I use Parmesan cheese infrequently, and whenever I want to use it the
hunk I have in the refrigerator is usually bad. I'm looking for a way
to store Parmesan cheese so that I can have it on hand and it will stay
fresh for more than a few weeks. Here's what I've done so far:

1: In a ZipLock bag. This remained moist but got moldy.

2: Wrapped in parchment paper, and then put in a ZipLock bag. This
remained moist, and took longer to get moldy -- only a slight improvement.
This is how I store all my other cheeses and it works quite well. But
granted, I use up the other cheeses faster than I use the Parmesan.

3: Wrapped in parchment paper; no Ziplock. This didn't get moldy,
but it dried out quite a bit, and was really difficult to grate (and I
have a rather extensive selection of graters, from a cheap $5. one to
several Microplanes).

Sandy

In article >, wrote:

> I use Parmesan cheese infrequently, and whenever I want to use it the
> hunk I have in the refrigerator is usually bad. I'm looking for a way
> to store Parmesan cheese so that I can have it on hand and it will stay
> fresh for more than a few weeks. Here's what I've done so far:
>
> 1: In a ZipLock bag. This remained moist but got moldy.
>
> 2: Wrapped in parchment paper, and then put in a ZipLock bag. This
> remained moist, and took longer to get moldy -- only a slight improvement.
> This is how I store all my other cheeses and it works quite well. But
> granted, I use up the other cheeses faster than I use the Parmesan.
>
> 3: Wrapped in parchment paper; no Ziplock. This didn't get moldy,
> but it dried out quite a bit, and was really difficult to grate (and I
> have a rather extensive selection of graters, from a cheap $5. one to
> several Microplanes).
>
> Sandy

I use fresh parmesan only very rarely...
The chunk I originally bought from central market was already hard as a
rock, so I just keep it in the 'frige in the butter keeper in no
wrapper. I've had that chunk now in there for a good 4 years and it's
not even thinking about going bad.

Since it is so hard, and so old, it's VERY rich and a little goes a long
way. My chunk is getting smaller and smaller and I'll have to replace it
soon. <sigh>

I just use a very fine flat hand grater for it. Yes, it's hard work but
it's good for the forearm muscles!

Kat

--
K.

Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

There is no need to change the world. All we have to do is toilet train the world and we'll never have to change it again. -- Swami Beyondanada

>,,<Cat's Haven Hobby Farm>,,<Katraatcenturyteldotnet>,,<

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

Or you can do what was suggested to me by some italian ladies.
Finely grate ur parmesan and the store it in the freezer and the just
take out the right amount of already grated parmesan as you need it.
Works great.
But
remember to place ur rind in a jar of olive oil in the fridge and use
pieces of it as a removable flavouring ingrediant when u make soup.
clarexican

I put it in a covered glass jar in the freezer - Airtight, freezing stops
the ongoing growth, grates pretty good cold.

> wrote in message ...
> I use Parmesan cheese infrequently, and whenever I want to use it the
> hunk I have in the refrigerator is usually bad. I'm looking for a way
> to store Parmesan cheese so that I can have it on hand and it will stay
> fresh for more than a few weeks. Here's what I've done so far:
>
> 1: In a ZipLock bag. This remained moist but got moldy.
>
> 2: Wrapped in parchment paper, and then put in a ZipLock bag. This
> remained moist, and took longer to get moldy -- only a slight improvement.
> This is how I store all my other cheeses and it works quite well. But
> granted, I use up the other cheeses faster than I use the Parmesan.
>
> 3: Wrapped in parchment paper; no Ziplock. This didn't get moldy,
> but it dried out quite a bit, and was really difficult to grate (and I
> have a rather extensive selection of graters, from a cheap $5. one to
> several Microplanes).
>
> Sandy

On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 04:11:54 +0000 (UTC),
wrote:

>I use Parmesan cheese infrequently, and whenever I want to use it the
>hunk I have in the refrigerator is usually bad. I'm looking for a way
>to store Parmesan cheese so that I can have it on hand and it will stay
>fresh for more than a few weeks. Here's what I've done so far:
>
>1: In a ZipLock bag. This remained moist but got moldy.
>
>2: Wrapped in parchment paper, and then put in a ZipLock bag. This
>remained moist, and took longer to get moldy -- only a slight improvement.
>This is how I store all my other cheeses and it works quite well. But
>granted, I use up the other cheeses faster than I use the Parmesan.
>
>3: Wrapped in parchment paper; no Ziplock. This didn't get moldy,
>but it dried out quite a bit, and was really difficult to grate (and I
>have a rather extensive selection of graters, from a cheap $5. one to
>several Microplanes).
>
Just scrape the mold off.



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a


"Accordions don't play 'Lady of Spain.' People play 'Lady of Spain."

I had the same problem with Parm (and other cheeses) molding off much
earlier than they should. Wrapping in tin foil seems to stop the problem.

Bob

> wrote in message ...
>I use Parmesan cheese infrequently, and whenever I want to use it the
> hunk I have in the refrigerator is usually bad. I'm looking for a way
> to store Parmesan cheese so that I can have it on hand and it will stay
> fresh for more than a few weeks. Here's what I've done so far:
>
> 1: In a ZipLock bag. This remained moist but got moldy.
>
> 2: Wrapped in parchment paper, and then put in a ZipLock bag. This
> remained moist, and took longer to get moldy -- only a slight improvement.
> This is how I store all my other cheeses and it works quite well. But
> granted, I use up the other cheeses faster than I use the Parmesan.
>
> 3: Wrapped in parchment paper; no Ziplock. This didn't get moldy,
> but it dried out quite a bit, and was really difficult to grate (and I
> have a rather extensive selection of graters, from a cheap $5. one to
> several Microplanes).
>
> Sandy

"Rodney Myrvaagnes" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 04:11:54 +0000 (UTC),
> wrote:
>
>>I use Parmesan cheese infrequently, and whenever I want to use it the
>>hunk I have in the refrigerator is usually bad. I'm looking for a way
>>to store Parmesan cheese so that I can have it on hand and it will stay
>>fresh for more than a few weeks. Here's what I've done so far:
>>
>>1: In a ZipLock bag. This remained moist but got moldy.
>>
>>2: Wrapped in parchment paper, and then put in a ZipLock bag. This
>>remained moist, and took longer to get moldy -- only a slight improvement.
>>This is how I store all my other cheeses and it works quite well. But
>>granted, I use up the other cheeses faster than I use the Parmesan.
>>
>>3: Wrapped in parchment paper; no Ziplock. This didn't get moldy,
>>but it dried out quite a bit, and was really difficult to grate (and I
>>have a rather extensive selection of graters, from a cheap $5. one to
>>several Microplanes).
>>
> Just scrape the mold off.
>

Wrap tightly in 2 layers of plastic wrap.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

One time on Usenet, "Peter Aitken" > said:
> "Rodney Myrvaagnes" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 04:11:54 +0000 (UTC),
> > wrote:
> >
> >>I use Parmesan cheese infrequently, and whenever I want to use it the
> >>hunk I have in the refrigerator is usually bad. I'm looking for a way
> >>to store Parmesan cheese so that I can have it on hand and it will stay
> >>fresh for more than a few weeks. Here's what I've done so far:
> >>
> >>1: In a ZipLock bag. This remained moist but got moldy.
> >>
> >>2: Wrapped in parchment paper, and then put in a ZipLock bag. This
> >>remained moist, and took longer to get moldy -- only a slight improvement.
> >>This is how I store all my other cheeses and it works quite well. But
> >>granted, I use up the other cheeses faster than I use the Parmesan.
> >>
> >>3: Wrapped in parchment paper; no Ziplock. This didn't get moldy,
> >>but it dried out quite a bit, and was really difficult to grate (and I
> >>have a rather extensive selection of graters, from a cheap $5. one to
> >>several Microplanes).
> >>
> > Just scrape the mold off.
> >
>
> Wrap tightly in 2 layers of plastic wrap.

I use that Glad "Press N' Seal" stuff for my parm:

http://www.glad.com/pressnseal/

It does a good job of keeping out the air (and no, I don't have any
monetary interest in the product)...

--
J.J. in WA ~ mom, vid gamer, novice cook ~
"You still haven't explained why the pool is
filled with elf blood." - Frylock, ATHF

"Katra" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, wrote:
>
>> I use Parmesan cheese infrequently, and whenever I want to use it the
>> hunk I have in the refrigerator is usually bad. I'm looking for a way
>> to store Parmesan cheese so that I can have it on hand and it will stay
>> fresh for more than a few weeks. Here's what I've done so far:
>>
>> 1: In a ZipLock bag. This remained moist but got moldy.
>>
>> 2: Wrapped in parchment paper, and then put in a ZipLock bag. This
>> remained moist, and took longer to get moldy -- only a slight
>> improvement.
>> This is how I store all my other cheeses and it works quite well. But
>> granted, I use up the other cheeses faster than I use the Parmesan.
>>
>> 3: Wrapped in parchment paper; no Ziplock. This didn't get moldy,
>> but it dried out quite a bit, and was really difficult to grate (and I
>> have a rather extensive selection of graters, from a cheap $5. one to
>> several Microplanes).
>>
>> Sandy
>
> I use fresh parmesan only very rarely...
> The chunk I originally bought from central market was already hard as a
> rock, so I just keep it in the 'frige in the butter keeper in no
> wrapper. I've had that chunk now in there for a good 4 years and it's
> not even thinking about going bad.
>
> Since it is so hard, and so old, it's VERY rich and a little goes a long
> way. My chunk is getting smaller and smaller and I'll have to replace it
> soon. <sigh>
>
> I just use a very fine flat hand grater for it. Yes, it's hard work but
> it's good for the forearm muscles!
>
> Kat
>
===============

I'm almost ashamed to admit that the 3 of us have gone through about 6
pounds of parmesano-reggiano (sp?) in the last 5 months! In my defense, we
have done a bit of entertaining and have made a few food gifts to share that
'may' have had a pit of parmesan in them... We've been ordering it from
Zingerman's and MAN does it rock! It truly has been the best parmesan that
I've ever eaten.

Cyndi P. Armesan

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Or you can do what was suggested to me by some italian ladies.
> Finely grate ur parmesan and the store it in the freezer and the just
> take out the right amount of already grated parmesan as you need it.
> Works great.
> But
> remember to place ur rind in a jar of olive oil in the fridge and use
> pieces of it as a removable flavouring ingrediant when u make soup.
> clarexican
>============

If I can stop myself from eating the rind... that sounds like a good idea!
LOL

Cyndi

Rick & Cyndi wrote:
> > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> > Or you can do what was suggested to me by some italian ladies.
> > Finely grate ur parmesan and the store it in the freezer and the
just
> > take out the right amount of already grated parmesan as you need
it.
> > Works great.
> > But
> > remember to place ur rind in a jar of olive oil in the fridge and
use
> > pieces of it as a removable flavouring ingrediant when u make soup.
> > clarexican
> >
> If I can stop myself from eating the rind... that sounds like a good
idea!
> LOL
>
> Cyndi

And tht's why I also grate part of the chunk in advance and store that
in the freezer... otherwise I'll get the munchies and scoff up the
entire wedge... I don't know of anyone who snacks on grated cheese.

Sheldon

wrote:

>I use Parmesan cheese infrequently, and whenever I want to use it the
>hunk I have in the refrigerator is usually bad. I'm looking for a way
>to store Parmesan cheese so that I can have it on hand and it will stay
>fresh for more than a few weeks. Here's what I've done so far:
I have some wrapped in plastic wrap, and put inside a ziplock. It's
been good for about 6 months so far. Maybe it has to do with the
amount of moisture in the particular brand.

I tried that PressNSeal stuff on some leftover fresh pineapple in big
chunks. Gave up in frustration, it didn't stick to itself at all that
way. Put the box aside to take back to the grocery store.

"salgud" >, if that's their real name, wrote:

>I tried that PressNSeal stuff on some leftover fresh pineapple in big
>chunks. Gave up in frustration, it didn't stick to itself at all that
>way. Put the box aside to take back to the grocery store.

Hey, don't bring it back. It *does* work. It's not designed to stick to
itself. That's Glad Wrap. The PNS is designed to stick to storage
containers. I've used it on plates, bowls, plastic containers, and paper
plates. Worked like a dream.

Carol
--
Coming at you live, from beautiful Lake Woebegon

"Damsel in dis Dress" > wrote

> Hey, don't bring it back. It *does* work. It's not designed to stick to
> itself.

But Damsel, that's how they show it on tv. Make your own
bags, like that.

nancy

"Nancy Young" >, if that's their real name, wrote:

>"Damsel in dis Dress" > wrote
>
>> Hey, don't bring it back. It *does* work. It's not designed to stick to
>> itself.
>
>But Damsel, that's how they show it on tv. Make your own
>bags, like that.

Hmmm .... I've never tried that. Be right back.

Okay, mine stuck to itself. I had a devil of a time opening it back up
again. Odd.

Carol
--
Coming at you live, from beautiful Lake Woebegon

"Damsel in dis Dress" > wrote in message
...
> "Nancy Young" >, if that's their real name, wrote:
>
>>"Damsel in dis Dress" > wrote
>>
>>> Hey, don't bring it back. It *does* work. It's not designed to stick
>>> to
>>> itself.
>>
>>But Damsel, that's how they show it on tv. Make your own
>>bags, like that.
>
> Hmmm .... I've never tried that. Be right back.
>
> Okay, mine stuck to itself. I had a devil of a time opening it back up
> again. Odd.

(laugh) That's funny. I've never tried the stuff, myself,
just know what I see in commercials.

nancy

One time on Usenet, "salgud" > said:

> I tried that PressNSeal stuff on some leftover fresh pineapple in big
> chunks. Gave up in frustration, it didn't stick to itself at all that
> way. Put the box aside to take back to the grocery store.

Hmmm, I haven't had any problem getting it to stick to itself -- did
it get damp from the pineapple maybe? It won't work worth beans if it's
wet...

--
J.J. in WA ~ mom, vid gamer, novice cook ~
"You still haven't explained why the pool is
filled with elf blood." - Frylock, ATHF

Nancy Young at wrote on 3/30/05 4:44 PM:

>
> "Damsel in dis Dress" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "Nancy Young" >, if that's their real name, wrote:
>>
>>> "Damsel in dis Dress" > wrote
>>>
>>>> Hey, don't bring it back. It *does* work. It's not designed to stick
>>>> to
>>>> itself.
>>>
>>> But Damsel, that's how they show it on tv. Make your own
>>> bags, like that.
>>
>> Hmmm .... I've never tried that. Be right back.
>>
>> Okay, mine stuck to itself. I had a devil of a time opening it back up
>> again. Odd.
>
> (laugh) That's funny. I've never tried the stuff, myself,
> just know what I see in commercials.
>
> nancy
>
>

I'm guessing that the pineapple was juicy and the juice made the surface of
the Press n Seal wet, which inhibited the stick-to-itself property.

> I tried that PressNSeal stuff on some leftover fresh pineapple in big

> chunks. Gave up in frustration, it didn't stick to itself at all that

> way. Put the box aside to take back to the grocery store.


Hmmm, I haven't had any problem getting it to stick to itself -- did
it get damp from the pineapple maybe? It won't work worth beans if it's

wet...

No, I was very careful not to get it wet.

Attribution reinstated:

One time on Usenet, "salgud" > said:
> J.J. wrote:
> >One time on Usenet, "salgud" > said:

> > > I tried that PressNSeal stuff on some leftover fresh pineapple in big
> > > chunks. Gave up in frustration, it didn't stick to itself at all that
> > > way. Put the box aside to take back to the grocery store.

> > Hmmm, I haven't had any problem getting it to stick to itself -- did
> > it get damp from the pineapple maybe? It won't work worth beans if it's
> > wet...

> No, I was very careful not to get it wet.

Well, that's just weird. I wonder if you got a bad box or something...

--
J.J. in WA ~ mom, vid gamer, novice cook ~
"You still haven't explained why the pool is
filled with elf blood." - Frylock, ATHF

Well, it sort of stuck. I had a lot of trouble getting it to wrap and
stick. But while I was carrying it to the refridge, it came loose and
spilled all over the floor.