Deluxe Cheese Grater Solutions!!

[ChefNic]

I'm curious, are you all microwaving ALL different types of cheeses for the grater or just the chedders and mozzarellas or what? I didnt realize you could micro Parmesan. I heard it had to be really cold to grate easier. Next time I grate cheese I will try it though.

Debbie

Parmesan cheese works wonderful with the fine barrel, without any microwaving.
I feel horrible though, I told a friend who was trying to decide between the cheese grater and the food chopper. She said she mainly wanted the cheese grater for cheddar cheese. I told her I far prefer the food chopper, I use the cheese grater for chocolate, parmesan cheese, and nuts. But the food chopper I use all the time! She changed her order and got the food chopper. I KNOW she'll be happy with it, but I feel bad that I talked badly about the cheese grater clumping in the barrel for cheddar. If I had known about this microwave thing... Thanks guys! Now I know, and I can share this with future customers, and even my friend, maybe she still wants the cheese grater.
This website is like a national cluster meeting, anytime! SOOO valuable!

 

[Ann F]

I just had to chime in, after all! I've tried to be quiet about it, but I LOVE my cheese grater! I always have my cheese cold, and I always rinse it out in cold water before putting it in the dishwasher. The only thing I've ever had trouble with is chocolate chips wanting to clump and stick in the "loader" portion--before it goes thru the grater...

 

[PampMomof3]

Break the cheese that you're using in half!I was told to microwave the cheese and it would work better. Well, I did what I was told and I have been making the Chicken & broccoli braid and it calls for 4 ozs of cheddar cheese. I would put all 4 ozs into a prep bowl and micro it for 10 seconds. Well, it would still clump in the barrell so at a cluster mtg, I told my director and she told me to break the 4 ozs in half and since then, I haven't had any problems!

 

[kitty]

FYI, Bacteria break down cellulose, but do not create it. They are the culprite for all of the gas production in your body when you eat too many beans. Beans are high in cellulose, aka, fiber.

okay, I'm a little late in replying, but here's a quote I got from a UPI story in the Washington Times. Please note, the cellulose mentioned is NOT in response to the cheese-related part of this thread. It is only to the quote cited above.

Klemm and his team are molding bacterial cellulose into hollow fibers for use in artificial blood vessels. Instead of raising cellulose-generating bacteria on dishes, the scientists take glass tubes, put one inside the other, and cultivate bacteria between the glass layers. The microbes then grow cellulose into hollow fibers with pre-specified inner diameters -- typically 100 millimeters to 1 centimeter wide -- and walls about a half-millimeter thick.

 

[pamperedkay]

I was always told the last ingredient in shredded cheese was formaldehide.sp That just keeps the cheese from clumping. I know I don't buy already grated cheese anymore!!

 

[kitchen queen]

I'm soooo confusedI had always been told that the pre-shredded cheese was covered with a light wax coating to keep it from clumping in the bag.

Maybe I just need to go and do some hard core research to find the answers.

 

[chefbilyeu]

Here's what I heard at a Kitchen Show Live at conference, and it's what I've been saying at my shows all along...

Cellulose is a wood derivitive, used in pre-grated cheese to prevent clumping. However, cellulose also hurries the molding process of the cheese, and therefore they add more additives and preservatives to prevent the molding. So, now I buy the cheese by the block, because I want to serve my family just cheese!

Also, side note...
I always tell my guests that when they buy cheese, that they need to take it out of the plastic. Instead, wrap it in aluminum foil. It will last in your refridgerator for SEVERAL WEEKS! (pre-grated cheese is only good for 3-5 days)

Rebecca Bilyeu
Future Director
www.pamperedchef.biz/chefbilyeu

 

[Chris Wilson]

Egg yolks in the chees graterHi, I'm new and excited about this web site, thanks to Becky and Mary. Here's a tip, before you mix up your egg yokes for deviled eggs, grate the cooked yokes and that will help remove all those clumps in the yokes. It also makes the mixed yokes go through the EAD smoother.

 

[chefmary]

Great tip, Chris! I will definitely try it!

Mary H.