Why can't you grate it as is with a microplane?

There was post on this a while back.
Jim asked the same thing, I think ?

Try wetting it with milk and put it in the micro for a minute.
Lou

Here is the Post on hard Cheese

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Rock - Hard Parmesan Cheese

I have a nice hunk of partly used Parmesano Reggiano which became somewhat dessicated. That was OK until its Zip-Lock bag didn't lock. Now the cheese is hard as rock. Can it be salvaged in any way? Or just chuck it?
Jim

Posted by lindac (My Page) on Fri, Jan 30, 09 at 16:10

Grate it.....it's wonderful...just lost moisture.
And when you get it grated down into small enough chunks....toss those chunks into a pot of tomato sauce or a pot of minestrone soup....wonderful!
If you don'tw ant to take the trouble to grate it, saw it into little pieces to save for soup.
Linda C

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Posted by terri_pacnw (My Page) on Fri, Jan 30, 09 at 16:53

I agree with Linda C..nothing wrong with it..
Microplane will make quick work of it..easier than a box grater, or other grater with round holes.

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Posted by hawk307 (My Page) on Fri, Jan 30, 09 at 17:14

Jim:
Put it in a good Zip Loc bag.
If you have a small Cosmetic Sponge, soak it with vinegar,
place it in the bag but
not touching the cheese. Leave it as long as you can.
You can do this to keep Cheese fresh also.
Or wrap the sponge in a Nylon Net ( the kind some vegetables are in.)
to keep it from touching the Cheese.

You don't necessarily have to use a Cosmetic Sponge.
Any clean fine sponge will do.

Lou

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Posted by jimster (My Page) on Fri, Jan 30, 09 at 17:28

Good advice, folks. Thanks.
This stuff is really *hard*. Since I haven't yet acquired a microplane, I will try to soften it first with Lou's method. I trust his knowledge about this.

I'll also try small chunks in minestrone. That sounds good. I make a mean minestrone.

Jim

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Posted by lorijean44 (My Page) on Fri, Jan 30, 09 at 18:35

Jim, if you can break it into smaller chunks, throw it into your food processor and let it grate it with the blade (not the grater disc). It works great like that!!
Lori :D

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Posted by magothyrivergirl (My Page) on Fri, Jan 30, 09 at 19:49

With good results -I soak cheesecloth in water - ring out until damp - wrap the hard Parm in damp cheescolth - wrap in wax paper -reseal in ziplock - put in crisper in frig for a few days. Remove the cheesecloth when the cheese has absorbed the moisture.

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Posted by hawk307 (My Page) on Fri, Jan 30, 09 at 20:09

Hi Jim: Thank you for the trust. Some of the other methods are good.
I forgot to mention , if it is a very large piece, Cut it a little smaller.
The moisture will be absorbed faster.
I've been keeping Cheese fresh; like this, since the late 50's.

You can also put pieces of the hard cheese in your Spaghetti Sauce ( Gravy )
While simmering . Great flavor!!!
Let me know how you made out.
Lou

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Posted by denise8101214 (My Page) on Fri, Jan 30, 09 at 21:08

Lou, that's some really old cheese! :-)

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Posted by hawk307 (My Page) on Fri, Jan 30, 09 at 21:58

Denise: Right!!! The flavor is really great after 50 years.

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Posted by cooksnsews (My Page) on Fri, Jan 30, 09 at 23:04

The first time I tried REAL parmesan (as opposed to the green shaker container) was 20+ yrs ago. The piece I purchased turned out to be at least as hard as Jim's. It was so resilient that even my VitaMix couldn't chip any corners off it. I assumed it was petrified. I'm sure I pitched it and it turned me off the good stuff for a long while.

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Posted by chase (My Page) on Sat, Jan 31, 09 at 8:16

One of the things I love about my microplane is that it can manage the hardest parm so I've never had to soften it. I'm sure you'll have good luck with the methods above.
I always throw the rind of my parm into my pasta sauce it adds a wonderful depth of flavour. Never done that with minestrone but will next time , bet it's delicious.

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Posted by publickman (My Page) on Sat, Jan 31, 09 at 14:36

I have a grater attachment on my KA mixer, and it will grate the hardest rind of Parmesan. A microplane works also, but takes a lot of effort compared to the mixer.
Lars

Thanks, but either I don't have tghe arm strenght right now or my microplane is on the fritz. The Microplane was what I first grabbed and no go. This chees is dry.

I have cheesecloth (duh, why didn't I think of that) and will try soaking it. If I can get it chuncked, I may try the KA grinder. Didn't think of that either.

Even a rock hard cheese will grate with the fine shredding disc on a cuisinart.
When an aged cheese dries out it not only loses moisture but also oil, butter fat. Nothing you do short of cooking it and melting the casein will soften it....not wrapping in a wet cloth nor vinegar....but vinegar will prevent surface mold growth on cheese.....and wrapping in wet towels or whatever will allow the cheese to mold.
IO think it might have been easier and more efficient to post a link to a thread rather than reposting the whole thread.
The cheese will melt with moist heat...it will soften best in small pieces...i.e. if it's grated.
Linda C

Grating hard items doesn't damage the bowl, but it's very likely you could if you put the cheese in the bowl with the steel "S" blade and tried to chop it.
As for posting a whole thread or a link, I find it annoying to scroll through a whole thread with all the headers than clicking on a link.
I put my request into Google and what is linked below was the first item on the list.
And Rachaelellen, I really thought you were smart enough to post a link...but if you say not....
Linda C

Here is a link that might be useful: Rock hard cheese

Being "smart" is not necessarily the same thing as being computer savvy. However, one can be polite whether one is "smart" or not.

Rachel:
Sorry about Posting the whole thing.
I tried " Search " below all the Posts and couldn't find it.

When I Googled and saw the Post in Garden Web, I
thought it may be useful.

Better than giving bad info.
So I put it in here.

Vinegar on a Sponge, is used for keeping Parmesan from getting hard.
There are other useful tips to keep the cheese fresh.

I see others putting in a " link for info." but I never did that, again, I'm sorry if I offended any one.
Lou

Lou, no apology needed. You gave me the info I was looking for right up front and saved me a click.

My cheese is wrapped up and I will try in a few days to grate some off.

Peppi

Peppi:
Thank You
Lou

Ditto on Peppi's, "no apology needed."

Some of my postings are longer than that whole thread! :D Anyway, if I expend 2 or 3 calories worth of energy moving my finger to scroll down a post I figure that's "calories in the bank" towards dessert tonight.

I took another look on the internet.
" How to soften hard Parmesan "
I found this.
LOU

Materials Needed:

Clean, moist dishcloth
ÂZiptop freezer bag
Â1 inch section of new sponge
ÂVinegar
ÂCheesecloth
- - - - - - - -
Simple Method

Step 1
Wrap the Parmesan in a clean, moist dishcloth.
Insert the wrapped cheese into a large ziptop freezer bag.

Step 2
Press out any air in the bag before you fully seal the bag shut.

Step 3
Place the cheese in an area where the temperature will remain between 55 and 65 degrees F for 24 hours.
This should soften the cheese enough to be used with a box grater or for slicing.

Vinegar Method

Step 1
Cut a 1-inch square section of a new sponge.

Step 2
Soak the sponge section in vinegar. Squeeze out the excess.

Step 3
Wrap the sponge in cheesecloth. Place it along with the cheese into a ziptop freezer bag.
Press out as much air from the bag as possible before sealing.

Step 4
Place the bag in the crisper section or on the lowest tray of your refrigerator.
Check after two days for softening.

If needed, repeat the soaking of the sponge and let it sit another day or two.

Thanks to all for the advise. On June 8th I took my rock hard hunk of cheese and wrapped it in a wet paper towel, then triple wrapped in foil. I tossed it in the fridge and promptly forgot about it...again.

Last night while on the hunt for something in the bowels of the fridge I found it. What do you know? It is soft and wonderfully fragrant, ready for grating. No mold either. Now on to grating it down for use.

Many thanks!

I guess now we know that when an aged cheese dries out, it can indeed be rescued! Great to know!

Amazing.....when I did that I got a moldy mess.

Pkramer - - Rachel:
Thank You both for sharing the outcome.
It is nice to hear some kind words once in a while.

Like the Cheese , they can get OLD and HARD but can be salvaged.

Now I have to check with ,

Jim :
to ask if his is still hard.

Lou