Storing Parmesan Cheese
 

I just returned from trip to Italy and brought with me, among other things, a big hunk of parmesan cheese. I am trying to find out the best way to store this cheese so it will last as long as possible. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

In a 'fridge, how obvious is that?

Since it's an aged cheese, as long as you keep it wrapped and cool (between 30 and 40 degrees F), it will just continue its natural aging process for a long time.

You can also freeze it. If you do so,
freeze pieces of a half-pound or less and wrap it in moisture-proof and airtight wrapping. It should be fine in the freezer for 2-6 months. When you thaw it, do so in the refrigerator so it won't lose whatever moisture parmesan may have. The more slowly the cheese is thawed, the better.

Use as soon as possible after thawing.

Hi bill,

If this is real Reggiano Parmigiano, it will freeze very well.

A nice idea is to serve long shavings on a large plate as a dish pre-dessert. Guests can nibble and talk away, quite an interesting concept.

However, if you're into your Italian cooking, a big hunk won't last long. Anyway, you can buy Parmegianno Regianno in any British supermarket.

Wrap it in aluminium foil and keep it in the fridge- that's what the Italians do.

I've followed the advice given by the Two Fat Ladies, with great success. Wrap the cheese in plastic wrap, then firmly seal it in aluminum foil. Store it in your refrigerator's vegetable crisper.

You can keep chunks in the freezer and then finely grate or shave off thin slices from the frozen block, which thaw instantaneously.

Take it to one of the Fodor's get-togethers :))

Once you're finished with it KEEP THE RIND!! Put it in a freezer bag and put it in your next soup or better yet, homemade pasta sauce. Just don't forget to take it out before you serve.

Au contraire mes amis! May I recommend that you DON'T store it in the fridge, instead wrap it tightly in muslin or cheesecloth (there's a clue there somewhere!) and instead store it somewhere cool and damp/moist with decent airflow - an unobstructed shelf in the cellar is ideal (that's where we store all our hard cheeses), alternatiely a proper pantry (or, if you're m_k2 ask the butler to store it in his pantry).

If you live in a modern house or appartment without a cellar or pantry then, still in the cheesecloth wrap it in greaseproof paper and finally foil and keep it in the salad draw of your fridge.

Kept like this a very hard, low moisture cheese like Gran Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano should last as long as four months or more (if you've not eaten it first!).

Never wrap in clingfilm and never wrap directly in foil - the first will cause your cheese to sweat and the second will impart a taste to it.

Happy nibbling!

Dr D.

Love to eat chunks of Parmesan while sipping champagne. They compliment each other very well.

Something I learned years ago from Hickory Farms -- remember those places?
Everytime you unwrap the cheese to cut off a hunk, use fresh plastic wrap to rewrap it. Never use the same plastic wrap twice. And there's no reason to wrap in foil over the plastic wrap so long as the plastic wrap was fresh and is plenty big so it seal well all around.

Dr._DoGood, obviously you don't live in Florida. Trust me, there's no place to store it other than the refrigerator and expect it to last more than a week or so!

I think I saw a hint on the cooking channel that if it gets overly dry, just wrap in a moist paper towel and plastic wrap and put it in the frig overnight and it will restore it.
Haven't tried that though.

My grandfather wrapped his in a damp cheese cloth that was wrung out as much as possible and then wrapped in wax or parchment paper. and stored in a plastic box so as not to absorb other flavors. It would be a shame to freeze ir as the real reggiano parmesan is so good slivered on salads and special sandwiches. It is very expensive so I try using it in many dishes as it improves most dishes unlike the soapy non-reggiano.

compliment - complement. I really wish people would learn the difference. It drives me nuts, but then, I'm a stickler and not ashamed to admit it.

THEIR you go again!

St Cirq:

You're absolutely right.

Only one thing is more annoying than the sycophantic drivel Parmesan and champagne churn out when they're complimenting each other ("but you are so sparkling tonight" says the big cheese). And that's people who put up with it.

>Only one thing is more annoying than the sycophantic drivel Parmesan and champagne churn out when they're complimenting each other ...<

Is when they start getting lovey-dovey in public.

St. Cirq,

Sticklers unite!

Here's an amusing 2 minute diversions:

http://www.eatsshootsandleaves.com/

Good rant except for one thing:

>...we [sticklers] got very worked up after 9/11 not because of Osama bin-Laden but because people on the radio kept saying ?enormity? when they meant ?magnitude?, ...<

This is, perhaps, the one time when they used 'enormity' correctly.

From Webster
Enormity: being immoderate, monstrous, or outrageous.

Never store any cheese or butter near onions. Somehow the onion flavor/odor can be picked up by the cheese -- and the result is not good.

Good point about keeping the rind of any hard cheese such as Parmesan. It can form the base of any cheese sauce or used in cooking. Some cheeses, however, are protected by a wax layer (Edam, for example). I have yet to find a use for that red stuff! Any ideas?

Just out of interest, where do you buy cheese cloth in 2004?

sheila, we can buy it here in the fabric stores. Bardo1, isn't that article funny? I read it in the paper a while back.

I follow Dr. DoGood's recommendations with high quality parmesan. I can't bring myself to wrap good cheese in Saran wrap! Not that it ever lasts long in our house, though.

Sandi's recommendation to use the rind in cooking is excellent. A rind greatly enhances minestrone; in fact most recipes call for it.

We have a wonderful Italian import store whose owners we've befriended and they save the rinds and give us a bunch each time we come in.

We buy cheesecloth in any hardware or cooking supply store.

St. Cirque, how do you feel about "nucular"?

Sheila, I buy my cheese cloth in the hardware store.

Oh, Lyn, don't get me started! :)

Bardo1: Here's one for you:

http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/examples.htm

back to th cheese, this will show you what the real thing looks like. The taste is so unlike the others.

http://www.chefdepot.net/parmesan.htm

For what it's worth--I was at Costco last night and looked at the Parmesan cheese. The instructions on the wrapper said to divide it into 3 or 4 sections, wrap each in plastic and, as has been suggested, to use the rind in soups, etc. It's my understanding that they carry very good, high quality cheeses.

Hi jeri,

Was that "Parmesan cheese" or real Reggiano Parmigiano from Italy?

Ira, That's the "real" thing at Costco. The cheese in Italy should be eaten there (with at baquette and wine).At stores here Stateside they buy the wheel and cut it so why lug it home?
I get my cheesecloth at the Supermarket!