Parmigiano-Reggiano-yuk!

[Bijou]

I have heard so much about this cheese and how wonderful it is I finally broke down and bought some.  It was pre-grated.  I was disappointed to find that it has a sour and kind of unpleasant flavor and the texture is a little odd, too.   I don't know if it is this particular batch of cheese, or what.  It seemed  expensive to me, and I heard that you cannot use that name unless it is made by the one family that makes it.  Anyone know if this is the flavor to expect or did I get bum cheese or what.  I really wouldn't put it in or on anything I cared about because it would contaminate the flavor.
Thanks.

[Bethalize]

I have heard so much about this cheese and how wonderful it is I finally broke down and bought some.  It was pre-grated.  I was disappointed to find that it has a sour and kind of unpleasant flavor and the texture is a little odd, too.   I don't know if it is this particular batch of cheese, or what.  It seemed  expensive to me, and I heard that you cannot use that name unless it is made by the one family that makes it.  Anyone know if this is the flavor to expect or did I get bum cheese or what.  I really wouldn't put it in or on anything I cared about because it would contaminate the flavor.
Thanks.

'Pre-grated' is probably a clue here. How do you eat parmasan? I only eat very thin flakes in salad or sprinkled on hot Italian food. It's a very strong cheese so you might not like it. I wouldn't recommend eating slices thick enough to give it a texture.

[Bijou]

I have heard so much about this cheese and how wonderful it is I finally broke down and bought some.  It was pre-grated.  I was disappointed to find that it has a sour and kind of unpleasant flavor and the texture is a little odd, too.   I don't know if it is this particular batch of cheese, or what.  It seemed  expensive to me, and I heard that you cannot use that name unless it is made by the one family that makes it.  Anyone know if this is the flavor to expect or did I get bum cheese or what.  I really wouldn't put it in or on anything I cared about because it would contaminate the flavor.
Thanks.

'Pre-grated' is probably a clue here. How do you eat parmasan? I only eat very thin flakes in salad or sprinkled on hot Italian food. It's a very strong cheese so you might not like it. I wouldn't recommend eating slices thick enough to give it a texture.

I use parmesan grated, shredded or thinly sliced, as you do.  A thick slice sounds pretty bad.  But that Parmiagano Reggiano has a sour flavor and I can't figure out why.  It's supposed to be nutty in flavor.  I think I'll try getting little bulk piece and see how that is.  I love Italian food and really looked forward to trying that cheese. 

[Shoo]

Jean, it sounds as if the cheese you purchased may have been spoiled.

Do you ever buy just parmesan?  I buy it in a wedge, keep it tightly wrapped in the refrigerator, and then grate it myself when I need it.  It lasts a long time that way.

[Xanthia, Maker of fine Tin-foil hats since 2007]

I will use pre shredded Parmigan, and it is ok in a little bit..the powederd stuff..not so much.

Honestly, I found that Parmigiano-Reggiano tasted and smelled like Bitter Sour Gym Socks.

My taste buds pick up on Sodium Benzoate (bitter) more than most people, so I find a lot of foods bitter that many people do not.

[GlindaBunny]

We use a microplane grater on our block of parmesan... makes nice fluffy thin flakes, perfect for our uses.  I prefer this grating method for alfredo, for example, because the shredded will create strings in the sauce when it melts.  http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=100984

Ooh you know what else is good?  Pressing a bunch of it onto a cut heart of romaine (which has been sprinkled with olive oil, salt and pepper), putting the cheese side of the romaine down on a hot skillet, and melting the cheese til crispy.  Sprinkle on a little vinegar and you have a hand-held salad!

Parmesan has a strong flavor and should definitely be used sparingly.  I don't recall ever tasting sour parmesan, though.

[Psykogrl]

Because it was already grated, it could have picked up off odors and flavors from anything before it was actually packaged. Cheese is a fickle creature in this manner... It can pick up smells and tastes like a sponge and make it... well... gross 

I try not to buy already-cut/grated cheese unless its necessary because of this very reason...  often it's hard to get real Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and because it is stictly graded by a master cheese tester you can tell if you get an inferior one when you get a whole piece. The real cheese says "parmigiano-reggiano" all around the outside of the wheel. If the tester believes a wheel to be inferior, they will remove the name markings from the outside, which is part of the reason its often sold already grated, so that you cannot tell that it was removed. Inferior versions of this cheese can be bitter and taste off. What can I say, I'm a food geek lol


If you want the full info, check out this on Wikipedia... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmigiano_Reggiano

PS It's named for the region it's produced in, not for a family name

[Jaywalker]

Maybe you just don't like parmigian but chances are good, it is just lousy cheese
I say that having just grated from a fresh block in our kitchen tonight and discovering that it was not particularly good -- okay -- but not good -- most pregrated cheese is inferior to start with --

so get a really good piece, grate it yourself and see what you think -- I like it in sort of curls rather than grated -- shaved like that, it is great on salads and pastas

but not everyone has to like the same cheeses --maybe you just aren't into this one

[Alida]

oooh - that's one of my favorite cheeses, but it has to be GOOD - not pre-grated, not pre-shredded... my favorite breakfast is a cup of hot black coffee, a hunk of fresh hearth-baked bread (okay, it was fresh the night before *G*) and a chunk of a strong cheese.