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

[Different Socks]

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?

[oldbear]

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

[chiefiepoo]

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.

[Rocket Jones]

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.

[earlyriser26]

I agree, bring a block. It will last a long time.

[sarbar]

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

[Moose2001]

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!

[Whack-a-mole]

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.....

[Feral Bill]

I recently got a 1.4 oz grater. Works great.:rolleyes:

[Odd Man Out]

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

[oldbear]

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

[oldbear]

"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

[budforester]

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.

[Tharwood]

Pizza Inn Parmesan Cheese Packets...15764

[Odd Man Out]

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.

[rocketsocks]

I recently got a 1.4 oz grater. Works great.:rolleyes: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.

[Papa D]

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.

[doritotex]

Pizza Inn Parmesan Cheese Packets...15764Wow, it's great if you like sawdust, and not real cheese. Go with the block of parmesan.

[Hikes in Rain]

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?

[Moose2001]

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?

[oldbear]

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?
True But Zabars will send it to you
http://www.zabars.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Zabars-Site/default/Default-Start?gclid=CJSp9d6Hwq8CFelgTAodu2iLag
I think that Murray's will too
http://www.murrayscheese.com/outside.asp

[Hikes in Rain]

Can't speak for Maine, but through most of Virginia, I usually find small wedges of gratable hard cheeses at the normal groceries. It's really becoming popular.

[Cherokee Bill]

checkout www.minimus.biz (http://www.minimus.biz) great place for single serving stuff & very cheap. I love thsi place!

[Wise Old Owl]

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.

Great post... wow

[Pathfinder1]

Papa D;
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.




Hi...


Very true. And if you want to keep an opened block of cheddar even longer...whether on the trail or at home...keep it in a paper towel well moistened with vinegar...!! And then in a baggie or your preferred storage container, of course.

[Patton]

All very good info. I think I will have to add hard cheese to my next hike menu.