A friend gave me one pound of high quality parmesan reggiano, with a sell by date of March 17th.

He is moving and knew I would do something with it. We will definitely use it grated on pasta, but there is so much of it, I am thinking of making some crackers. Any other suggestions? ALSO: what is a good way to grate large quantities? Can I cut it into chunks and pulse it in a food processor? Thanks!

Sadassa_Ulna
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7 Comments

Sadassa_Ulna
Sadassa_Ulna March 27, 2011
Thanks everyone! I hadn't thought about freezing it. I'm not too concerned about sell by (but I also don't know how quickly my family will go through a pound).
 
SKK
SKK March 26, 2011
I cut my parmesan reggiano and put it in my cuisinart with the stainless steel blade and it works beautifully. Then store it in a covered container in the refrigerator. It is easier to cut and grate while at room temperature.
 
Sam1148
Sam1148 March 26, 2011
@puresugar RE: freezing.

Yes, I get it at CostCo. I cut straight through the vac pack and use one half as normal. Then wrap the exposed end with a paper towel (it weeps on the cut ends sometimes when frozen or stored). Then vac-pac with a food saver.
However now, I do the same and don't freeze and store in the fridge, it's still good 8 months later.
 
Sam1148
Sam1148 March 26, 2011
If it's getting hard to cut, do not use a food processor on it.
I have a 70's style stainless vita-mix I inherited I ruined one container on; I thought "Hey in the tape they showed it making saw dust out of wood to show it off" So, being young and dumb I tossed in some parmesan reggiano that dried out. Ripped the blade right off it.
 
nutcakes
nutcakes March 26, 2011
Ignore the sell by date. Keep it tightly wrapped in parchment paper or foil. I'd leave it whole so it lasts longer and grate what you need as you go. Once you grate it it will deteriorate faster. Or just grate enough to have onhand. If it has a rind, toss that into a pot of minestrone soup--the flavor will permeate the entire pot, so delicious.
 
boulangere
boulangere March 26, 2011
It's so dry that it actually freezes quite well,with minimal change in texture. It's also dry enough that it's not going to spoil right away, so I wouldn't be too concerned about the "sell by" date. Lucky you!
 
puresugar
puresugar March 26, 2011
You sure can 'grate' it in a food processor, either with the knife blades, after cutting in chunks, or with a grater disk. The texture will probably be different than 'hand grating', in case that matters for what you're making.
I think that if the cheese has been stored well, it should keep a good while longer.
Have you ever made frico? You mound little piles of grated Parm on a Silpat and bake it to get a pure cheese 'crisp'.
Anyone have experience with freezing good Parm Reg?
 
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