Kraft Shredded Parmesan instead of Regular Block Parmesan

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andynumber98

Assistant Cook
Joined
Dec 22, 2018
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7
Location
Seattle, WA
Hi all,

I'm planning to make a Risotto for my family on Wednesday that includes parmesan as an ingredient. My mother is insisting that the shredded Kraft parmesan she has should be fine for the recipe, but I want to get some input first before actually going that route. I realize actual block parmesan would be best, but she is saying she will not go back to the store. Does anyone know if this Kraft brand parmesan will work for a risotto?
 
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The green can is evil!:ohmy: There is no substitute for freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, not even Grana Padano, IMO.:ohmy: We are never without it!
 
Is that fresh shredded or that ground stuff that smells like baby puke? There is a fresh shredded cheese that is better than that, but you are better off to get the real deal..after all anything good is a sum of its parts..
 
Store grated cheese in the plastic deli containers usually available next to the blocks of cheese is better than the can stuff.
 
Parmesan is a primary ingredient in risotto - it will make a big difference in the flavor of the dish. If what she has is the kind in the green can, I'd go to the store myself and get the real thing.
 
Parmigiano Reggiano is the real deal Italian cheese. In my opinion, that's what you should use. Parmesan cheese, in a block or shredded is not the same thing, it's an American copy of the original. That said, I'd go out and buy some block cheese, Parm. Reg. if you can afford it and find it, or block parm if you can't.
 
Hi all,

I'm planning to make a Risotto for my family on Wednesday that includes parmesan as an ingredient. My mother is insisting that the shredded Kraft parmesan she has should be fine for the recipe, but I want to get some input first before actually going that route. I realize actual block parmesan would be best, but she is saying she will not go back to the store. Does anyone know if this Kraft brand parmesan will work for a risotto?

Kraft makes both the shredded Parmesan in a bag, and the grated stuff in a shaker can that many of us grew up with. The bagged stuff is fine... they just coat it with a small amount of cornstarch to keep it from clumping together. We generally use that when a recipe calls for a few ounces and it does just fine. Once it's mixed into a dish you really won't know the difference from fresh grated.

We haven't had the grated stuff in a can in the house for a really long time. Unlike others here, I really don't mind it all that much (partly because it was what was available in the 50's and 60's, so I DID grow up with that always in the house, and always used it on spaghetti), but it definitely has a much different flavor from the bags of pre-shredded cheese.
 
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Kraft and Parmesan do not even fit in the same sentence. If you really want Parmesan you must get the real thing.
 
I just sent a big chunk of Real Parmesan to my friend in Atlanta. She had been using that Kraft junk and when she got the first one I had send to her a couple of years ago, she put it on her holiday table for her guests along with a small grater. She will never go back to Kraft. Her guests rave about the real thing and now has to have some kind of pasta dish for holidays.

Only Real Parmesan will do.
 
I just sent a big chunk of Real Parmesan to my friend in Atlanta. She had been using that Kraft junk and when she got the first one I had send to her a couple of years ago, she put it on her holiday table for her guests along with a small grater. She will never go back to Kraft. Her guests rave about the real thing and now has to have some kind of pasta dish for holidays.

Only Real Parmesan will do.
You've been sending your friend in Atlanta Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for at least five years ;) Trust me - she can find it there if she looks. It's not an uncommon ingredient.
 
Hi Andy 98. I'd also go out and buy Parmigiano Reggiano. It is a little spendy, but it's worth it and lasts a long time in the fridge. You should be able to get by with a small triangle of it for your risotto. I save the rinds and use them in soups, so nothing goes to waste.
 
You've been sending your friend in Atlanta Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for at least five years ;) Trust me - she can find it there if she looks. It's not an uncommon ingredient.

Nancy is the President of a company founded by her father. He is still alive (96 y.o.) and she is mainly his caretaker. She also has a daughter who has epilepsy. Her plate is quite full. So she is maintaining the company, caring for her father, and making sure her daughter is not in an epilepsy episode. She simply is on some days overwhelmed. She shops at the super market close to her home and work. They don't carry it. And besides my sending her the cheese is just an expression of friendship.

In return one year she sent a rain coat for Teddy, (the dog we all own,) a 12 inch saute pan with help handle, and few other lovely presents. So it has become a game between us. One we both enjoy doing it. And she impresses her dinner guests when they sit down to have a plate of pasta and there in the middle is the cheese with the small individual grater.
 
Nancy is the President of a company founded by her father. He is still alive (96 y.o.) and she is mainly his caretaker. She also has a daughter who has epilepsy. Her plate is quite full. So she is maintaining the company, caring for her father, and making sure her daughter is not in an epilepsy episode. She simply is on some days overwhelmed. She shops at the super market close to her home and work. They don't carry it. And besides my sending her the cheese is just an expression of friendship.

In return one year she sent a rain coat for Teddy, (the dog we all own,) a 12 inch saute pan with help handle, and few other lovely presents. So it has become a game between us. One we both enjoy doing it. And she impresses her dinner guests when they sit down to have a plate of pasta and there in the middle is the cheese with the small individual grater.

That! Nuff said.

CD
 
I just sent a big chunk of Real Parmesan to my friend in Atlanta. She had been using that Kraft junk and when she got the first one I had send to her a couple of years ago, she put it on her holiday table for her guests along with a small grater. She will never go back to Kraft. Her guests rave about the real thing and now has to have some kind of pasta dish for holidays.

Only Real Parmesan will do.

While I would normally agree with you, I'm in a pinch since I have 0 access to real parmesan as I am broke and at my mother's house (who refuses to go to the store again) and need to know if I should just give up on making the dish entirely. It isn't from a can, it's in a bag if that makes any difference.
 
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You've been sending your friend in Atlanta Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for at least five years ;) Trust me - she can find it there if she looks. It's not an uncommon ingredient.

Why point that out? And now you know Addie's friend's life?
 
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Kraft makes both the shredded Parmesan in a bag, and the grated stuff in a shaker can that many of us grew up with. The bagged stuff is fine... they just coat it with a small amount of cornstarch to keep it from clumping together. We generally use that when a recipe calls for a few ounces and it does just fine. Once it's mixed into a dish you really won't know the difference from fresh grated.

We haven't had the grated stuff in a can in the house for a really long time. Unlike others here, I really don't mind it all that much (partly because it was what was available in the 50's and 60's, so I DID grow up with that always in the house, and always used it on spaghetti), but it definitely has a much different flavor from the bags of pre-shredded cheese.

Thank you for letting me know about your experience with the shredded stuff in the bag. That is what is sitting in the fridge right now.
 
While I would normally agree with you, I'm in a pinch since I have 0 access to real parmesan as I am broke and at my mother's house (who refuses to go to the store again) and need to know if I should just give up on making the dish entirely. It isn't from a can, it's in a bag if that makes any difference.

No worries, just use what you have. It'll be fine. Good luck!
 
Thank you for the input guys! In the future I will try to save up to afford the real thing for myself. Since it sounds like the shredded bag stuff will likely work (though obviously not as good as the real thing) I'm going to try that. I will definitely not be touching the green can of it (we also have that but I knew that that was likely going too far, which appears to have been affirmed on here)
 
While I would normally agree with you, I'm in a pinch since I have 0 access to real parmesan as I am broke and at my mother's house (who refuses to go to the store again) and need to know if I should just give up on making the dish entirely. It isn't from a can, it's in a bag if that makes any difference.

Don't give up on it, Andy98. It sounds like you really want to make this dish using what you have access to. If I were you, I'd go for it. :)

Merry Christmas and welcome to Discuss Cooking! :flowers:
 
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