Parmesan cheese is a great choice for making delicious pasta dishes. If you want you can also use Parmesan cheese for other uses.
Parmesan is actually semi-hard, with a texture just slightly firmer than that of aged cheddar.
If you want to know more about this delicious dairy product, just keep reading.
How Parmesan is Made (and Eaten!)
Traditionally, parmesan cheese is made from cow’s milk and aged for at least a year. A mixture of whole milk and milk that has been naturally skimmed is added, and the milk is then divided and heated in copper vats. To create the curd, additional ingredients like whey and rennet are heated in two stages. In order to achieve a distinctively sweet flavor through the natural fermentation of cow’s milk, our Copper Kettle cheese is aged for a longer period (16 months) in the copper vats. Only one domestic Parmesan, Cello Copper Kettle, uses a traditional copper vat in the cheese-making process.
The texture of Parmesan makes it the ideal cheese to form into chisels that are ideal for combining with nuts and M&Ms for a snack similar to trail mix, or even to munch on by themselves! You probably prefer to sprinkle shaved (or grated) Parmesan on top of salads and pasta dishes, but you might be surprised to learn that it also tastes delicious in macaroni and cheese. Although cheddar is frequently the cheese of choice for this dish, we find that the sharpness of parmesan balances the indulgence. Speaking of indulgence, use shaved Parmesan in your next grilled cheese sandwich instead of the bland, conventional American cheese. A fun surprise treat for the kids can be made using this recipe and chocolate.
Keep It Cool: Refrigerating Your Parm
Regardless of whether they are open or closed, all soft cheeses should generally be stored in the refrigerator. Harder cheeses, like Parmesan, don’t need to be refrigerated. However, to get the most longevity out of your cheeses, it’s always best to store them in the fridge (or freezer) after opening. Plan to use it within three to seven days if you decide to keep it outside the refrigerator. Though it can last up to six weeks in the refrigerator and even longer if the package isn’t opened if you store it there. Just keep in mind to remove as much oxygen from the bag or container you store it in. The longer it lasts, the less oxygen it contains.
Okay, But What If My Parmesan Molds?
Let’s say you do put your Parmesan in the refrigerator, but something goes wrong and a little mold develops. We have some positive news, though! Cut out the moldy portion of the cheese and eat the remaining cheese because mold can’t get very far inside harder cheeses like Parmesan. Make sure to remove the mold and about an inch of the moldy area’s sides. Keep the knife out of the mold so you don’t contaminate the other areas, then toss that mold in the garbage and enjoy your cheese!
Is Parmesan Cheese Halal?
Let’s look at another dietary restriction since Parmesan cheese is low in lactose, as we previously mentioned. Is Parmesan cheese halal? The short response is sort of. In the traditional sense, Parmesan cheese is made using rennet. Rennet is a naturally occurring enzyme that aids in the digestion of mother’s milk in young mammals. Traditional Parmesan is not halal because rennet is an unallowed (haram) ingredient in a Muslim’s diet. To adapt to the times, many cheese producers are, however, rethinking the process of making cheese. There are several techniques for creating cheeses that are strictly vegetarian and vegan-friendly, which would then make those specific types of cheeses halal. Additionally, Cello Cheese uses microbial rennet, also commonly known as “vegetarian rennet,” in all of our cheeses so that those on a vegetarian diet (and those who need to consider halal) can safely and confidently enjoy Parmesan.
Substituting Your Parmesan
If you already know you adore Parmesan—and who doesn’t?) but are looking to venture out and try something new, or just to expand your breadth of cheese knowledge by doing some taste testing comparison, there are plenty of cheeses that are similar in taste and texture to Grana Padano is one of the most well-known cheeses that is comparable to parmesan. Grana Padano is actually quite affordable, despite its exotic and expensive-sounding reputation. Grana Padano must be produced in a particular region of Italy, just like its Parmesan equivalent, according to law. There is a lot of cheese for you to enjoy because Grana Padano’s region is much larger and has more producers. Grana is a slightly softer cheese with a similar, nutty flavor to Parmesan.
Try Pieve instead of Grana Padano if you don’t really like it. It’s thought to taste the most similar to parmesan and they have extremely similar flavor profiles. The degree of aging is the primary distinction between the two types of cheese. Since piave is a little softer, it usually takes less time. This substitute may have a slightly sweeter flavor than Parmesan but is still sufficiently grated to add to dishes or eat on its own.
Pecorino Vs. Parmesan
Another classic comparison to Parmesan that you may have heard of is Pecorino. Pecorino Romano is similar to our Parmesan friend in taste and texture because it is hard and nutty. Therefore, what precisely separates the two?
The milk is the main contributor. Parmesan is made from cow’s milk (imported for Parmigiano-Reggiano), while Pecorino is made from imported sheep’s milk, which contains more fat. Contrast Pecorino Romano with Romano, a cheese produced in the United States from domestic cow’s milk. For a more thorough explanation of the differences, which mainly center on the PDO status and the source of the milk if you’re still unclear, head over to this article.
Romano and Pecorino Romano both have a much saltier flavor profile than Parmesan, as you’ll discover. So even though it has a similar flavor, if you intend to use any kind of Romano in place of Parmesan in a recipe, be sure to use less than what the recipe calls for as it frequently overpowers the overall flavor of the food.
After becoming an expert at parmesan, you are now well on your way to becoming the most entertaining guest (or host!) at any dinner party. Grab our guide to assembling the best cheese board ever to elevate your level of cheese expertise even further.
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Conclusion
Like most other cheeses, Parmesan cheese is also made of milk, whey, salt and bacteria cultures. The difference is that Parmesan cheese uses copper vats to create a distinctly sweet-tasting experience.
