Is Parmigiano Reggiano actually worth it?
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📚 Videos & Sources mentioned:
▪ Official Parmigiano Reggiano Website: www.parmigianoreggiano.com/
▪ Parmigiano Reggiano EU Specifications PDF: www.parmigianoreggiano.com/st...
▪ EU/Berlin Parmesan Lawsuit: www.dw.com/en/eu-commission-s...
▪ FDA Parmesan Regulations: www.accessdata.fda.gov/script...
▪ On Food & Cooking by Harold McGee (Book) www.amazon.com/Food-Cooking-S...
▪ Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan (Book) www.amazon.com/Essentials-Cla...
VIDEOS:
▪ THE WORLD OF PARMIGIANO REGGIANO: • THE WORLD OF PARMIGIAN...
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⏱ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
2:55 How is Parmesan cheese made?
4:32 History of Parmigiano vs Parmesan
9:08 How to find Parmigiano Reggiano
10:40 Five Parmesan Candidates
12:30 Taste Test #1: Raw
15:04 US vs Italian made Parmesan
25:13 Taste Test #2: Alfredo Sauce
30:30 Taste Test #3: Pizza + Pasta
34:13 Conclusion: Is it actually worth it?
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My only problem with the Parmigiano Reggiano is the insanely short shelf life. Every time I buy it, the entire block disappears within 24 hours.
Check for mice. Especially if you find one wearing a chef's hat. 🤣
@@Ottee2 Pretty sure it's not mice. But I do have 3 kids. Pretty sure it's them. Either way, that's my story when my wife asks what happened to all the Parmigiano.
@@ptrinch , Mama Mia'
My eight year old will sit down with the block and watch her ipad and munch away.
I don't like the salt chunks in it.
With this, the tomato episode and the "expensive pasta" episode I can assemble the ultimate red sauce pasta. If an episode on butter existed I would be unstoppable.
When it comes to butter, buy sweet cream butter not margarine or any of the other BS that pretends to be butter
I grew up next to a farm and I'd pay significantly more for their freshly churned butter. That shit was so good!
Hmm a butter video could be super interesting 🤔
@@EthanChlebowski yes please!!!
@@EthanChlebowski I love these styles of videos and butter is used in so many dishes, not just pasta like my original comment, so that would be very cool!
Just a small correction on the last bit: Carbonara isn't made with Parmigiano Reggiano, is made with Pecorino Romano, a cheese made with sheep milk
🤓
i mean the difference does kinda matter sheep's milk itself is different in composition, and that's completely disregarding the actual process of making the cheese out of the milk
@@TorutheRedFoxyup the flavor is totally different. Just a small correction, it's goat milk, not sheep's.
Same for Risotto, as I noted too
@@alexwtf80no it s sheep, sheep in italians it's pecora therefore we call it pecorino, goat it's capra and we made a totally different kind if cheese taht we call caprino.
Is it 1am? Yes Do I have work in 6 hours? Yes Do I need to know about Parmesan cheese? Absolutely
I can't believe you just called me out like that. Get out of my head.
Btw missed one test: trying a piece of cheese. Not grated. That’s the way we mainly eat parmigiano reggiano in the region where we produce it
YES! haha Or a risotto :) Most little kids go 'steal' some little chunks of cheese while their parents are cooking... And then parents say something along the lines of: "Oh, I wonder, do we have mice running around in the house? A chunk is missing!".
And eating it that way really demonstrates the difference. Only Parmigiana Reggiano has delicious little (calcium lactate) crystals spread throughout. That is only achieved through aging and although evident in a number of finer cheeses, it is particularly wonderful in ripe (room temp) Reggiano. The cheese is brilliant.
@@LRTOTAL Or the rind scraped and simmered in a stock.
giustissimo
@@alicetwain yes. I save all the rinds in the freezer then come winter for brodo season and it’s the bomb. Tortellini in brodo with brodo Made with the rind the sprinkling parmigiano on top. Perfection. I save guanciale skin too and add to pot when I’m making beans.
I’m the kind of person to eat cheese alone regardless of what type it is and I can confirm that chomping on a chunk is worth the price compared to eating a handful of pre grated Parmesan
i worked at an italian resturant and just eating chunks of parmesan is so good lmao
its got wood , cellulose , i grate all my cheese
I love chewing on a hard Parmiggiano rind hahah Tastes like an old moldy cellar or something, but so delicious
There is eating cheese alone as well as eating cheese alone. I eat cheese alone while alone
It's perfect to eat on its own in pieces
‘Enzymes’ can refer to rennet substitutes. Rennet is made from cow stomach lining. There are many coagulant enzymes used in cheese production to partially or completely substitute the use of rennet. Many are made from pork or seafood. The most widely used rennet substitutes are Miehei coagulant (R. miehei proteinase), Pusillus coagulant (R. pusillus proteinase), and Parasitica coagulant (C. parasitica proteinase).
When I lived ovo-lacto-vegetarian I only used imitation parmesan and contacted manufacturers to make sure they were not using animal-sourced enzymes in their cheese cultures
Whereby the coagulants do not add any good favour like cheese cultures. Same thing in mozarella. You can have the industry fake made with acid or make it yourself. Made from raw cow milk much better even than expensive industrial buffalo mozarella....
yes, lime juice or vinegar also are used as a sub for rennet which I believe is only in calves stomachs or goats.
also, microbial rennet
It's so nice to see a cooking KZheadr not have any bias; especially towards stuff like pre grated parm that is immediately hated on in cooking culture. He has so much respect and is completely impartial which is extremely refreshing
The only reason I don't like it is that mold is more difficult to spot....
He talked multiple times about how it had to be from a specific area but never mentioned why. The specific climate, grasses, and forage available to the cows in the areas contribute to the cheese's unique taste. In other words, Parmigiano Reggiano can't be made anywhere else because the enviorment of the area is a big contributing factor to its taste. Definitely seems like bias to not include this tbh.
@@dutchik5107 I keep it in the freezer
@@MrSkmeThe reason is due to certain bacteria only being found in that location, which are vital to the taste. I don't see how not mentioning that is a bias however, since he didn't mention where the other cheeses were made, aside from being in the US.
@@Valcuda He talked many times about how there were really strict regulations around what qualifies as parmigiano yet never mentioned the reason why. It seemed like he had a hidden agenda to say the reasons where too strict and that cheese made elsewhere should also qualify, especially demonstrated by neglecting to mention this crucial bit of information.
Regarding Imitation parmesan in the EU, we do have it, but generally speaking it will be labelled something like "Italian style hard cheese"
One noodle product in Germany calls its grated hard cheese "Pamesello". It tastes horrible!
I would say we are more likely to just buy a cheaper hard italian cheese like "Grana Padano". I never seen "italian style" cheese made in any other european country.
@@MrMarkusAberg or it could be even just "hard cheese" if its not from Italy.
@@pascal8327 this. It can be labelled anything, from 'white cheese' to 'Italian style cheese'. Grana Padano is also DOP certified but less strict and thus cheaper. I still think the EU-law on labelling and DOP certifications make it really easy to spot the real deal vs the counterfeit product. Same with feta for example which is often called 'salad cheese' in the Netherlands. Also things like Greek yogurt, it can only be called 'Greek yogurt' if it is actually from Greece, else it's a Greek style yogurt. Same for wines from France with the AOC (the French counterpart for DOP), it is very strict but because it is you always know what you're getting, a red Burgundy is probably going to be a pinot noir for example but also champagne, not only the region matters but also which grape varieties which always need to have pinot blanc, chardonnay, pinot meunier, arbane, petit meslier or pinot gris. Only thing I still think needs work is products which can have either IGP or DOP marks. Take balsamic vinegar for example, it can be either DOP or IGP. IGP balsamic has to be aged for no less than 60 days up to 3 years where the DOP balsamic needs to be aged for at least 12 years until whenever. Using these different classifications cause confusion and because of this almost nobody (in the Netherlands at least) has ever had the real Aceto Balsamico di Modena DOP, almost everybody has had the Supermarket IGP-crap though. Most people I know don't even know the difference. Don't get me wrong, there are some good IGP-brands but it's very hard to differentiate this way.
@@MrMarkusAberg Grana Padano is not necessarily cheaper. It's a great hard cheese in its own right.
My cheesemonger (yes, I know) says the most important thing is to avoid pre-grated cheese ( regardless of kind) because it has extra anti-clumping agents (and often something to extend shelf life). Other than that, she’s very much a “buy what you like and can afford” sort of person.
Having a reliable cheesemonger, winemonger (my profession), butcher, local produce farmer/farmers market are keys to eating and drinking at the highest level without spending insane money. Cheese, wine and meat can be pricey but an expert will be happy to guide you to value driven choices that get you 80-90% of the same experience as more expensive options. A reliable farmers market or produce store supplies seasonal, fresh, well grown fruit and veg that elevates all dishes cooked at home. It's not rocket science - as Ethan makes so clear in his videos - but trust experts and build relationships with them, you'll benefit for years and probably make a few friends too!
@@mstortz1 Yep! I had a long bit about how I have access to all of them, including the oldest family-owned butcher in America, but apparently KZhead thought I was giving away too much information on where I live and ate the post. 😂 (Although let's be real: there are only two parts of the country where you can live and have access to local cheesemongers, wineries, butchers, farmers, pasta makers, cider-makers, breweries, chocolatiers, and so on - and tossing in the information about the butcher and the grain-grinding mill that provides us with fresh flour and oats narrowed it down to the Northeast REAL fast.)
That hits the nail on the head. Since I switched to blocks of cheese instead of pre-grated stuff, I've noticed a HUGE difference in flavor and texture in my cooking, regardless of the cost of the cheese. It adds almost no extra time to cooking and I've noticed I use less cheese in general, which is grate(haha) since I'm working on losing weight.
You can actually just rinse the cheese, or rinse and then dry it. It is only a coating to prevent clumping if it is pre grated. It is easily washed away with plain water. This idea of shredded cheese being inferior is nonsense. My uncle is a dairy farmer, all his cheese comes from the same cows. Pre-grated or not, its the same quality. Let's stop spreading nonsense. We often have a laugh at the people that can 'definitely tell' the difference between the block cheese and the shredded. The 'cheesemongers' like to pretend they know better so they can sell more expensive products. It's quite laughable.
@@lilm5714 No one said anything about quality of grated vs whole cheese - tho yes, there is a difference in quality because no one is pre-grating the good stuff. And hey, if you have the time and interest in washing away anti-clumping agents and preservatives from your grated cheese, you do you. But with that level of effort, I’d rather just grate a good quality cheese.
Man I had no idea actual Parmesan was a thing until I worked with a Michilen chef who showed the 25$ per pound difference. (He always bought a wheel a week) We would make seafood dip w Parmesan cheese, lobster, crab, Mayo, creme France, onions and bell peppers with other several difference seasonings. Soooooo good. While I cut the cheese wheels and prepared it to be grinded, I munched on so much parm.
Now imagine living in the EU were you pay 2-4 Euro for a piece instead of 20 dollar.
well well..... italians don't put cheese and fish together - but again i don't know why i even watch an American cooking video 😅
@@aendukramerdo you have a better method of utilizing seafood "leftovers" to reduce waste then to cut it with cheese? Where seafood is not readily available to land locked states lmao. I'm all ears
if you like to eat parm straight up without anything else, give pecorino romano a try or even the very hard to get kefalotiri. Its kinda the greek equivalent of pecorino romano and its so damn good I could eat a whole wheel in one sitting if I could afford it...
🤣🤣He said "while i cut the chese"
Years ago I googled 'cheese recipes' and stumbled upon a KZhead channel that taught you how to actually make cheese. He had a great parm-style cheese recipe that I love using. I let it age for 2 years, so I make a new wheel every 6 months so I'll have a new wheel whenever I'm ready. (I call it my Hill Country Parm)
For anyone that doesn't know. Parma and Reggio Emilia have a slightly unique grass which is why the Parmesan has a unique flavor profile and is also why Italy fought so hard to have other "brands" called counterfeits.
we should al be happy they did that . i wish real olive oil had the same thing. Since every grocery store olive oil is such garbage wouldnt call it olive oil
We can't transplant that grass elsewhere? Grass isn't exactly hard to grow...
@@potepote50 you actually can't. It's special because of geographical, bacterial and topographic oddities. So to simply put it. No moving the grass will cause it to change therefore it would no longer be proper or legal to make Parmigiano Reggiano.
@@potepote50 You need to transport the soil and climate as well to do that.
I'm guessing it's bullshit and that italy only want to create a monopolistic advantage on a type of cheese. These same classifications exist for many type of alcohol and cheese. It would be extremely impressive if a small particularity in the grass would affect the cow enough to make a difference in the taste of the milk once transformed by bacteria to create the cheese. And that this small particularity would fit perfectly a regional delimitation and didn't spread beyond it. What is way more likely if the taste is truly unique, is that like some cheese with regional trademark, the particular bacterias used to transform the cheese are patented and protected which is why you don't get cheese that taste exactly like it.
0:25 for the price point, 33:50 for the summary. The amount of knowledge and depth this video covers is insanely appreciated.
Thank you sooooooooooooo much!
Thank you!
You are seriously my new favorite channel! I love learning all the nit ang grit about food (my favorite subject) 😂
Nicely done, and very informative! I've been alternating between the US and Italian versions and always wondered if the real thing was worth the high price. I thought it was, but nice to see confirmation.
Another option not presented in this video is Grana Padano, which is an extremely similar Italian cheese to Parmigiano, but with a less restrictive regional designation. (in fact, considering Grana Padano means "grainy [cheese] from the Po valley," P.R. is arguably a sub-category of it) It typically costs about what the high quality American parms cost, and I personally tend to prefer it. Restaurants will typically use Grana as an ingredient (i.e.- in sauces, risotto, and such) since it's cheaper and being melted in with other things dilutes the difference to almost zero, and reserve Parmigiano for garnish, where, as you discovered in the video, the difference in quality makes a much larger impact.
Yep! Recently discovered Grana Padano and I find myself using that cheese more often. Pecorino Roman is also a good choice. 👍
Agree. Grana padano is an excellent substitute when I can't justify the expense of PR. It would have been good to have it included in the comparison. But PR rules supreme
Yeah, I'm from Czech Republic and Grana Padano is the only parm like cheese in the supermarket I frequent. It does just fine, I might even prefer it
@@evenflowcss Pecorino Romano is much more salty, and I would only use it in certain dishes like carbonara. The flavour pallete is quite a bit different from grana/parmegiano.
@@progames70 Pecorino is definitely different tasting, probably because it’s made from sheep’s milk. Personally it’s my favourite Italian hard cheese.
Growing up on the bootleg Kraft "Parmesan"... and now moving to Parmesan Reggiano as an adult... the actual cheese has the crystal salt bits that definitely make it worth the price tag.
exactly and its soo much better. just make sure to have a grater and grate it fine.
The crystals are MSG
the most important thing about Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano is that not every age of the cheese is best for every usage. if you use young parmesan as a topping on your spaghetti for example, it doesnt really work well. on the other hand, if you use 36 month parmesan in a sauce, the flavor can be very strong and sometimes get grainy. each age has its own purpose
@navyvet84 throw away your Canadian maple and harvest it yourself.
I agree. You may want to try some Kerrygold's Dubliner, one of my favorites, but not as sharp as Parmigiano-Reggiano
I'm glad you used Sartori as they are a worldwide award winning cheesemaker from my home of wisconsin. Wisconsin companies win a large portion of cheese competitions worldwide.
Such a great video, thanks for doing this man! Love it!
A very good Italian alternative is Grana Padano. Very similar flavor profile and texture. (maybe slightly sweeter) Less expensive because less restrictions. It's my new 'go to' for day to day applications.
Its not the same :( But if youre in america and have these ridiculous prices maybe...
@@akantorixful Agree, not the same.......but similar and will do if cheese not the star of the show.Just wanted to offer up an Italian alt to the US 'parm' offerings. Yes, the real thing is really hard to beat.
Grana Padano and Parmigiano use the milk of the cows of the same bread and they are both grassfed inside a certain geographical area, the procedure in making both cheeses it is the same and so is the drying that makes prices vary depending how long they kept it in drying chamber and the one and only difference between the two is that for parmigiano you need milk of cows that had been fed with the grass of high pastures! That's it! What's more ridiculous are the prices these cheeses reach in US! On average in an Italian supermarket a pound of 12 months dried Grana is slightly over 6$, while Parmigiano is around 10$ per pound.
@@daniby9894 That is actually pretty cheap! I live next to Italy and the cheapest Grana Padano is around 8€ (8.2$) and the cheapest Parmesano Reggiano around 15€ (15.5$) per pound. Good quality products have their price and they are worth it in my optinion.
@@daniby9894 That's kinda not true. Grana Padano geographical area comprehends 32 Italian provinces while Parmigiano Reggiano only three and two halves. Also the cow's food can be different, Grana Padano cows can be fed with silage as well, which is not fresh forage nor hay (it's not about the high pastures). Silage has lysozyme in it which can be considered a preservative (even though this is probably not the case), so there is literally a fourth ingredient in Grana Padano which is absent in Parmigiano Reggiano. Moreover Grana Padano has less fat than Parmigiano Reggiano because the milk gets skimmed twice instead of once and this lower fat percentage allows Grana Padano to mature faster. This is why Grana Padano can be sold after "just" 9 months while Parmigiano Reggiano needs at least 12 months. So they are similar cheese but the differences are there and you can taste it, even though Grana Padano is still a very good cheese.
this video and the tomato video both rule so much and easily some of the best food videos on the internet
Would love to see more stuff in the same vein. Jamon Iberico, super-aged balsamic vinegar from Italy, pretty much the entire "cheap vs. expensive" lineup from those old Epicurious videos here on YT.
EASILY one of the videos ever
@@endhel_ "EASILY one of the videos ever"!!! Imagine being this mentally disparaged...
I don't have any pre-grated parm handy to definitively check against, but with other pre-shredded cheeses in the US, most are coated with a starch of some sort to keep the shreds from clumping together in the storage container. I imagine this additional starch is what causes sauces to get stringy unless you are extremely precise with your cooking technique.
Costco sells a shredded version of their block cheese but it costs more and does not last as long and dries our more, get the block.
Astounding high degree of clarity and usefulness video!!
As a college student who loves to cook and is willing to spend a little more money on some food but still has a budget please keep making these videos. Your collab with pro home cooks about blooming spices was fantastic.
Agreed. Great work, Ethan. I love "is it worth it?" and "does it make a difference?" videos on youtube 👍
misspelled collage.
@@you2449 *collagen
@@newmeta1042 Hi you2088. Okay, way too funny. I think many people are thinking cottage.
@@you2449 *crossaint
Pro tip: if you find your wedges go moldy because you can’t finish it, put a thin layer of olive oil all around it and it’ll last many months in your fridge.
Mine don't get moldy, they dry out til even a Microplane won't cut them. I'll give the OO a try, thanks!
Pro tip bonus round: Put your tomato paste in a jar and make sure it only fills half way. Add a thick layer of olive oil over the tomato paste and that will also last for many months in the fridge. Never let the layer of tomato paste go over the layer of olive oil
i store cheese in the fridge in a sealed container a long side a folded paper towel soaked with VINEGAR! the acetic acid "fumes" will prevent mold.
@@scottboettcher1344 To me, this is the ultimate form of almost any cheese. Yum!! When I almost risk killing myself when cutting it - chef kiss.
i just cut that thin layer of and keep eating it. it seems to make the taste way stronger i love it
Just got some grated Parmigiano Reggiano and it actually melts on my pasta unlike the green bottle, also it actually tastes like cheese. This video made me do it.
Try pecorino romano for your pasta, your life will be changed for the best forever! (And its about half the price as parmagiano reg)
Imagine needing some random youtube video to convince yourself to not buy the cheapest obviously fake slop product and actually gain some self respect
I never cared much for the kraft but on a whim tried the romano version and it's actually pretty decent as far as taste but yeah it's not like the real thing.
@@vasiliscond9433taste worst peccorino, parmegano regano best 😂
@@vasiliscond9433 I usually put both on, best of both worlds.
When I was about 12 I went to Italy, and there I tried the most mindblowing parmigiano regiano imaginable. Ive been chasing that high ever since.
I'm actually from the Parmigiano Reggiano area, and you if you grew up eating only Parmigiano, you can feel the difference between the real stuff and even other similar cheese made in Italy
There's a place in Ann Arbor Michigan called Zingerman's that sells Parmesan reggiano from Italy The Taste is far superior than anything I've had so far
When I was young I used to like parmesan cheese. As I got older I enjoy the bite of a good Pecorino Romano now. And yeah I go through the lungs for the good stuff too.
When you're eating straight obviously. When used in cooking i doubt it.
@@chickenfishhybrid44 keep your doubts.
absolutely agree, any decent italian should be able to feel the difference even between parmigiano reggiano and grana padano
We have lots of imitation Parmesan here in England, but as you say, the restriction is only over the naming. They will often be on shelves labelled as "grated Italian style hard cheese" or something like that. Fake Feta cheese is called "Salad cheese" and so on.
That's exactly how it comes in Germany. Which makes the fake stuff feel "extra fake", since it has such a vague name. Of course the Parmaggiano Reggiano is not nearly as expensive here as it is in the US.
Lies again? Apex Predator Pig Rat
@@NazriBwhat??
Easy to know the fake from the original, there are clear Markings on the outside of the crust, the smell and the taste, D.O.P or IPG, the natural crystals, the price, having lived in Pärma for. many years, like many other italian food products, they are of very high quality, and the Black market in these things Is worth an absolute fortunê.
@@NazriBBro went fully off his meds
I tried in a tasting up to 146 months. Something really important that you forgot to mention is the size of the wheel. As for wine (and the barrel) size matter for the ratio between surface and volume and with this transpiration and oxidation
This is some satisfying validation to what i was already practicing but didn't really understand all the mechanics behind it. Thanks!
FYI: "Cheese cultures" refers to the bacteria (and mold in some cheese types), and "enzymes" refers to the rennet.
Nerd
@@Slouworker I make cheese at home.
Surprised no one else clarified this! Especially since he called it out specifically as a point of his own confusion.
I was surprised he couldn't figure it out. I know almost nothing about cheese making, but i thought it would have been obvious that cultures would refer to bacteria and/or mold (important for the flavor and preservation). And enzymes would be about rennet or the like (to make the milk clump into a solid mass).
I came here to write that too. Serious and important mistake.
Reggiano as a garnish really is the way to go as you said, the flavor is much more noticeable raw, when cooked, not so much.
Yes, I agree, when cooked the flavour changes and cooking with 24+ months parmigiano is a bit of a waste. And the test shows it clearly. I would have liked to see a test with risotto alla parmigiana, in which parmigiano is of course the main ingredient. I use the 24 months DOP one for everything, because it's easier to just keep one type in the fridge and here in Italy it's ~50% cheaper than the us price shown in the video. Some restaurants use melted parmigiano cheese to get creative with their risotto dishes, sometimes they put the risotto inside little "baskets" made of melted cheese, or garnish the plate with other shapes like discs, etc... It can be also had in chunks as a snack (most italian kids do) by itself or dipped in thick baslamic vinegar (Modena IGP), or caramelized figs... and here quality does make a difference.
I concur.
Tbh for reggiano's price I'd just say to buy it as a standalone product. If you want to garnish, it's not super noticeable. But if you are eating it on its own or with crackers, it's 100% worth it.
Then being used inside the food lot of cooks use pecorino instead parmagiano
You shouldn't cook parmigiano. You definately notice the difference if you use it as intended, which is raw, at most warm. So you should not boil cream with parmigiano in it to make a sauce, rather boil the cream, dilute slightly with water to temper, and add parmigiano once steaming diminishes
Watching this video and the Wagyu episode really shows me one thing I've known for years as a sommelier. The USA needs to come up with a law on honoring the names/terminology made by other countries that are based on a really quality products. The terms mean something over in Japan for Wagyu, it means something in Europe for parmeggiano and wines (in fact, the laws and grading system in Europe are actually based on the law and system created by Italy about parm and the counterfeit cheeses because the exact same thing was happening to wines all across the EU) In America anything can be slapped with a label that isn't held by the same standard as the very term it's using for marketing. It's terrible for the consumers here as we might think "I'm paying top dollar for real xyz product" just to try it, go "meh not that good" and never touch it again. When the entire time it was an unrelated American product that was able to call itself something it's not.
Get over yourself…we don’t need to do crap. If you want High price cheese with a snobby label shipped over here on a tanker burning fossil fuels, then do it. We don’t need to honor anything because there isn’t a lie, it’s just not certified. Go buy your certified over priced cheese but then don’t cry about climate change
We will never do that. The US is the grift capital of the world. We love our grifters and any way you can make a quick buck. But I agree. I'm actually quite sick of it, and I wish it was easier to do food research in this country. It's so damned hard to ensure that what you're buying is quality and _stays_ quality. (You never know when a previously reputable company is going to get bought out and start shoveling shit.)
@@Crazy_Diamond_75 ya that last part literally reminds of how Rao's tomato sauce which is like the best canned sauce on the market just got bought out by Ragu
@@Toph_Not_E-Bender :( ugh. Yeah. That kind of thing happens a lot.
😂😂😂
thanks for clarifying the cheese questions I have always had. I love the imported cheese but have to save it for special occasions. I quit using the dried jar "cheese" when I found out about all the fillers they put in it.
I love the like crunchy crystallised bits you get in the original Parmigiano Reggiano
I think you'll get that in all aged cheese's
That's buttcrack dingle berries 🤣🤣🤣
That's calcium lactate crystals!
Or Tyrosine crystals...
You should try vintage cheddar from the UK or any other aged hard cheese. You’d be surprised that this isn’t exclusive to Parmagiano Reggiano.
Guessing answer is yes
Called it!
Correct. Next video.
Yes I don't have to watch the video it's way better and I buy it twice a month
Your videos are excellent! So informative and so interesting! Thank you!
That Sartori brand 20mo parm is actually amazing. Perhaps not as "authentic" in flavor as Parmigiano Reggiano, but it's nutty, complex, super delicious, and a little more affordable than the DOP stuff. I find the DOP to be a little too dry for some applications too.
I prefer the sartori stuff over the real deal. It just has a nicer, smoother flavor
Never ate the US version, but here in Italy we use different aging for different uses. For a snack, 12 months is my favorite. A little less salty and more tender. For fine tasting, when you get just a little bit with a good glass of wine, 36+ months is better. For cooking, it really depends on how much important is cheese in the recipe.
I bet it costs 50% than the real stuff at Costco, maybe cheaper. Gruyere costs 1/3 as much as any grocery store.
My daughter (8yo) and I just watched this together. She says, “I really liked how you did the taste test blindfolded. It was really funny.” 😂
I watched this with my daughter too (24) and she asked why I was showing a 30 minute parmesan KZhead documentary
@@greyvii511 That is a fair question 😂
As Italian (like being an Italian makes you a culinary expert :D) I totally agree with you, if it's just a filler there are any reasons to justify the price difference. If used as a primary ingredient or eaten by itself the parmigiano is a must.
Concur. I have a some affection for the green bottle because my grandma was a depression era Italian American and would always have it for Topping Spaghetti or a Dego. For me the only reason I would switch is if I wanted the meltability. However also a little concerned about chemical fillers like potassium sorbate.
My grandma is full on Italian and was born on a farm and literally made this stuff and she uses the storebought kind sold in the shaker bottle 😅
One note is you don't need parmesan cheese for everything. Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano are great choices aswell with different flavors that complement some dishes even better then parmesan.
Bro thanks for saving me from a 40 minute video haha
Best video I've seen on Parmesan and Parmigiano Reggiano. A quick note: The "D.O.P." stands for "Denominazione di Origine Protetta" (Protected Designation of Origin), which is a certification ensuring that products are locally grown and packaged within a specific geographical zone.
As an Italian, if the Parmesan is the main star of the dish, use Parmigiana. It will hands down make the best tasting dish. However, if you’re using it as a topping, the cheaper stuff is just as good, you won’t taste much of a difference with all the other strong flavors.
DOP parm is $11.99 @ Costco. I just got another block this week - I get it there exclusively and blocks around around 1.5-2 lbs so they will be between $18-$22. Costco works out putting its labels on prominent imported national brands of popular products like cheeses so it's the same product with the DOP seal, just costco (Kirkland) branded. It's imported greek feta, for example, is actually imported Didoni feta with a Kirkland label and DOP seal - they also have pecorino romano and the British "Costal" brand white cheddar under the Kirkland flag now as well.. They also have DOP san marizanos (sometimes), several dop balsamic vinegars, olive oils from Greece (my favourite), Italy, and Spain along with many other cheese and cured meats bearing the dop seal. Parm keeps really well so it's always worth getting that big block because you're getting almost twice as much as everywhere else is selling it for at the same price. No I don't work for Costco, I just like cheese a lot.
Costco is the fucking GOAT
Try their Italian Plum balsamic!!
A lot of Kirkland products are actually made ny highly reputable manufacurers. Kirkland batteries, for example, are made by Duracell, etc etc. You can't go wrong with Kirkland.
@@zencomeseasy602 Yes, exactly - Kirkland does not make most things - Costco does not have "inventory" it just buys a massive quantity of a thing and renews it or not - but if it contracts for a perpetual bulk purchase, the Kirkland is in the negotiations. You can see products you like get repackaged as "Kirkland" still retaining the same distinctive packaging (like costal and dodoni cheeses) - with another clue in the place of origin. One of the top 5 retailers in the world purchasing from regional places and filling out years of revenue in exchange for the bulk price cut to justify their club membership is so nice for things with long shelflives. The Kirkland label is to preserve the value of the branded product in smaller markets, not something to juice "kirkland" brand value - store branding it to distance it from the high prices in smaller retail markets with native branding keeps costco sales from dinging non warehouse demands. I also love that costco ALWAYS carries local foods/beverages. I have been to Costco's in 12 states and ever single one carries a local business's wares from Bay Area jalapeño sour doughs to Kentucky bourbon barrel ales.
Just the parm is worth the membership
Your videos are so long and descriptive that they are perfect for me to zone out on while I postpone sleeping so that I don't have to wake up for work.
i think you mean, "won't."
Lol I’m doing that rn
thank you for your service!! i test food like this and it definitely gets expensive. interesting to know where the lower cost stuff did well or could shine, and where it was hard to tell the differences. that way if you are short on cash you can spend it only where it counts!
This style of video is amazing and very helpful because most people can't go out m pnthis comparison. This could b it's own master class series between this th four one ect I love it!!!
The amount of work that has been put into your videos recently is amazing! Loving the extremely high quality content Ethan!
Me too!
Dunno why people like you even exist... It would be more helpful to provide criticism on help ethan improve... Instead you're a literal teacher's pet with no valid input.... Sorry I meant to say: OH WOW DROOH, GREAT COMMENT! PLEASE KEEP THOSE AWESOME TAKES COMING!!! WE NEED MORE LIKE THIS!!!
@@AnimatedStoriesWorldwide ?
he is gonna get a massive payout from adsense... of course he should put a massive work into it
You are, by far, the most incredible food youtuber I have ever watched. Charismatic, professional, and just intrinsically capable of teaching other people how to do things. Thank you for what you do man, I mean it. You are changing lives.
14:49 Graded cheese is dried and mixed with starchs. This is done to preventing the cheese from consolidating into chunks and to prolong shelf life.
I really appreciated your scientific approach to analyzing the qualities of these cheeses.
I'm Italian and I really enjoyed this video. I can advise not to buy already grated cheese. The best test to judge a cheese is to taste a whole ungrated piece; and, to fully understand its structure, drink a little milk with it. Last tip concerns storage in the refrigerator, I recommend removing it from its plastic packaging and keeping it in the fridge wrapped in a cotton napkin or paper for food use. Congratulations for the really well done video.
okay mister expert, its just cheese. calm down
😮😮 35:54
@@clownsinhollowweirdma calmati tu scusa, vallo tu a dire a mia nonna che è solo formaggio…
@@clownsinhollowweird you're saying this under a 30 minute video about said cheese though...
Yeah we have cheese here too, guy.
As a kid, I would follow my Mom to our local open market in Aviano, Italy. She would buy a kilo of Parma for $8. It was the best eating cheese that I experienced in the 70’s. Now many years later as a cook, there isn’t any other cheese I would use to flavor or garnish Italian dishes. The granular texture and nuttiness flavor isn’t available in other products. It really stands apart from the other cheese makers touting themselves as Parma.
Hi, I was just wondering if your father (or mother) was in the military, since your name seems american and you mentioned Aviano
@@vincentminarelli3217 Yup, I was a military brat. My Dad was stationed at Aviano AB when it was a sleepy transient airfield. It’s totally transformed today. I’ve only stopped in once while stopping in to get fuel for our aircraft. Big change from when I was a teen.
Here in Canada, a kilo of proper, imported Parma is over $70. It really puts the brakes on your carbonara!
Grana Padano is also nice. Taste comparison would be interesting.
Hi Ed! I lived in Aviano back in the 90's. Nice Air Force base there. Miss it!
I love how scientific your contents are. Keep up the awesome work!
Excellent video and somewhat surprised. Thanks much!
I really like your “is it worth it?” Series. They are experiments I’ve always wanted to do myself, but we all know how life gets in the way. You do a great job of providing information so individuals can make their own personal choices better, which I believe you stated is your goal, so… mission accomplished!
The milk really makes a lot of difference. Although the production area of Parmigiano Reggiano Is small, there is a lot of variety within the region. To name a few: type of cows (try the red cow for example), the elevation, what cows eat... Even the time of the year of production is a big factor: Parmigiano produced in spring is more flavored than winter due to fresh grass and flowers...
Maggengo e vernengo!!
Interesting! And I was thinking it was a corrupt EU grift to import "special cheese" to the US that most Europeans haven't even heard of. Here I was thinking this is an artificial command economy to prevent people from making an identical product in a free market environment. Water carriers are so useful!
It doesn't make that much difference. I love cheese, I eat it all the time, and there's a slight difference but it isn't big enough that I could tell in a blind test.
@Magnus Hammar Unfortunately, since America controls all of western media, people here also get suckered by it nowadays, because everyone is on the American Internet. I don't hear Italians talk about or revere parmesan or pizza in the manner that Americans say that Italians do. It's just not a thing. Yes, it's culturally iconic and whatnot, but every country in Europe has things that are culturally iconic. America pays the EU a ludicrous amount of money to import this stuff and generate interest in this import market, on top of what I would call excessive tax exemptions. Ethan Cheblowski has made many videos about exotic products like these and it always boils down to the same thing: EU regulation that prohibits "everyone but X" to make/distribute/name products by their actual names under a false pretense of "tradition" or "provenance," but the reality is that this is just a EU-generated market monopoly and command economy focused around certain goods, particularly those that are exported to the US for exorbitant amounts of money. I'm sure that last part must be a coincidence. It should strike you as no surprise that 80% of the GDP of most "big" EU nations comes from foreign trade. If you tell someone from Italy that you have some high quality Spanish tomatoes, or cheese, or meat, or anything, they'll say "cool, I'm interested to try it," there is no "tier list" for which of these products are strictly superior to one another. They're all good and they're all different. Just like everything in the world is. It takes a chauvinist to say "well I'm Italian so I won't eat non-Italian pizza." That's something a tourist says, to his friends, after he gets back from vacation in Italy, much to the exasperation of everyone around him. This is the UK/American classy foods scene in a nutshell. It's the worst aspects of tourist culture, played with a straight face as pseudo-religious worship of the "Old World."
@@panameadeplm get a hobby
I just want to say I love your videos! They have helped me find if paying for the food was worth it or not . Keep up the Great work! P.S. I wish someone made your type of videos but for leather, for example is the Hermes blanket or coat worth it vs other blankets.
This plus your garlic video get the sub and bell from me, dawg. LOVE full-scale scientific breakdowns of cooking to answer questions like "can I use blank instead of blank" or "is blank better than blank". Lots of videos correctly say WHAT to do, your longer form videos answer WHY extremely well. You even say when you couldn't find as much info as you would have liked. Full marks, I'll be watching everything from here on out!
I used to do a little cheese-making: I have a simplified answer as regards enzymes vs cultures. The rennet is an enzyme. It makes the milk coagulate and separate into curds and whey. Cheesemakers will also commonly add separate cultures (presumably before you could get powdered bacterial cultures on the internet you'd just roll with whatever cultures were already hanging out in your raw milk). It's an introduction of the microbes you want to establish over the aging process for flavor and consistency.
Specifically rennet is not a cheese culture. A culture refers to bacteria, and rennet is an mixture of chemicals extracted from an animal's stomach.
As a food scientist, you're both lying or simply wrong.
@@Pat315 From my understanding of this they are correct, unless you're being excessively pedantic about "culture". The onus is on you to prove them wrong.
Whether something is worth it is a matter of personal opinion. I live frugally but this is one thing I splurge on because it’s worth it to me.
Loving this channel! Only discovered tonight, and already on my 4th video!
Great work, this is how you should do it, get informed, know what you are paying for and then it's ok whatever you choose or your budget allows you to buy but at least you are making an informed decision and there is nothing better than an informed consumer
As a Fromagere, I LOVE this video! Couple fun things: *This type of DOP certification is very common with a LOT of European cheeses, but since so few are used for cooking- unless someone told you, you probably wouldn't know. All have specifications on location, time of year, aging, milk type, milk fat, etc. It's VERY much a thing, and why so many American farmstead cheeses made in European 'styles' have fun names- we can't use the DOP ones. We DO still make them, but we call them XX-style. *Grasses DO affect the flavor of raw-milk cheeses! Spring grasses vs summer grasses (particularly high-altitude plants for Alpine cheeses, it's why the cows are brought up into the mountains for the summer!) vs fall foliage vs winter hay will change the flavor of the raw milk, which can in turn affect the final product. If the animals get into something bitter, like nettle- it'll actually make the cheese taste weird/bitter!
a fromagere? are you serious
The French have such a nicer word compared to the American English "cheesemonger".
It's the same for l'appellation controllé du Champagne. (DOP) Champagne: grapes have to be grown in the terroir (soil) of the county of Champagne and nowhere else. The soil affects the taste of the grapes as much as the grass the cows are fed for the parmesan Regiano.
@@SimuLord There's nothing wrong with the word cheesemonger. The only problem is if you don't have access to one!
@@MilwaukeeWoman Ain't it the truth. I lived across the street from a Whole Foods Market when I was in college (pre-Amazon takeover), and the best advice I can give anyone in this world is to cultivate a good rapport with the people who work behind the fresh food counters wherever you buy your groceries. Cheese, meat, fish, deli, you name it. And if you live near a specialty shop, even better. That's how you get the good stuff in this life.
As a former cheese maker at a larger American cheese company. The rennet is listed as an enzymes but they use a starter curd bacteria. They are little packs of pre-made bacteria that gets a set out come of growth in the cheese cruds.
If what you say is true, can you explain why so many cheese manufacturers refuse to divulge whether their enzymes are made from a dead animal or not on their products? I have even called some cheese companies, and they don’t even know when you ask them! Lol. It’s really fucking pathetic. As a vegetarian for the last 31 years, I cannot explain to you how utterly pissed off I was when I found out after two decades of not eating animals that often times cheese packages that don’t divulge what type of enzymes they are using are actually using animal rennet (which, as you may know, comes from the lining of a dead baby cow’s stomach). After I learned that, I had to start researching which types of cheeses used either vegetable rennet or microbial enzymes (which are made in a lab). It’s very frustrating when these companies do not fully divulge what is in our food and where it comes from. Another example would be when they say “natural flavors,“ as that can be freaking anything and we don’t know what that entails.
@@anti-ethniccleansing465 Two words: "inDustRy seCrEtS"
@@anti-ethniccleansing465 All products that have the "natural flavors" label that have been tested independently come back with trace amounts of human DNA in them, just saying.
@@anti-ethniccleansing465 So you pretendet to be a Vegetarian for 31 years? Sorry but this Situation has a very ironic tone and I couldnt resist. But on a serious Note That really sucks and I am sorry for you. The only Solution I Had In mind would be "Halal" sign for Vegetarians. But to build Up something could Take some time. Or Not If you can get some Internet Cloud. But that could be "easy" for a Läge group Like Vegetarians.
@@JoshDragRace0688 Wha?? Where did you hear that from?? That doesn’t make any sense, unless the tests were contaminated by a human handling things. Btw, I can’t see your post when I expand the thread, meaning I’m pretty certain no one else in the future will be able to see it because they won’t get a notification for it like I did. And it isn’t like you wrote anything that normally gets hidden. Freakin’ YT. You must be on their “naughty list“ too, just like me.
I love the wedges! I love to bite it off the wedge! Great with homemade garlic toast! One tip I learned from the chefs at Lawry's Prime Rib in Beverly Hills is to use Lawry's Garlic butter with regular butter, parmesan cheese all melted together with muddled fresh garlic and pour it all on lightly toasted French bread! You can substitute olive oil for butter or mix them half and half instead! Yum!
Thanks I really appreciate all your work and I did learn a lot about parmesan cheese awesome
Sorry, couldn't help to see a few typos in the video, I apologize if they were notified already. 4:54 Emilio Romagna is actually Emilia Romagna 4:54 Regio Emilia is actually Reggio Emilia or also sometimes written as Reggio nell'Emilia Just as a guideline, pretty much everyone in Reggio Emilia area's is buying parmigiano with at least 24 months of aging. 12 and 18 months are legally valid aging periods but they are also often the best fit for the so called Mezzano, which is a second grade parmigiano reggiano (this is not necessarily the case though). Often 24 months is associated with the right aging for eating directly while 30 months is more adequate for grating. Nothing is mandatory of course though. My point is just that, probably by extension if you buy some US produced product you should try to aim for 20/24 if not 30+ months aged cheese, assuming this is available. Source of information: I am from Reggio Emilia.
Diglielo amoooo
Grana padano > parmigiano reggiano
Chef here, Parmigiano Reggiano is a god-tier hack for Italian food. Even just as finishing touch garnish on top. It's so far beyond what American's are used to, it's very sharp and nutty. Just buy a small wedge in the fancy cheese section of the supermarket and top your dishes with it graded fresh. The rinds are KEY to Alfredo or authentic Italian pasta sauce.
You need a block of Pecorino too, Carbonara and Risotto.
Food eater here. Parmigiano reggiano is mid. Cant taste the difference with regular american parmesan tbh.
@@AaronEmerald Freshly graded Parm Reggiano on hot food is so pungent it elevates the entire dish. Basic ass parm is not even remotely close man. Not even trying to be snobby about it. The real stuff is some of the best cheese known to man. If you cannot taste/smell the difference between packaged Kraft shredded parm and Actual Italian Reggiano, you are living a better life than me.
The rinds make the BEST addition to chili. It won’t Melt down but will impart a lot of flavor
@@AaronEmeraldyou have no taste buds.
I make homemade cheeses, and I have made Parmesan style cheese. It turned out delicious , even after only about 8 months of aging. I agree, there is a huge difference in the taste of longer aging of cheeses, but all are good in their own way. The green bottle stuff even has its place, especially on popcorn! Great video!
Hi there. Maybe you may want to check some videos about Grana Padano. It's an easier product to make and it doesn't need to age more than 12 months. It's ideal for many preparations because its taste is not as deep as the Parmigiano. Not many ppl from abroad know that we do have many excellent alternatives to the most famous (and rightly so) Parmigiano Reggiano.
thank you this was very interesting!
A good additional category for this could have been: Grana Padano, which is basically parm not made in the P-R DOP. Actually, it now has its own DOP. Grana Padano used to be cheaper because it wasn't real P-R, although I have occasionally seen it priced _more_ expensively than P-R.
And Grana Padano is an example where the 'Cheddar cheese' example at ~ 10:00 falls apart. Each region can have their own protected specialty products, with each its own unique name. It's like complaining you can't call your Greek produced cheese, "Italian" cheese.
@@Biru_to it isnt the same. in your example you mean specifically cheese from greece/italy, but words like "parmesan" not only already are differentiated from the literal region name but colloquially dont mean cheese from parma regiono or whatever, but that style. like champagne. no one cares if its from champagne, france, they just want sparkling wine. you could easily protect naming the origin vs trying to protect the archaic meaning of a word.
@@stonedboss4765 As a European I expect my Champagne to be Champagne, not some random sparkling wine.
@@stonedboss4765 first you say that Italian cheese obviously means cheese from Italy, but then you say that champagne wine obviously doesn't mean wine from Champagne, France. Pick a lane. Imo the name should be protected. Then if you want to make a similar product, you can and call it whatever you want, except that other name. For instance in Italy if you want to make a wine similar to champagne, you can. We call any sparkling wine "spumante" and those made similarly to champagne are labeled "metodo classico" which indicates how they are made. Then if they are made in the region of Franciacorta, similarly to Champagne, they can use that name as well. But if you make it outside of Franciacorta, you can't use the name. Same with Prosecco, Chianti, Valpolicella ecc. You can use the name only if it comes from that region, otherwise it all becomes fucked up. Imo the US should start protecting their products, otherwise sooner or later you'll get "napa valley" wine from Mexico or shit like that.
No, Parmigiano is made with no preservatives other than salt, Grana Padano doesnt have this in its disciplinary.
My advice would be: Use Grana Padano when using it as an ingredient in for example risotto. Use Parmigiano Reggiano for anything where you can taste the cheese on it's own. The difference in taste between the two is very subtle, but noticable if you know.
Great analysis. Some observations: a. Cannot believe you called the ingredient breakdown and cheese-making process explanations "surface." b. Pretty clever suggestion at the end to combine use of pre-grated and higher-priced aged at different stages in the prep. c. In some respects one could summarize the comparison with the old saying, "You get what you pay for."
I make fondue that i make in a non-stick saucepan. I put the deli plastic container grated parmesan in it. It melts and mixes better than the shredded. The findue also contains cream cheese. I buy french bread or sourdough or even french rolls and cut in small squares. You can reheat in the microwave, but is best served just made. If you have left over fondue, refrigerate and heat in microwave. If the mix is too dry, just add milk and stir well. It is easy to make. My family, even the kids love it. I add onion powder, garlic salt, dried chives, sometimes pepper fresh ground, kids don't like pepper if they can see it. I love to add finely chopped fresh leek if i have it. Basil is optional. Sometimes i add a small pinch of paprika. It is a holiday or birthday favorite. I like it with the sourdough best. It also has milk in it.
New Ethan Video Idea: Frozen vs. Fresh ingredients (or just vegetables)? I'm loving your new videos where you compare products. I feel like a really good one could be to compare frozen vs. fresh ingredients across a variety of products, and see which products it's okay to get frozen, or which products might be even better when frozen. Feel like you'd offer great insight and background into all of these, and I know you're open to this cause you always tout the merits of frozen peas!
Feel like the conventional wisdom is that fresh is better, I am not sure I always feel that is the case, or even practical. I have enjoyed the way you've been challenging food assumptions and preconceived notions lately!
@@languagechefcorey Lots of dietitians do say that that frozen veggies are fine, it’s all about adding those veggies. Also, they are super convenient for loads of people.
This episode was pretty good. I’m from Italy, i love parmigiano but i personally eat it only raw with. When i want to make a sauce i buy “grana padano”, that is a very similar cheese but made outside the territory described in the regulation. It is cheaper and has a mellower flavour (I imagine the US 12 or 20 months are similar, would love to try them btw). So, i pretty much agree with your conclusions.
We have gotten some weird domestic Parmesan from stores here in the US and decided to start using grana padano just because we know what we will be getting and it tends to be similar enough to domestic Parmesan in cost.
The whole name, seal and legal aspect of the video was very interesting and even though to many people it might look or sound silly, it's actually extremely important. It's a way to preserve and sustain the original tradition and its roots. I'm glad the EU had the imsight to regulate and protect its own gastronomic culture.
The fact that you can make a cheese following all the requirements except it being made somewhere else and thus not be allowed to call it Permesan is dumb tho. That's about as silly as making it that only cheese made around Gouda can be called that. Both have been a generic name for a long time...
@@cmrd_hdcrb not dumb at all, the cheese won't be the same and it dosn't follow the exact specifications. You can make something similar, but not the original stuff. Also, it's not like you're not allowed to make your own, you just can't call it Parmiggiano Reggiano and that's perfectly reasonable, especially because the name literally comes from the region it's produced.
Enzymes are the rennet or usually rennet substitues that help the cheese curd. Cultures are the lactic and other bacterias that sour the milk converting lactose sugars into acid, and as mentioned are required to be added because the milk is pasteurized.
My neigbors are from the region of italy where DOP is made, so from time to time I have the opportunity to join a cheese order. If you like to eat it raw, there is in my opinion a huge noticable jump in flavor when you get the 36month aged compared to the 24 month stuff. Said that, once I ordered a 60 month aged DOP which I could not notice a difference to the 36 month stuff.
Had a 36 or 48 month in Florence and it had a lot more crystals in it than the younger stuff.
Totally agree , the 48, the 60 and the 120 months old are something unique, totally unique 😂
You said “join a cheese order” and my mind went immediately to an order of people who meet up regularly to eat cheese.
@@Efferheim 🤣 that would be nice, ... the Knights of Scarmorza; the Children of Gouda, the Guards of Apenzeller; ... but well, we worshippers of Parmigiano just order from time to time a couple of Kilos from the Factory 😂🧀
Yes I'm disappointed by the quality of Parmigiano Reggiano in the US. You can't find the really great stuff anywhere over there.
I learned the same thing with cooking with wine after many years of cooking in France: as a “non processed thing” you will absolutely tell the difference but cooked in a sauce will make this almost impossible! I was always told to only cook a wine I would also drink but I proved every single time that this is absolutely wrong. Save a buck and buy a cheep one if you are going to cook it and with the money left buy a decent one to sip on along with the meal 😁
Depends on whether you need a full bottle for cooking - or you wanna drink half of the bottle while or after cooking ;-)
@@acutebisectrix9461 that will make for the hardest choices at the store haha
Yep! Adam Ragusea has a really good video about this; the properties in a good wine that make it a good wine are more subtle than most people care to realize, and aren't really noticeable in most dishes.
I buy shitty wine to cook, and decent wine to drink. ☺️
I love fresh Parm. Save the rinds and add into soups and stews to add more flavor. I’m lucky enough to have a cheese vendor in my town. And I pay the high price because it’s worth it!
Taste Test #3.....Bingo!! Excellent.....your palate is of a high level. Well done.
Cheese maker here. The difference you are describing is due to the breakdown of milk proteins. It is a form of fermentation, but not entirely actualatied by microbes. It can entirely be done with time. Proteins break down, naturally. It isnt rot or anything gross. It is the casin molecules breaking apart. That is why some parm has a gritty texture, and less umami flavor. Heh, Gritty, my favorite sports mascot :)
I've heard it has something to do with the water in Italy? Sounds crazy but I guess minerals play a part.
@@bjenkins803 absolute hogwash. American parm is just as good as Italian parm. This myth comes from the source protectorate propaganda cabals as a marting ploy. If you are concerned about minerals, reverse distill Italian water. Boom, you got the solids . It will be salt, gypsum, a little magnesium, and trace of potassium and iron. The fermentation is what makes the difference
A bit of a wrong analogy. If a cheese have been perfected for thousands of years in wisconsin, so that its known as wisconsiano. Maybe the state should be able to say that this trademark is ours and you can call yours utahiano…
Wastnt supposed to respond to this, but ill leave it here 🤷♂️ old and lazy…
@@bjornabrahamsson4213 nah, yer good :D i'm old and lazy as well, it suits me like a, uh, suit. i really don't have a problem with the trademark or markings. it makes things special. I'll take an Italian chianti, french bourdeux, greek retsina, Italian parm, a french baguette, and russian caviar any day of the week (okay, I lied about the wine--on the wagon, but I posit you get my point. I'll trade the wine for... a Ferrari, even though a ford GT can keep up). but like some others hear have said, there *is* a problem with a good, long aged parm. something or someone keeps sneaking in and leaving just cheese dust, mustard stains, salumi casings, and grape stems all over the place. it's maddening!! (gawd I want some parm now)
In Germany we have another alternative, its called "Grana Padano DOP" and its like fake parmesan but from italy. Actually its pretty much the same to Parmigiano Reggiano, but it comes from other italian regions and has usually a shorter aging time (12 months), so its less exclusive and cheaper (2,50€/150g). Because its cheap its also sold more often then the original (we germans really love cheap food).
The Parmigiano Reggiano is also quite affordable here. DOP 30 months you can get for 25€ per kg (2.2 lb) on sale.
The production process is very similar to the one of Parmigiano Reggiano: only larger area of origin, and less restriction on cow's food.
Not the same, lmao. It's pretty good, but your taste buds are fried if you think they're the same. And in terms of price, it's not even a big difference.
Grana D.O.P. is definitely cheaper, and less tasty than Parm.Reggiano, but if you try some 40 month aged selected Grana Padano or TrentinGrana, it can really knock your socks off.
The major grocery store chain here in Canada (Metro) sells I believe the Italian Parmigiano as it has the same texture and that like crystal texture 24 month old Parmigiano has and its amazing and I love using it for burgers, what I do is I'll grate it and mix it in with the ground beef, that mixed in with the smoked Gouda on top is so beautiful
Great video, thanks! By the way, you said at one point something like 'I don't know who you got coming over but I highly doubt they'll be able to pick up on that you did not use an Italian Parmesan in the cheese sauce'. Well, I have some wonderful neighbors who are from Sicily and are over occasionally for dinner. And he owned and ran a restaurant there. I'm guessing he would know. And I think your testing and education will help me better serve them when they next visit. Thanks!
I literally get SOO EXCITED to watch this type of content!! Yes I love a good recipe, but his format of approaching food through knowledge and creating smart habits is MY CONTENT. Ethan nerds out to food the way I do. Following directions and recommendations is one thing, but knowing WHY is what brings me back every time. Heck, sometimes if I'm searching a recipe or for information I type Ethan's name in the search bar after the subject because I want to know if he's made a video about it already.
oh yeah i got that search flow chart for recipes down too ha ha
It is interesting how he didn’t even bother to compare the kind of US cheese that doesn’t have a baby cow killed in the process of making it though, isn’t it? The only kind of this cheese I will buy is from Trader Joe’s because the enzymes are not animal rennet in it - it is vegetable rennet instead. I use that to make my fettuccine Alfredo all the time, and the taste is delicious.
@@anti-ethniccleansing465 Cheese made with animal rennet is superior quality. You’ll never find an artisan cheese maker from Italy using rennet made in a laboratory in a traditional cheese. Some things in the world are not going to change regardless of wether we agree with them or not.
@@Assimilator702 Tradition doesn’t automatically mean “superior quality.” That’s just like the BS excuse peopIe use to keep eating meat as their health is being destroyed by it: “Man has eaten meat for thousands of years, therefore it’s natural and thus superior to diets that don’t have meat in them! Derpa-derp.” We are talking about something as minimal as enzymes here (of which there are _TWO_ alternatives to dead animal rennet: 1. vegetable rennet 2. microbial rennet). We’re not talking about the quality of the milk, or type of cow the milk came from, or what that cow has been injected with/fed/etc. The fact that he didn’t include any US brands that make parmesan cheese without animal rennet here for taste testing is just really sad and pathetic in this day in age where more and more people continue to bow out of eating animals for a variety of excellent reasons. Instead, he actually used the hilarious joke of the green bottle in his taste testing, with god knows how many bizarre ingredients in it, above trying a _MUCH, MUCH_ more superior US product that is also _WAY_ more affordable than the real-deal imported “Parmigiano Reggiano.”
@@anti-ethniccleansing465 Why do you vegetarians expect others to be accomodating? We humans are OMNIVORES. We need MEAT to be at our absolute peak of health. You can eat poultry, fish and eggs and omit red meat and there are no unhealthy side effects from those foods as long as your body can tolerate them. Every vegetarian I've encountered is unhealthy and emaciated. Sobif it works for you that's great, but you're cheating yourself by avoiding any animal products. I draw the line at pork but mainly because my body won't tolerate it.
An episode on butter is up next. Here in Europe, it's safe to say we have the best butter. A fermented french butter is like God tier
I'm so jealous of European butter. Even our best stuff in Canada is kind of sub-par. Despite our massive dairy industry.
@@BanksZero dairy in Europe is kind of top tier. From butter, to cheese, heck even milk. We got some good stuff 👌 Never visited the u.s or Canada but from what I've tasted here, it hard to beat
I don’t think Americans realize how terrible our butter options are compared to Europe. it’s a shame.
I love french salty butter
@@Flbari Salty French butter should be a staple everywhere
I can't believe I just watched a 40 min video on cheese. 😂 This was so helpful, though!! My husband and I have been buying Parmigiano Reggiano and now I can appteciate it so much more.
I've been binging these deep dives and loving them.
I LOVE these "actually worth it" videos! Your channel is one of the best educational food channels out there, but these videos are the pinnacle for me. Well researched and extremely well presented to convey that research. You're the best, Ethan!
i love you call me
I live in Emilia Romagna, in a place nearby the DOP production. Your video is very interesting, and I can confirm you that even here we use Parmigiano when we need flavor and Grana Padano (which is a sort of downgrade from Parmigiano) when we need that kind of cheese but cheaper.
Il grana ha il suo perché, non c'è bisogno di insultare
@@Lazy_berry per esempio il Bella Lodi lo trovo piuttosto buono.
Had my first experience with real Parmigiano Reggiano this past week when I bought 1 lb of the DOP. Needless to say, I'll never go back. A little bit goes a long way and the taste and purity is just better.
I stopped buying the green container kind a long time ago. I never knew there were different kinds. I look forward to know more about this cheese. 😊
These deep dive episodes are fantastic, Ethan 😊 please keep the educational content coming for us food nerds
These caparisons among cheeses & tomatoes, etc is invaluable! Now retired, I am attempting to up my game in the kitchen and Italian is my favorite. Thank you for the time, effort & expense, plus you have the talent for a well produced video. Kudos to you!
If you like rich fatty sauces I'd recommend trying out a Brazilian strogonoff (it's misspelled on purpose, it's how we say in Brazil) it's easy to make, hard to master but delicious every time and won't break your bank
Alright. You've earned it. Here's a subscribe! Great videos.
Great detail! I loved this