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Rock-Hard Parmesan Cheese

15 years ago

I have a nice hunk of partly used Parmesano Reggiano which became somewhat dessicated. That was OK until its Zip-Lock bag didn't lock. Now the cheese is hard as rock. Can it be salvaged in any way? Or just chuck it?

Jim

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Comments (12)

lindac
15 years ago
Grate it.....it's wonderful...just lost moisture.
And when you get it grated down into small enough chunks....toss those chunks into a pot of tomato sauce or a pot of minestrone soup....wonderful!
If you don'tw ant to take the trouble to grate it, saw it into little pieces to save for soup.
Linda C
Terri_PacNW
15 years ago
I agree with Linda C..nothing wrong with it..
Microplane will make quick work of it..easier than a box grater, or other grater with round holes.
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Food is so variable that I can't understand absolutes. I think it was on Top Chef recently that they featured the heretic who first did parmesan cheese five ways, incuding frico and foam, and he's now considered a king and his efforts seminal. There are somethings that are innovative and good, but called by ”wrong” names. I remember reading that Wolfgang Puck, when he first got into the frozen foods biz, ran afoul of government regulations which defined pizza as having tomato sauce. IIRC, they compromised for that particular pizza by adding sliced tomato, but eventually decided that Michelin star chefs should define their food, not regulators, so they rewrote the definition. or something like that. I think the controversy also helped by publicising that pizzas might not have tomatoes, thereby changing public expectations. The Italian woman who taught us lasagna also taught us the ragout. There's a very basic recipe with canned tomatoes (fresh can be used—they just cost more and take a lot more work— and dried herbs that is the framework. The unwritten part is dependent on season and what you can afford, plus cleaning the fridge. Maybe not peas (shudder), but pretty much any alium, brassica or umbellifer could find it's way in, as well as nightshades and squash. Sausage for the flavor, or other meat and more seasonings/herbs/spices etc., to make up for it. Over time I've learned that a green bell pepper is necessary for it to taste "right" (and oregano, of course), and that marjoram makes things taste like pizza. Otherwise, pretty mich anything goes and it ends up pretty much the same as a whole. And using the framework of what we call lasagna, the dish, I also make lasagne, the pasta, with a barbecue chicken profile, and a pumpkin one. Definitely American. Really good.
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Hello, We have a hand-held rotary grater (like the kind the waiter uses at the table in a restaurant) that is made by Microplane. It is fantastic! (we actually bring it on vacation with us also, as one other poster mentioned) We have tried using a regular flat Microplane grater and it works very well. However, for the amounts of Parm-Reg that we like, their rotary grater can't be beat - it is easy to use, doesn't hurt my hands, and grates a lot of cheese very quickly. You can find them on the internet if you Google Microplane Rotary Grater.
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hawk307
15 years ago
Jim:
Put it in a good Zip Loc bag.
If you have a small Cosmetic Sponge, soak it with vinegar,
place it in the bag but
not touching the cheese. Leave it as long as you can.

You can do this to keep Cheese fresh also.
Or wrap the sponge in a Nylon Net ( the kind some vegetables are in.)
to keep it from touching the Cheese.

You don't necessarily have to use a Cosmetic Sponge.
Any clean fine sponge will do.

Lou
jimster
Original Author
15 years ago
Good advice, folks. Thanks.

This stuff is really *hard*. Since I haven't yet acquired a microplane, I will try to soften it first with Lou's method. I trust his knowledge about this.

I'll also try small chunks in minestrone. That sounds good. I make a mean minestrone.

Jim
lorijean44
15 years ago
Jim, if you can break it into smaller chunks, throw it into your food processor and let it grate it with the blade (not the grater disc). It works great like that!!

Lori :D
magothyrivergirl
15 years ago
With good results -I soak cheesecloth in water - ring out until damp - wrap the hard Parm in damp cheescolth - wrap in wax paper -reseal in ziplock - put in crisper in frig for a few days. Remove the cheesecloth when the cheese has absorbed the moisture.
hawk307
15 years ago
Hi Jim: Thank you for the trust. Some of the other methods are good.
I forgot to mention , if it is a very large piece, Cut it a little smaller.
The moisture will be absorbed faster.

I've been keeping Cheese fresh; like this, since the late 50's.

You can also put pieces of the hard cheese in your Spaghetti Sauce ( Gravy )
While simmering . Great flavor!!!
Let me know how you made out.
Lou
denise8101214
15 years ago
Lou, that's some really old cheese! :-)
hawk307
15 years ago
Denise: Right!!! The flavor is really great after 50 years.
cooksnsews
15 years ago
The first time I tried REAL parmesan (as opposed to the green shaker container) was 20+ yrs ago. The piece I purchased turned out to be at least as hard as Jim's. It was so resilient that even my VitaMix couldn't chip any corners off it. I assumed it was petrified. I'm sure I pitched it and it turned me off the good stuff for a long while.
User
15 years ago
One of the things I love about my microplane is that it can manage the hardest parm so I've never had to soften it. I'm sure you'll have good luck with the methods above.

I always throw the rind of my parm into my pasta sauce it adds a wonderful depth of flavour. Never done that with minestrone but will next time , bet it's delicious.
Lars
15 years ago
I have a grater attachment on my KA mixer, and it will grate the hardest rind of Parmesan. A microplane works also, but takes a lot of effort compared to the mixer.

Lars

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