http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x51882hippywife (1000+ posts) Wed Dec-24-08 09:27 PM
Original message
Canned grated Parmesan Cheese.
I know, I know. Lots of folks don't like it and won't use it. But there are some things I still like to use it for either because it works out better like, in my meatballs instead of just a whole mess of bread crumbs, or in my wedding soup because it gives me the taste I recall from my childhood. Just the way it is.
Something I've noticed, however, is that even the higher priced stuff ain't what it used to be. I like lots of it in my wedding soup. I can remember when I was a kid that it would melt in my soup and become stringy and stick in a glob to my spoon. I would have to scrape it off with my teeth. None of it does that anymore. It still flavors the soup but whatever quality it did have, just isn't there any longer.
That's that stuff that comes in the shiny green cardboard can, right?
I'll bet the warped primitive knows why that is.
grasswire (1000+ posts) Wed Dec-24-08 11:32 PM
Response to Original message
1. cheap S.O.B.s
Ruining everything, they are! Nothing is safe anymore.
Where's it made now? Can you tell from the can?
Yeah, yeah.
The gassy wired primitive doesn't understand that when people, especially the primitives, DEMAND cheap groceries, the quality's got to suffer somewhere.
Merry Christmas anyway.
Warpy (1000+ posts) Thu Dec-25-08 12:53 AM
Response to Original message
2. It no longer melts because they reduced the butterfat content of whatever they make it out of these days.
You want it to melt, use the real thing.
Merry Christmas, warped primitive; believe it or not, despite your unrelenting enmity towards unborn infants and all other things good and decent, God and franksolich love ya!
MagickMuffin (1000+ posts) Thu Dec-25-08 02:17 AM
Response to Original message
3. I buy my Parmesan Cheese located in the dairy case, in the plastic tubs
DiGiorno is the brand name I buy. They usually sell grated, and shredded. I sometimes buy both, but prefer the shredded.
Perhaps the shredded Parmesan will give you better results. Hope this helps, give it a try for future recipes.
Merry Christmas, Pillsbury muffin primitive!
Simply Fugue (1000+ posts) Thu Dec-25-08 06:37 AM
Response to Reply #3
4. Yes, thats how I buy my grated parmesan cheese (and parmesan reginano and romano) too, although I buy BelGioioso.
Very tasty.
Merry Christmas, simple fudge primitive.
Crisco (1000+ posts) Thu Dec-25-08 11:59 AM
Response to Original message
6. The Higher-Priced Stuff Ain't What It Used to Be, Indeed
It used to be that the high-priced stuff was the imported stuff. Your supermarket would grate it in-house and put it in those little tubs.
Now, more American companies want in on those higher prices the same way they wanted in on the higher prices in organics. So they pre-package it, which also saves the grocer productivity time.
If there's a CostCo or a Whole Foods near you, you can get good imported Parm at a price not far above the high-priced US-made versions. At WF, the compromise is the lesser-aged Parm that you find in the refrigerated gourmet section.
Merry Christmas, canned shortening primitive!
yellerpup (1000+ posts) Thu Dec-25-08 12:46 PM
Response to Original message
7. I like to buy a big chunk at Costco.
It may cost $20 or so, but It lasts me almost a year and that includes lots of pesto making and meatballs, too. A friend of mine has a cheese shop and she taught me that the way to keep a hunk of good Parm is to rewrap it in wax paper every time (or every other time) you take it out for a spin. Take it out of the plastic wrap right away and wrap it in wax paper. I keep my romano in the same plastic zip-lock bag with the Parm, but wrapped in it's own wax paper, and I keep the zip-lock bag in the bottom part of the fridge. It keeps for a looooong time with no spoilage and that great, nutty, flavor doesn't fade. You just grate it off the block every time you use it, so you can grate it large or fine as the situation demands. Happy holidays!
Merry Christmas, Old Yeller primitive!
