STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

jacL · Coach

Parmesan substitute?

wicked · Coach

I love Asiago and aged Provolone, but I think they probably cost equal to, if not more than Parm.

mikacat · Coach

they have shredded parm in the dairy section by Kraft in the ziplock bags and it is decent.

member · Hermes

mikacat wrote:

they have shredded parm in the dairy section by Kraft in the ziplock bags and it is decent.

That's what I was going to suggest. We buy it all the time because fresh parm is just too expensive. Have you tried this as an alternative?

jacL · Coach

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone, but I guess I was looking for a new miracale cheese I have never heard about. I was thinking of trying the asiago, at least where I shop it is still a lot cheaper than the parm. I do usually get the shredded parm, and I like it but personally think the fresh is just so much better.

Thanks girls!

lsubatgirl · Gucci

asiago is pretty good. I don't know how much parm runs your way but i get some at kroger for about $3.50 or $4 a block which is about as much as the shredded stuff to me.

jacL · Coach

lsubatgirl wrote:

asiago is pretty good. I don't know how much parm runs your way but i get some at kroger for about $3.50 or $4 a block which is about as much as the shredded stuff to me.

Whoa, LSU, that is awesome. At my grocery store, I pay $12 for a block of parm. Maybe I should go back to my mom's house in the Land of Cheese (Wisconsin) and see what it costs there--I know milk is a lot cheaper there. Anyways, I think I will try the asiago next time. Thanks.

lsubatgirl · Gucci

maybe you can ask your deli to cut the blocks down for you if they are really big. $12 sounds like its either a huge block of cheese or they are ripping you off. I know whole foods cuts cheese down for you if you ask so I would assume other places would too.

erin · Chanel

12 seems like a lot! it's about 5-6$ here, but like lsu said, you might just be getting huge blocks...

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

okay, here's the deal with the price differences in parmesan. real parmesan (from emilia-romagna, in northern italy is labeled "parmigiano-reggiano" and is stamped on the rind) is pretty pricey (about $12/pound is a good price but i've seen it as high as $18/pound) it is worth every cent in my opinion — the flavor is amazing. if it's simply labeled "parmesan" it can be found for much less but i don't think it tastes nearly as good.

-- Edited by hotcocoa at 16:41, 2006-01-05