Parmesan Cheese - the good stuff: can you freeze it?

[Katiekitty]

I got a huge block of it today, for some unknown reason, I seem to remember reading somewhere that you can freeze it and just use a little at a time.

Anyone know if this be true?

Or is it flirting with disaster?

I think hard cheese generally freezes well, so why not?

Yes, absolutely. DH used to buy large (and I mean really large chunks) whenever he went to Rome on business and they went straight in the freezer (once cut into slightly more manageable chunks) - will keep for about 12-18mths IME, then the texture starts to change.

Ooohh - you think it will freeze ok? Have you had success?

I have many questions! (sad life)

I freeze it, and it is fine. I cut the new cheese into squares, wrap them in cling film and into the freezer they go. You can use them direct from the freezer, obv grated, but if you defrost that is fine too. Texture slightly crumblier IME but perfectly fine. Much bett er to freeze it than have it go hard and/or mouldy in the fridge (can you hear me, XP?)

This is great news!

So, you get the new block, cut it into smal chunks, wrap them individually in cling film, then whenever you need a bit of Parmesan, you just root it out from the freezer, then grate it from frozen?

Amazing!

We just froze it in chunks of ~3-4 weeks consumption (which, for us, is quite a large chunk) as it will easily keep in the fridge for that long, but yes you can definitely grate it from frozen.

Yes! I was pretty excited about this discovery recently too [getalifeemoticon]

(katiekitty goes off to chop up hunk of parmesan, armed with cing film, nodding sagely, glint in eye)

Waiting for OP to come back with 'and how the hell do you chop a lump of parmesan up?' - when DH brought back about 1/4 of a whole cheese once I resorted to a (clean) saw

Really good parmesan shouldn't be cut as such, more prised, as you want it to split naturally along its own grain. The points of a couple of strong sharp knives should do the trick, though not from frozen.

Ha ha! You're not wrong there Stealthsquiggle! I could have done with a couple of burly lumberjacks in my kitchen when I came to do the chopping up!

Improvised with a bread knife for steadying purposes and a smaller one for prising apart!

It's in the freezer as we speak - we're in business!

oops, forgot to add: thereistheball - curiously, it did seem to spit along a grain, so I just went with it. Got me some odd sized chunks, but it's all part of the fun..

I freeze the rinds and use in stews/soups

thereistheball - that was the other approach that worked - hammer and chisel - which is actually how they do it in the shops I have been to in Rome.

I freeze mine ready-grated. I don't keep it for long, and it is fine melted into a rissotto etc., but it wouldn't be great in a salad.