The Case for Pre-Grated Parmesan Cheese 🧀

Plus: A Pizza-Pudding Dinner Party, Easy Biscuits, and Lots of Links.

Hey everyone,

What I’m about to tell you right now is the riskiest thing I’ve ever written in my food writing career. I’m really putting myself out there — I can imagine the comments: “traitor!” “fraud!” “blasphemer!” — and yet I’m doing this because it’s something that I do in my own kitchen and I think it will help you in your own kitchen.

So here it is: it’s totally okay to buy pre-grated Parmesan cheese… with a few important stipulations!

1. Do not buy commercially packaged pre-grated Parmesan cheese (the stuff in the green bottle). This stuff has stabilizers in it and who knows what else and has very little in common with real, aged Parmesan cheese.

2. DO buy store-grated aged Parmesan cheese. When I lived in L.A., I fell in love with Gelson’s store-grated aged Parmesan. Here in New York, I found a great equivalent at Union Market. What makes this stuff so special? It’s exactly what it says it is: a chunk of aged Parmesan cheese ground up (or grated up) and put in a little container. How do you know that’s what it is…?

3. Taste the cheese. It’s really that simple. If you normally buy aged Parmesan (and you know you’re buying it because it has that signature aged Parmesan rind), you know what good aged Parmesan tastes like. So taste the grated stuff from the store and see if it tastes like what you grate at home. If it does, it’s a win.

4. Buy from a store that moves a lot of product. Admittedly, the moment you grind up (or grate up) the cheese, it exposes way more cheese to air and therefore the cheese begins to deteriorate in a way that it doesn’t when it stays a wedge. But if you buy the grated cheese from a store that sells a lot of grated cheese, chances are they grated it pretty recently. You don’t want pre-grated cheese that’s been sitting there for a long time.

So now that I’ve gotten my stipulations out of the way, you’re probably wondering: why should I buy pre-grated Parmesan anyway? Couldn’t I grate it myself?

Yes, you absolutely could. You could even go The Barefoot Contessa route and buy a wedge of Parmesan, cut off the rind, and throw it in the food processor.

But if we’re being honest here, who wants to dirty a food processor when you don’t have to?

My reasons for buying store-bought pre-grated aged Parmesan are simple: I like to use a lot of grated Parmesan in my cooking. I like putting a big handful of it in my arugula salads, in my pastas, on top of my soups. And when you have a bunch of pre-grated Parmesan ready to go, you tend to use more of it and your food tastes better. It’s such a powerhouse in the flavor department, it’s like culinary steroids for your frittatas, your grilled cheeses, your big pot of polenta.

So if you want to play by the rules, by all means, ignore this email and enjoy your judiciously seasoned piece of boneless, skinless chicken breast. But if you, like me, enjoy big, bold flavors, and taking things to the limit, treat yourself to some pre-grated aged Parmesan from a reputable store. Chances are you’ll use a lot more of it and your food will taste so much better.

Now excuse me, the angry mob’s at my door… I’m going to continue this newsletter from my safe room.