Confused about Parmesan Cheese

[pacanis]

Maybe if you ate good tasting cheese instead of old dried out mass produced junk then you would want to eat it more than 3x a year

I am just joking (sort of). I have no problem with people eating and liking the stuff from the can. More power to you. There are plenty of things I eat that are junk. Everyone's palate is different and if you can enjoy a lower quality product then there is nothing wrong with that IMO.

Exactly.
I realize there's a difference, just like there's a difference between Kobi beef and the stuff you get at the local butcher, or on a smaller scale a steak and a hamburger patty, but for some reason bring up Parmesan cheese and it turns into a thread with people not understanding how anyone could eat or even consider using the stuff in the green can. I'd bet a hundred bucks in the blink of an eye that 50% of the people on this board served a dish containing Kraft parm or fresh parm probably wouldn't even care. It's called Discuss Cooking, not Discuss Finer Cooking. IMO people should realize that and express their dislike for certain foods a little more tactfully. I don't like people calling the food I (or anyone else) eats tasteless crap, even if it is It just ain't polite.

 

[JoeV]

Gee, I was beginning to think I was the only person on this site who will admit to eating the stuff in the green canister It is what it is. I like "crap in a box", too (Kraft mac and cheese). Amazing Kraft can even stay in business selling all that yucky stuff

I just got the mail and Parm regg is on sale this week for $12.99/lb. That's $7 off according to the ad. That's 3x as much as what I paid those steaks a while back I eat steak every week. I eat parmesan cheese 3x/year. If I ate it more regularly I might be able to justify keeping fresh around. Homie's palate don't roll that way.

Hey Fred! I eat the crap in a can as well. As a matter of fact, I just topped my dinner with it, and it aint so bad. Of course, I ain't got no kulture anyway.

Joe the Slug with No Taste

 

[blissful]

Okay this is not the www.cookingforandbysnobs.com forum. Oh My link didn't work, darn!
I can get it for 2 cans for $5, making it $5 a lb. If I could get parmesan in a chunk for that price I'd certainly buy it.

Okay no religion, politics or parmesan.
~thread killer extrordinaire

 

[JoeV]

I don't like people calling the food I (or anyone else) eats tasteless crap, even if it is It just ain't polite.

Thanks, Fred. My wife and I are both self-employed. No, we don't own factories with 500 employees and a corporate jet, nor do we own a restaurant in the Ritz Carlton with 5-star chefs at our disposal, and we certainly are not gourmet chefs (I hope I don't get banned for admitting my deficiencies). I am a Handyman (fix sinks, toilets, electrical work and carpentry) and my wife is a working owner of a residential cleaning business. We live within a budget and eat well (can't remember the last time we ended up in the Emergency Room because of eating "normal" foods), although not top shelf by any stretch. I shop for value priced fresh ingredients whenever possible, but have somehow made it on this planet for 58 years without $20/pound cheeses on my food. I agree that it's not polite to chastise someone because they cannot or choose to not purchase the high priced spread.

Gotta run. Going to pick up some peasant blood sausage and sauerkraut while clinging to my guns and religion.

 

[pdswife]

Thanks, Fred. My wife and I are both self-employed. No, we don't own factories with 500 employees and a corporate jet, nor do we own a restaurant in the Ritz Carlton with 5-star chefs at our disposal, and we certainly are not gourmet chefs (I hope I don't get banned for admitting my deficiencies). I am a Handyman (fix sinks, toilets, electrical work and carpentry) and my wife is a working owner of a residential cleaning business. We live within a budget and eat well (can't remember the last time we ended up in the Emergency Room because of eating "normal" foods), although not top shelf by any stretch. I shop for value priced fresh ingredients whenever possible, but have somehow made it on this planet for 58 years without $20/pound cheeses on my food. I agree that it's not polite to chastise someone because they cannot or choose to not purchase the high priced spread.

Gotta run. Going to pick up some peasant blood sausage and sauerkraut while clinging to my guns and religion.

you're right...and I shouldn't have said the green stuff is yucky... sorry about that. I stuck my foot in my mouth big time.

 

[Jeff G.]

Hi, I recently found a recipe for a dip which I would like to make for my christmas party. It calls for 2 cups of grated parmasean cheese. Does this mean "fresh" or do I use the container of kraft grated cheese. Is there a difference in taste?
I live in Canada but I do wish everyone across the border a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday.
Summer

Fresh is always better. The can will work..but won't have the taste or texture.

 

[pacanis]

Oh you guys.... (sniff), I'm not alone.

 

[JoeV]

Oh you guys.... (sniff), I'm not alone.

Not at all, Fred, not at all. here are still a lot of us "common folk" out here buying the things that keep the grocers in business.

 

[pacanis]

Not at all, Fred, not at all. here are still a lot of us "common folk" out here buying the things that keep the grocers in business.

Dare I say I bought a loaf of Wonderbread today?

OK, just kidding, just kidding

Not that there's anything wrong with that

 

[pdswife]

lol.. turkey sandwiches on wonderbread the day after Thanksgiving are a special childhood memory.

 

[pacanis]

lol.. turkey sandwiches on wonderbread the day after Thanksgiving are a special childhood memory.

Mmmm, with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.... I mean grating

 

[GB]

OK guys, this thread has strayed from the original question. We need to bring it back on topic please.

 

[snack_pack85]

I've always liked both, but for different things. I like the canned stuff for topping baked pasta dishes and pizza or for italian pasta salad. I like the "fresh" stuff for making sauces, soups, etc because it will melt better. As far as taste, I would have to say, for me it's a tie.

 

[Zereh]

I would rather use a minute amount of the real deal than six green cans of the other.

But then I've found that splurging on a few items (mostly on things like oil, cheeses, vinegars) means than I can hugely enhance even the most simple ingredients.

Like everyone else I have to pick and choose what I indulge in at the grocery store. Parmesan just isn't one of them for me.

Then again, I have a son who loved cheese that squirted from a can! To each their own. I hope your recipe turns out fantastic.


Z

 

[cara]

I'm off the canned thing...
Used it years ago, grew up with it. Didn't liked it that much, for me it had always a taste of having been eaten before, if you know what I mean....

Then I had my half italian boyfriend and learned about the fresh cheese..
And I must admit, I use it with averything you can use it..
Pasta, Pizza, Dips, Sauces, Soups (grated on top of some veggie soup - delecious)
It don't have to be Parmigiano-Reggiano, maybe the Grana Padano or Pecorino are less expensive, but it's a hard cheese, too, and works just as well.

But that's a thing I found out:
You rarely get real good quality at low cost.

 

[JoeV]

Post removed. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. I know better, but still acted in poor taste.

 

[GB]

Let the debate begin

Actually, no lets NOT let the debate begin. As I said earlier, this thread has strayed from the original topic and we need to get back to that. I do not want to have to lock this thread because it is no longer on topic, but that is what will happen if we do not get back to discussing the OP's original question.

 

[GotGarlic]

Hi, I recently found a recipe for a dip which I would like to make for my christmas party. It calls for 2 cups of grated parmasean cheese. Does this mean "fresh" or do I use the container of kraft grated cheese. Is there a difference in taste?
I live in Canada but I do wish everyone across the border a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday.
Summer

Hi, Summer. As you've seen, there is a difference in taste, but whether it's worth the increased cost is debatable

Last spring, I bought imported Parmigiano Reggiano for the first time and was truly amazed by the difference in flavor between that and even domestic Parmesan cheese, much less Kraft in the green can. The imported cheese is aged longer and so has a more complex flavor.

We still keep a can of Kraft on hand, though - the one that's 100% real Parmesan cheese - because DH doesn't always feel like grating some fresh. I don't think it's as good, though. It isn't aged as long as more expensive domestic Parmesan, and the pre-grating does mean it's dried out some by the time you use it.

I bought it through an Amazon.com store for about $15 per pound. In local grocery stores, it was $19-22 per pound. HTH.

 

[PanchoHambre]

For any recipe especially a dip I would use fresh grated... it will integrate better and add alot more flavor.

I see the canister stuff as more of a pasta topping... I keep some around (shh my Italian relatives would disown me... that stuff is unthinkable to them... but then there is always a container of reggiano and a container of romano in moms fridge) for when I am lazy or have nothing else but I would not use it in a recipe such as a dip or meatballs if I had the option.

 

[Michael in FtW]

Hi, I recently found a recipe for a dip which I would like to make for my christmas party. It calls for 2 cups of grated parmasean cheese. Does this mean "fresh" or do I use the container of kraft grated cheese. Is there a difference in taste?

The recipe means what it says - 2 cups of grated parmasean cheese. What you use (fresh, bagged or canned) is your choice - go with what fits in your budget. You could also use romano cheese without much of a flavor difference.

Cheese, like everything else, is not cheap these days. While the fresh (grate it yourself) imported from Parma might taste better - don't be ashamed to use what you can afford. Unless you work for Gourmet Magazine - I doubt your guests/co-workers will notice. I'm sure it will still taste good.