WhiteBlaze Pages 2024
A Complete Appalachian Trail Guidebook.
AVAILABLE NOW. $4 for interactive PDF(smartphone version)
Read more here WhiteBlaze Pages Store

Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 26
  1. #1
    Registered User Different Socks's Avatar
    Join Date
    07-07-2009
    Location
    Havre, MT
    Age
    60
    Posts
    1,368
    Images
    5

    Default Parmesan Cheese, how to carry it, use it, store it?

    I know I can carry it in the small store container it comes in. But what if I don't wish to carry the container and i don't want to carry a block of cheese? What is the life of grated parm cheese if it is simply bagged and added to a before the hike prepared meal? Would it go bad after a certain period of time? Is keeping it cool totally necessary? Is that simply to keep it fresh and soft and aromatic?

  2. #2
    Registered User oldbear's Avatar
    Join Date
    05-29-2007
    Location
    West Coast of FL
    Age
    70
    Posts
    343

    Default

    Just buy a hunk of any imported italian hard cheese and grate it to order by" scrubbing "it w/ the blade of your knife
    The advantages that a block of cheese has over a can of cheese are that it's cheaper on a per lb basis and it's more flavorful
    As far as Food Safety is concern a hard cheeses' combination of high salt and extremely low moisture content makes it a very safe product to use

  3. #3
    Registered User
    Join Date
    05-21-2010
    Location
    Seminole, Fl
    Age
    75
    Posts
    463
    Images
    26

    Default

    mold can proliferate through grated cheese very easily. with a solid block, you can scrape the mold off or add some color to your meal. Vermont brand cheddars do not have a "refridgerate after opening" warning and I have carried a block for 5 days with no problem.
    Let no one be deluded that a knowledge of the path can substitute for putting one foot in front of the other.
    —M. C. Richards

  4. #4
    Registered User
    Join Date
    07-30-2009
    Location
    Woodbridge, Virginia
    Age
    64
    Posts
    2,343

    Default

    If you're talking about the Kraft brand stuff, I never refrigerate that at home, it just sits in the cupboard. For trail use, pour some into a ziplock or recycled medicine bottle and it should be fine for up to a couple of weeks.

  5. #5
    1,630 miles and counting earlyriser26's Avatar
    Join Date
    07-12-2005
    Location
    Maidens, VA
    Age
    67
    Posts
    1,007
    Images
    7

    Default

    I agree, bring a block. It will last a long time.
    There are so many miles and so many mountains between here and there that it is hardly worth thinking about

  6. #6

    Default

    Yes you can transfer the shelf stable kind to a bag - but DO NOT dip your hands in!! Shake it out as needed. Anyhow, while the shaker cans might seem weird to carry it actually works well and keeps the cheese intact. You can also buy single serving packets of Kraft via Minimus.biz
    Trail Cooking/FBC, Recipes, Gear and Beyond:
    Trail Cooking

  7. #7
    Registered User Moose2001's Avatar
    Join Date
    10-24-2002
    Location
    Utah - But my heart's still in Vermont!
    Age
    71
    Posts
    901
    Images
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Rocket Jones View Post
    If you're talking about the Kraft brand stuff, I never refrigerate that at home, it just sits in the cupboard. For trail use, pour some into a ziplock or recycled medicine bottle and it should be fine for up to a couple of weeks.
    Ditto. I've carried it in a ziplock through the hottest summers and never had a problem. But then again, I go through a large container in about 5 days. I put it on every dinner. Tasty and more calories!
    GA - NJ 2001; GA - ME 2003; GA - ME 2005; GA - ME 2007; PCT 2006

    A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will.
    —SPANISH PROVERB

  8. #8
    Registered User
    Join Date
    02-19-2012
    Location
    Charlotte NC
    Age
    62
    Posts
    330

    Default

    You can also cool stuff sometimes by putting it in a mesh bag while in camp and submerging it in a creek. Don't get to far away from it tho, it might grow legs and walk off.....

  9. #9
    Registered User
    Join Date
    01-28-2008
    Location
    Spokane, WA
    Age
    71
    Posts
    4,907

    Default

    I recently got a 1.4 oz grater. Works great.
    "It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss

  10. #10
    Registered User
    Join Date
    10-17-2007
    Location
    Michigan
    Age
    64
    Posts
    5,126

    Default

    A solid block will also take up a lot less room in the back than pre-grated, if that is an issue.
    Not to mention, real Parmigiano Reggiano (from Parma Italy) is like the greatest single food on the planet.
    I like to eat it plan, sliced thin.
    The stuff in the can is an domestic imitation which isn't quite the same.
    Although admittedly your average Appalachian convenience store is more likely to have the latter over the former.
    And I think the cheese refrigeration is just and American thing. The Italian grocery store I shopped at in grad school had a ginormous wheel of Parmigian Reggioan on the counter top all the time. If you wanted some, the grocer just whacked off a hunk. mmmm

  11. #11
    Registered User oldbear's Avatar
    Join Date
    05-29-2007
    Location
    West Coast of FL
    Age
    70
    Posts
    343

    Default

    Odd Man
    Do you know that the whey that is left over from making the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is fed to the pigs that are used to make Proscuitto di Parma ?
    Talk about the food of the gods

  12. #12
    Registered User oldbear's Avatar
    Join Date
    05-29-2007
    Location
    West Coast of FL
    Age
    70
    Posts
    343

    Default

    "Although admittedly your average Appalachian convenience store is more likely to have the latter over the former."
    Martz Transit can quickly get you from the Delaware Water Gap to Manhattan and back
    Once in Manhattan ( or Queens if you're getting Greek food at Titan Foods in Astoria ) you can re-stock your ethnic larder for a week or two

  13. #13

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Different Socks View Post
    I know I can carry it in the small store container it comes in. But what if I don't wish to carry the container and i don't want to carry a block of cheese? What is the life of grated parm cheese if it is simply bagged and added to a before the hike prepared meal? Would it go bad after a certain period of time? Is keeping it cool totally necessary? Is that simply to keep it fresh and soft and aromatic?
    Grated Pamesan can mold, so I try to be careful about moisture. I seal it tight; avoid temperature swings which can cause condensation; and separate meal- mix components that need to be very dry from semi- moist components... I worry something might suck up enough of that moisture to eventually mold.

  14. #14
    Registered User Tharwood's Avatar
    Join Date
    03-26-2012
    Location
    Gray TN
    Age
    51
    Posts
    125

    Default

    Pizza Inn Parmesan Cheese Packets...2012-04-18 14-41-24.031.jpg

  15. #15
    Registered User
    Join Date
    10-17-2007
    Location
    Michigan
    Age
    64
    Posts
    5,126

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by oldbear View Post
    Martz Transit can quickly get you from the Delaware Water Gap to Manhattan and back Once in Manhattan ( or Queens if you're getting Greek food at Titan Foods in Astoria ) you can re-stock your ethnic larder for a week or two
    My sister used to live in Queens. She was the only Swedish American buying Halloumi from the Greek Cheese Shop.

  16. #16

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Feral Bill View Post
    I recently got a 1.4 oz grater. Works great.
    I was thinking of using the little scuffer upper that comes with a bicycle repair tube kit,that thing (mine )is about the size of a dime.

  17. #17
    Registered User Papa D's Avatar
    Join Date
    06-23-2008
    Location
    Athens, GA
    Age
    57
    Posts
    2,856
    Images
    7

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by chiefiepoo View Post
    mold can proliferate through grated cheese very easily. with a solid block, you can scrape the mold off or add some color to your meal. Vermont brand cheddars do not have a "refridgerate after opening" warning and I have carried a block for 5 days with no problem.
    this is accurate - - I often carry block cheese - - I actually like sharp cheddar cheese - - most times of the year a fairly firm block will last at least 3 days. I love Grafton Cheddar from Vermont. When we hiked the Long Trail, they sold cheese in convenience stores that you have to go to a gourmet shop to obtain where I live. Carrying pre-grated cheese works only for a single overnight camping trip - - beyond that, carry the block - the harder the cheese, the longer it lasts.

  18. #18
    Registered User
    Join Date
    07-08-2009
    Location
    Greeneville, TN
    Age
    67
    Posts
    183
    Images
    8

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tharwood View Post
    Pizza Inn Parmesan Cheese Packets...2012-04-18 14-41-24.031.jpg
    Wow, it's great if you like sawdust, and not real cheese. Go with the block of parmesan.

  19. #19
    Registered User Hikes in Rain's Avatar
    Join Date
    10-14-2005
    Location
    Georgia Mountains
    Age
    69
    Posts
    2,196
    Images
    23

    Default

    Do an experiment. Next time you're at the grocery store, get a little wedge of Parmesan. (Or Romano or Asiago) When you get back home, try a few shavings off the block, and some out of the can. Then ask yourself: which one would you want in the woods, where everything tastes so much better?

  20. #20
    Registered User Moose2001's Avatar
    Join Date
    10-24-2002
    Location
    Utah - But my heart's still in Vermont!
    Age
    71
    Posts
    901
    Images
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Hikes in Rain View Post
    Do an experiment. Next time you're at the grocery store, get a little wedge of Parmesan. (Or Romano or Asiago) When you get back home, try a few shavings off the block, and some out of the can. Then ask yourself: which one would you want in the woods, where everything tastes so much better?
    Easy answer. Ask yourself a question. In a little store in the middle of VA or ME, which do you think is most likely to be stocked, a big block of parmesan or a can of pre-grated?
    GA - NJ 2001; GA - ME 2003; GA - ME 2005; GA - ME 2007; PCT 2006

    A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will.
    —SPANISH PROVERB

Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
++ New Posts ++

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •