# Parmesiano-Regiano... Thoughts?



## WhateverYouWant (Jan 10, 2020)

Obviously the king of parmesans, but do you fudge on this?

What I mean is that there are a number of other parmesans on the cheese island that are close. Certainly not as hard, dry, and smokey, but similar flavor. While it is easy to tell the difference when tasting it raw, I am not sure I notice much difference in cooking with it in pizza, pasta, and other places where it is melted, or sprinkled upon.

The difference in price can be four fold for a wedge. So am I the only one who does not see a 4X difference when it comes to cooking with it, or is my palette simply unsophisticated?


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## GotGarlic (Jan 10, 2020)

My Kroger used to carry Italian Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and I bought it when it was on sale. A couple years ago, they started selling a version of that cheese made in the United States. To me, there's very little difference in flavor and it's not worth it to me to go to another store for it. I'm happy with this one: https://www.murrayscheese.com/sarvecchio

I've never noticed a smoky flavor in PR cheese, though. Salty, nutty, dry and crumbly, but not smoky.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jan 10, 2020)

Yes, Parmesano-Regiano is the gold standard.  However, as you stated, it can be pricey.  There are other great Italian cheeses that work equally well in cooking, such as Grand Padano, Asiago,  Pecorino Toscano, Pecorino Romano.even 100o day aged Landana Ghouda.  A great aged cheddar is often sublime when grated over salads, or mixed in with pasta, especially in dishes like lasagna, or manicotti.

Hard cheeses are used as seasonings.  Grate a little Parmesano-Regiano over a chef's salad, and you have elevated the salad, due to the salty, robust, and complex flavor added by the cheese.  But the same is true of the other cheeses listed above.  Oh, and don't forget veined cheeses such as Roquefort, 

Gorgonzola, nd Maytag Blue.  There are some great Spanish cheeses such as Manchego.  Here is a site that has quite a variety of good cheeses.  You can use it to familiarize yourself with diffeent cheese types and then see if you can find them at your favorite grocers - https://www.gourmetfoodstore.com/cheese-and-butter/hard-cheese-0813

Another great site for cheeses is this -https://www.igourmet.com/  Also, the Swiss cheeses such as Ementaller, when aged have a rich, sweet and nutty flavor that pairs so well with meats and salads.

I hope you find what you are looking for at a reasonable price.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## GotGarlic (Jan 10, 2020)

True, Chief, I also buy Asiago - I especially like the one with rosemary - and Grana Padano. So many cheeses to choose from. Another thing I like about my Kroger's cheese section is that they offer baskets of cheeses pre-cut to cost $5 or less, so you can try different ones easily. When I end up with too many, I make Alton Brown's Fromage Fort: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/fromage-fort-recipe-1943359


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## Andy M. (Jan 10, 2020)

I buy Parmigiano Reggiano at Costco. I've tried a couple of substitutes and haven't been thrilled. The differences in price vs. the real deal weren't that big so I stopped looking.


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## Janet H (Jan 10, 2020)

Andy M. said:


> I buy Parmigiano Reggiano at Costco. I've tried a couple of substitutes and haven't been thrilled. The differences in price vs. the real deal weren't that big so I stopped looking.


I also buy the coscto parm - good stuff. Lovely nutty flavor.


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## taxlady (Jan 10, 2020)

Andy M. said:


> I buy Parmigiano Reggiano at Costco. I've tried a couple of substitutes and haven't been thrilled. The differences in price vs. the real deal weren't that big so I stopped looking.



Same here, except I only recently tried a substitute. It's a perfectly nice tasting cheese, but it's not nearly as good as proper Parmigiano Reggiano.


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## taxlady (Jan 10, 2020)

I haven't found that the price of Grana Padana or Pecorino Romana is much less than Parmigiano Regiano. They are nice cheeses in their own right, so I do buy them too.


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## Cooking Goddess (Jan 11, 2020)

One of the local grocery store chains sells a genuine Parm-Regg for $12.99#, while the Grana Padano is usually $8.99. Since it's created in the neighboring region to Parma, the qualities are very similar. Since it's just the two of us, I usually have P-R on hand. We're pretty lucky around here in that some grocery stores have reasonable prices on some quality items. I'll miss that whenif we get moved back to OH.


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## CraigC (Jan 11, 2020)

We buy Parmigiano Reggiano in 1/8 wheel portions, 10 to 11 lbs, at Restaurant Depot. Last time it was $9.30 per pound. I divide it into wedges and vacuum seal. Stays fresh in the fridge. Remember, if Parmigiano Reggiano isn't embossed on the rind, it isn't the real thing.


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## Aunt Bea (Jan 11, 2020)

I like to try the original food products from around the world out of curiosity but I always end up buying the products that represent a good value to me.

I also buy some things for everyday use and then bump up a level or two for special occasions.

Buy the things that you and your family enjoy, save on the bananas and splurge on the oranges it all evens out.


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## msmofet (Jan 11, 2020)

taxlady said:


> I haven't found that the price of Grana Padana or Pecorino Romana is much less than Parmigiano Regiano. They are nice cheeses in their own right, so I do buy them too.



I also buy a chunk of each parm reg and Pecorino Romano. I freshly grate equal amounts of each and mix them in my Lock n Lick sandwich container I use for fresh grated cheese. It holds about 2 cups grated cheese.  So I always have it fresh. I like the mild, salty and nutty flavor of the combo. A little piece of cheese really equals a lot of grated. Sometimes I buy a piece of Grana but I like parm reg better.


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