "mousemat".

I think that the bell or dome has to be very heavy and fit on a groove so that it would be difficult to move, otherwise more than a mousemat it would be a "mice palace of delights". But it does keep cheese very well. In the old grocery shops, when I was a child, they used to keep the cheese this way and it was also a beautiful sight. Nowadays, everything goes straight to the fridge and cheese, raw ham and salami are better kept at room temperature in a cool place.

I have an old rotary grater that looks the part but is not practical in the summer because it is very difficult to clean and the cheese festers so then I resort to parmesan flakes and use a potato peeler - production rate is much higher than with a knuckle shredder.

Alessi copied the design of my old wooden one that I bought ata flee market and it looks like this:
[url=http://www.alessi.co.uk/ashop-uk/popup_image.php?type=D&id=233&title=GR0160%20-%20Cheese%20rolling%20grater&area=C]GR0160 - Cheese rolling grater[/url]

I use a lemon zester. This gives thicker strands, and it's easy to clean.