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Not everyone needs Parmagiano-Reggiano. You can buy parmesan to put on your microwaved pasta and it will be Very Good(TM). No need to waste good quality DOP on

by eyko 8y ago

Not everyone needs Parmagiano-Reggiano. You can buy parmesan to put on your microwaved pasta and it will be Very Good(TM). No need to waste good quality DOP on that. As with all cheeses, "parmesan" labeled cheeses will also vary in quality. Go for what your wallet + taste buds tell you to pick. There really are good quality "parmesan" brands out there. Maybe not the cheapest stuff in your grocery store, but as long as you know what you're getting... I have a philosophy: if it's made from real milk and by craftspeople who respect the product and the customer, then DOP is not necessarily the only marker of quality cheese. edit: Here's an anecdote: A few months ago I travelled to the USA (Detroit) for a friend's wedding. Most of the food after the ceremony was from local producers, either acquaintances or good friends of the couple. My friend (who is also not from the USA) told me to try some of the charcuterie and cheeses on one of the tables and to tell him what I thought (we're both from Spain). The parmesan on that table was just perfect. Obviously not the real deal, but you could see the texture: the crumbly-ness (is that a word?), the little crystals cracking in your mouth, the aroma... I would not have guessed it was local produce. The same goes for the cured meats (some chorizo, and some cured ham, with a profile somewhere in between serrano and prosciutto). Really good stuff, and definitely not DOP.

saiya-jin 8y ago
That might be all nice and true, but then why the desperate need from manufacturers to appear as close as original as possible to trick and lure some unknowing shoppers? If you make a copy, and you are proud how good it is, make it clear and add what makes yours so special. The discussion it seems is more about cheaper knock-offs that many people don't distinguish from original because they don't know exact words in names and other signs to look for. These often come with subpar ingredients and additives/conservants as noted in the article - which is something many people are concerned about, even if taste is OK. EU might be a pile of crap in many aspects, but protection of local, traditional products is definitely something I support and it seems to be done well.
- basch 8y ago
  Parmesan is a generic word in America. It's a word to describe a family of hard cheeses, usually ground by Kraft. Im not sure if every times a brand describes a cheese as Parmesan they are trying to be misleading or trick people into thinking its from Europe, they are just describing it in a way that aligns with Americans expectations.
  - afiori 8y ago
    > Im not sure if every times a brand describes a cheese as Parmesan they are trying to be misleading or trick people into thinking its from Europe For sure not everybody but sure some do and for sure if you can make people think "this looks like the original stuff but at a nice price" that is a boon for your sales. You do not need to lie for this, often just having a not crappy design for the packaging is enough, since people often (and rightly so) don't really know what they want. As an Italian we can get a bit emotional on this (and I truly think that some imitations are truly worthy of their own respect) but there is value in distinguishing a DOP brand, eg it make manufacturing much more accountable for the quality of their products.
    - basch 8y ago
      So I went to the grocery store yesterday for a little taste test. Just a small little market. Decided to do it in two steps. First find the best imitation, then I would compare it to the real thing. Interestingly enough, the only Parmigiano-Reggiano on the shelf was BelGioioso. I went "oh shit, they were right, there is some tomfoolerly in advertising." Then I noticed they actually were importing it from Italy. They had a block of Parmigiano Reggiano right next to a block of Parmesan from WI. Once I looked at the two though, I dont think anyone could make the claim they were trying to be tricky. The Parmesan was labeled Parmesan. The import was all fancy, had IMPORTED stamped all over it, they were using it as a selling point to differentiate between the two. As for the results, the BelGioioso Parmesan was easily the worst of the three. BUT, it was also half the price of the Satori Montamore Cheddar/Parmesan and Satori Sarvecchio Parmesan.
eafkuor 8y ago
> You can buy parmesan to put on your microwaved pasta Jesus Christ you almost gave me a heart attack
- rexpop 8y ago
  Yeah, shame is definitely the wrong tool here, but this person's clearly no authority on taste.
- whatshisface 8y ago
  Sometimes I buy the yellow cheese slices at the grocery store without reading what kind they are.
  - rayiner 8y ago
    I take coffee from our fancy machine and dump ice cubes in to cool it down.
    - masklinn 8y ago
      That's close to the japanese iced coffee method: make the coffee twice as strong as you want it, then pour fresh coffee straight onto equal volume of ice cubes (you can drip pour-overs straight in ice). Super easy and makes for pretty good iced coffee in summer.
      - ukoki 8y ago
        Or a Spanish "cafe con hielo": An espresso served alongside a tumbler of ice cubes.
      - QuercusMax 8y ago
        That's what I do to make iced coffee - strong aeropress directly onto a glass full of ice. Add a splash of milk if you like, and it's heavenly.
      - rayiner 8y ago
        Except I make it regular strength and water it down because fancy coffee tastes too much like coffee.
Brakenshire 8y ago
> Not everyone needs Parmagiano-Reggiano. You can buy parmesan to put on your microwaved pasta and it will be Very Good(TM). I was served something marked as 'Gruyere' in the US, and it was a bright white, liquid-paste-like substance which oozed out of a foil triangle, basically a generic processed cheese product unrelated to Gruyere. So if you buy something marked as Parmesan, presumably, it could be almost anything with a dairy base. There must be good products, but the name doesn't seem to be a guarantee of anything.
- phaus 8y ago
  I've never seen parmesan packaged in anything that wasn't transparent or completely clear. If you buy a block of parmesan that doesn't seem to actually be parmesan its probably your fault. Some cheeses like the one you mentioned, I can see a need for caution, but I can generally look at a block of parmesan and tell whether its going to be great or mediocre.
  - pmontra 8y ago
    It doesn't matter if the package is transparent or not. If the name is not Parmigiano-Reggiano it's something else. No doubt it's edible, but not the cheese you want if you went out to buy Parmigiano-Reggiano.
    - phaus 8y ago
      I'm not sure how your comment is relevant. Brakenshire suggested that you could buy a type of cheese that's marketed as a specific kind of cheese, only to find that it is completely different in consistency, texture, and flavor. I'm saying that's not likely with parmesan cheese due to the fact that you can see it. I've had Parmigiano-Reggiano and a multitude of other less authentic Parmesan cheeses, 100% of the time if it has looked similar and been marked as parmesan it tasted like it was the same general type of cheese as Parmigiano-Reggiano, even if it wasn't as good. He was describing an experience where the cheese tastes nothing like what its supposed to because it is something completely different. The packaging is relevant because its impossible to make the same mistake with Parmesan cheese because if it looks like a block of parmesan cheese its going to taste very similar to parmigiano-reggiano. I don't recall ever saying that its the same thing as officially certified and/or marketed parmigiano-reggiano. Perhaps you should read comments and the comments they were responding to more closely.
walterstucco 8y ago
De gustibus non est disputandum But I can't take seriously anything coming from someone who eats 'microwaved pasta'
drugme 8y ago
You can buy parmesan to put on your microwaved pasta and it will be Very Good(TM). You probably think microwaved pasta is Very Good(TM) too, then.
- scrollaway 8y ago
  Do you have a problem with people who think that?
  - drugme 8y ago
    No. But in general your gut has a significant problem with microwave food if you eat it day in, day out.
jriot 8y ago
Sure if you're microwaving pasta, not sure why you would do that, you don't need Parmigiano-Reggiano, but why subject yourself to poor quality food.
coldtea 8y ago
>Not everyone needs Parmagiano-Reggiano. You can buy parmesan to put on your microwaved pasta and it will be Very Good(TM). The above phrase would be considered akin to hate speech in Italy.

by eyko 8y ago

saiya-jin 8y ago

That might be all nice and true, but then why the desperate need from manufacturers to appear as close as original as possible to trick and lure some unknowing shoppers? If you make a copy, and you are proud how good it is, make it clear and add what makes yours so special. The discussion it seems is more about cheaper knock-offs that many people don't distinguish from original because they don't know exact words in names and other signs to look for. These often come with subpar ingredients and additives/conservants as noted in the article - which is something many people are concerned about, even if taste is OK. EU might be a pile of crap in many aspects, but protection of local, traditional products is definitely something I support and it seems to be done well.

basch 8y ago
Parmesan is a generic word in America. It's a word to describe a family of hard cheeses, usually ground by Kraft. Im not sure if every times a brand describes a cheese as Parmesan they are trying to be misleading or trick people into thinking its from Europe, they are just describing it in a way that aligns with Americans expectations.
- afiori 8y ago
  > Im not sure if every times a brand describes a cheese as Parmesan they are trying to be misleading or trick people into thinking its from Europe For sure not everybody but sure some do and for sure if you can make people think "this looks like the original stuff but at a nice price" that is a boon for your sales. You do not need to lie for this, often just having a not crappy design for the packaging is enough, since people often (and rightly so) don't really know what they want. As an Italian we can get a bit emotional on this (and I truly think that some imitations are truly worthy of their own respect) but there is value in distinguishing a DOP brand, eg it make manufacturing much more accountable for the quality of their products.
  - basch 8y ago
    So I went to the grocery store yesterday for a little taste test. Just a small little market. Decided to do it in two steps. First find the best imitation, then I would compare it to the real thing. Interestingly enough, the only Parmigiano-Reggiano on the shelf was BelGioioso. I went "oh shit, they were right, there is some tomfoolerly in advertising." Then I noticed they actually were importing it from Italy. They had a block of Parmigiano Reggiano right next to a block of Parmesan from WI. Once I looked at the two though, I dont think anyone could make the claim they were trying to be tricky. The Parmesan was labeled Parmesan. The import was all fancy, had IMPORTED stamped all over it, they were using it as a selling point to differentiate between the two. As for the results, the BelGioioso Parmesan was easily the worst of the three. BUT, it was also half the price of the Satori Montamore Cheddar/Parmesan and Satori Sarvecchio Parmesan.

eafkuor 8y ago

> You can buy parmesan to put on your microwaved pasta Jesus Christ you almost gave me a heart attack

rexpop 8y ago
Yeah, shame is definitely the wrong tool here, but this person's clearly no authority on taste.
whatshisface 8y ago
Sometimes I buy the yellow cheese slices at the grocery store without reading what kind they are.
- rayiner 8y ago
  I take coffee from our fancy machine and dump ice cubes in to cool it down.
  - masklinn 8y ago
    That's close to the japanese iced coffee method: make the coffee twice as strong as you want it, then pour fresh coffee straight onto equal volume of ice cubes (you can drip pour-overs straight in ice). Super easy and makes for pretty good iced coffee in summer.
    - ukoki 8y ago
      Or a Spanish "cafe con hielo": An espresso served alongside a tumbler of ice cubes.
    - QuercusMax 8y ago
      That's what I do to make iced coffee - strong aeropress directly onto a glass full of ice. Add a splash of milk if you like, and it's heavenly.
    - rayiner 8y ago
      Except I make it regular strength and water it down because fancy coffee tastes too much like coffee.

Brakenshire 8y ago

> Not everyone needs Parmagiano-Reggiano. You can buy parmesan to put on your microwaved pasta and it will be Very Good(TM). I was served something marked as 'Gruyere' in the US, and it was a bright white, liquid-paste-like substance which oozed out of a foil triangle, basically a generic processed cheese product unrelated to Gruyere. So if you buy something marked as Parmesan, presumably, it could be almost anything with a dairy base. There must be good products, but the name doesn't seem to be a guarantee of anything.

phaus 8y ago
I've never seen parmesan packaged in anything that wasn't transparent or completely clear. If you buy a block of parmesan that doesn't seem to actually be parmesan its probably your fault. Some cheeses like the one you mentioned, I can see a need for caution, but I can generally look at a block of parmesan and tell whether its going to be great or mediocre.
- pmontra 8y ago
  It doesn't matter if the package is transparent or not. If the name is not Parmigiano-Reggiano it's something else. No doubt it's edible, but not the cheese you want if you went out to buy Parmigiano-Reggiano.
  - phaus 8y ago
    I'm not sure how your comment is relevant. Brakenshire suggested that you could buy a type of cheese that's marketed as a specific kind of cheese, only to find that it is completely different in consistency, texture, and flavor. I'm saying that's not likely with parmesan cheese due to the fact that you can see it. I've had Parmigiano-Reggiano and a multitude of other less authentic Parmesan cheeses, 100% of the time if it has looked similar and been marked as parmesan it tasted like it was the same general type of cheese as Parmigiano-Reggiano, even if it wasn't as good. He was describing an experience where the cheese tastes nothing like what its supposed to because it is something completely different. The packaging is relevant because its impossible to make the same mistake with Parmesan cheese because if it looks like a block of parmesan cheese its going to taste very similar to parmigiano-reggiano. I don't recall ever saying that its the same thing as officially certified and/or marketed parmigiano-reggiano. Perhaps you should read comments and the comments they were responding to more closely.

walterstucco 8y ago

De gustibus non est disputandum But I can't take seriously anything coming from someone who eats 'microwaved pasta'

drugme 8y ago

You can buy parmesan to put on your microwaved pasta and it will be Very Good(TM). You probably think microwaved pasta is Very Good(TM) too, then.

scrollaway 8y ago
Do you have a problem with people who think that?
- drugme 8y ago
  No. But in general your gut has a significant problem with microwave food if you eat it day in, day out.

jriot 8y ago

Sure if you're microwaving pasta, not sure why you would do that, you don't need Parmigiano-Reggiano, but why subject yourself to poor quality food.

coldtea 8y ago

>Not everyone needs Parmagiano-Reggiano. You can buy parmesan to put on your microwaved pasta and it will be Very Good(TM). The above phrase would be considered akin to hate speech in Italy.