Costco

For a long time I bought Parmigiano Reggiano cheese wedges, and Coconut Shrimp.. It seems Costco has discontinued them both. I did the research and found that some loved the shrimp and some did not, so away it went. But why the Parmigiano Reggiano? Darn, that cheese is getting so hard to find now.

Maybe a regional supply chain thing? Around here parmigiano reggiano is easy to find.

-Paul W.

I bought some at Costco here around Christmas. I do know there are differences in what Costco stocks in different regions.

[Jenise]

Parm is too universal to be discontinued. Probably just a supply chain problem.

I made an online delivery today and settled for a nice wedge of Pecorino Romano from Italy. Can I freeze part of this type of cheese successfully using my Food Saver?

[Jenise]

Karen, I would think so. That said, just FS it and stick it in the garage fridge and forget about it until you need more pecorino. Without oxygen, it will be perfectly preserved until then.

My concern with freezing cheese is that the formation of ice crystals may harm the cheese's texture.

-Paul W.

There is parm and then there is Parm!

Jenise, next time you see Nadine, ask her to tell you about finding the best Parmesan in Vancouver ( a city with a lot of Italians!). A sort of 'knock three times and if the door opens convince the old gentleman that you are worthy of buying the Real Deal.

My concern with freezing cheese is that the formation of ice crystals may harm the cheese's texture.

-Paul W.

This happens even when using a Food Savor to remove the oxygen?

I'm not talking about the surface frost that you can get if you don't remove the air from the freezer bag first. I'm talking about the ice crystals that can form within the item being frozen, if it is moist enough. Depending on what the item is, those crystals can change the texture of the food when it's thawed out. I have no idea what freezing would do to parmesan or romano.

-Paul W.

I've had a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano in my refrigerator cheese drawer for a couple of years w/o any problems. I'm almost ready to use my new Costco wedge, though.

Some cheese I store in a Ziploc with a sugar cube to help stave off mold.

Parmigiano Reggiano does seem to keep forever under refrigeration as long as it doesn't dry out. Neat anti-mold trick with the sugar cube. I wonder how it works? Probably by adsorbing excess moisture.

-Paul W.

Curiously I ALWAYS had mold develop rather quickly on Reggiano purchased from an Italian store even if wedge came from a newly cracked 70-80# form. I assumed that this was due to the fact that they sold dozens of different cheeses all from the same room and cases. Never had mold on their Pecorinos and have never had mold on Costco Reggiano no matter how long in fridge although I can use a 1.5# wedge in 3-4 weeks. Just saw Reggiano at Costco so must be a regional issue.

Curiously I ALWAYS had mold develop rather quickly on Reggiano purchased from an Italian store even if wedge came from a newly cracked 70-80# form. I assumed that this was due to the fact that they sold dozens of different cheeses all from the same room and cases. Never had mold on their Pecorinos and have never had mold on Costco Reggiano no matter how long in fridge although I can use a 1.5# wedge in 3-4 weeks. Just saw Reggiano at Costco so must be a regional issue.

Do you buy hunks that include the rind? That's the area of the cheese that's drier.

They cut it correctly giving you as much of a radial slice as possible with rind so there’s a gradient of moisture. I never discard rind but mince and add to soups, stews, braises that cook a long time. It disappears but flavors the dish immensely.

I have noticed how long the frozen rinds retain their flavor. I toss all the rinds I cut off of past parm wedges into a freezer bag, and use them in many slow cooked dishes. Pretty amazing and good stuff! I also keep a wedge to peel curls off of. Love those in salads.