@@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.
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.
@@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!
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.
@@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.
‘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....
9 місяців тому
yes, lime juice or vinegar also are used as a sub for rennet which I believe is only in calves stomachs or goats.
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.
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
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 UA-cam 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.
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
@@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.
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.
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.
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
@@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.
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
@@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.
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.
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.
@@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.
Fun fact: in Italy we usually say "parmigiano" even when we use a different cheese like Grana Padano or some non-PDO grana-type cheeses (only in informal settings, a public establishment can use the word parmigiano only if actual Parmigiano Reggiano is used). The preference towards Parmigiano, Grana or other cheese (like Pecorino Romano) is mostly a regional one (I'm from Piedmont and therefore prefer either Grana Padano or, even better, non-PDO grana that is produced in my region with Piedmontese milk, like Gran Biraghi, Valgrana and others). PS: the king of all cheese is actually from Piedmont, and it is called Castelmagno.
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.
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.
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.
Years ago I googled 'cheese recipes' and stumbled upon a UA-cam 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)
It's so nice to see a cooking UA-camr 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
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.
@@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.
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.
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.
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
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!
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.
@@agoatwithnonamd 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.
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).
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!!!
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
@@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.
I'm from Canada but spent several months living in Europe last year. At Borough Market in London, I bought a chunk of grand prize winning parmigiano reggiano, cut from the wheel on the spot. Just wanted to make a decent pasta, which I've done an untold number of times and always with shrink wrapped, imported parmigiano reggiano. That carbonara I made from Borough Market cheese absolutely blew my mind. I'm back home now and still think about that cheese lol, no carbonara I've made since has measured up. Not even close.
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.
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.
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 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.
Sorry, I am here to add another option, Cotija a similar cheese from MEXICO, which is also produced here in the states. Our family will often substitute for when the video cheeses are not available here at home. We are a family which is addictive to cheeses. Love all the notes available.
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 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.
@@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.
I'm so glad to see you diving deeper and more useful for your viewers while my former favorite UA-cam cook just turns into pure entertainment with a side of food. Entertainment has its place, but your videos concretely improve my life while also being genuinely enjoyable to watch.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
I think you really hit your stride with this video. I learned so much about Parmesan cheese, but more important , where to spend my money and where not to. I actually followed your advice tonight. I watched your other video on tomato sauce and the cheese video. My lasagne was a hit. I used the “cheaper” cheese in the sauce, and the good stuff on top. I like how you analytically/scientifically look at these topics .
let me tell you: even many italians use different aged parmesan. younger is better for the sauce, older is better for the topping. actually, if you google it, you´ll find recommendations on what aged cheese is good for what purpose
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.
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!
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.
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...
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."
I’ve noticed this over my years of cooking as well. I like to use the cheap pre grated cheese in sauces or other dishes as a salt source, and I use the 20 or 24 month block as a garnish. It was great to see this put to the test
Once I started watching, I immedately walked to my kitchen, opened my fridge and cut a piece of Parmigiano Reggiano. I have become addicted to this cheese. Its so good.
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.
@@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.
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.
I literally can’t wait for the next “Ethan” video - so much research, so much knowledge. I have cooked for many years and my game is exponentially raised by your quality research, recipes and knowledge! 🎉
I find this incredibly interesting. Yes, I'm from Wisconsin. Also we don't only make cheddar and not all of our cheese tastes like cheddar. Fun fact we also produce more cranberries and beer than any other state, and there is a cheese that uses both in it.
Sounds amazing! I’m in Switzerland which has amazing cheese but i love English and American styles too, I really miss having access to cheese curds and cheese from Wisconsin and California
Well I went to Madison some years ago and looked up some artisan cheese place. For the prices they were charging, I could take a bullet train to Paris, eat 3 pounds of french cheese and be back in time for dinner (I live in Germany). But I sure enjoyed the deep fried cheese curds for sure! the french don't know those! 😛
Cranberry beer cheese… I want to throw this in a soft but firm and crisp edge beer batter dough. Honestly, I think the US Parmesan is just as good. Still wish things like merlot cheese and a great deal of other unique cheeses were produced for affordable prices. There’s a Honey maker in Florida called Gaskins honey, and they’ll sell me orange blossom honey, with a floral aftertaste thick as well, made raw for about $75 per gallon. It’s better than any honey small and large I’ve tasted it’s made in the orange groves near Homestead
I work at a cheese factory in WI and our main product is actually parmesean. We do a lot of different cheeses (our cheddar is fucking incredible) but probably at least half of the cheese we send out is parm or parm blends
Green bottle cheese contains a fairly large amount of cellulose powder, much much more than the pre-grated higher end stuff. It is required to keep it from clumping with the fine grating. Cellulose, of course, is an indigestible carbohydrate - a fiber. It is, generally, water soluble, and basically acts as a thickener like flour or corn starch, as starch and cellulose are both long chain carbohydrates. But they also both brown! And that is why your green bottle cheese is browning - the cheese is melting, but there is so much cellulose in it that it it browns like cheese mixed with bread crumbs instead.
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.
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.
@@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 😂🧀
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 :)
@@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…
@@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)
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
you must be the most interesting food youtuber out there for real. Being an 18 year old huge nerd myself, i really enjoy watching you go full nerd mode on everything cooking. You've played a huge part in me growing as a young cook, and in fact I've made my mom plenty of your recipes and she, as well as i do, very much enjoy your food, and your videos.
Never thought I'd watch almost 40 minutes on just parm lol but your videos are always so well put together and well thought out. Appreciate the content Ethan!
These deep dives into an ingredient are absolutely amazing! I can't imagine the effort that goes into putting these together! Love it, keep them coming!!
This might be one of Ethan's best videos, idk how man but you keep topping yourself in every respect. Love what you do and how you do it. The world needs this video.
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.
This is not about protecting gastronomic culture, that is your silly interpretation. It is about protecting a trademark or name. It's not like they can patent a 1000 year old cheese making process. So the EU is not doing more than recognizing business who have vigorously fought to defend their brand name. Anybody can copy it and sell it with an alternative name.
@@gregorymorse8423 it's not silly, you are just ignorant and arrogant, a very common, yet deadly combination of intellectual traits. Protecting the name is a way of protecting the meaning behind it. And as you said, many can replicate it, but never like the original. Not even in Italy they can, the area is special for the production of the milk, you need a specific environment with a specific cow, with a specific flora and strict processes. What they protect is this authenticity through the trademark and this is how the culture is preserved. There is absolutley nothing wrong with that.
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!
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.
@@levonschaftin3676 Yep lol. I eat cheese and make curated cheese plates for a living. Lots of fun, and there's SO much to learn about cheese. Cheese makers truly put their hearts and souls into every wheel, there's so much care and detail involved in each wheel.
@@MilwaukeeWoman Either works- my only distinction is that I work more on the culinary/pairing side as opposed to the selling side. But those are two different sides of the same delicious..wheel? Cheese people are absolutely lovely.
I always appreciate these long format breakdowns, especially the focus on what application is best for each. I think all ingredients have their uses, even if they're the cheaper items that most might turn their nose up at.
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 😁
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 love these videos! I’d be interested to see one on Olive oil. Comparing cheap ones sourced from many countries all the way up to the boutique oils. I think also, one on beef burgundy made with varying levels of Pinot noir cheap American, expensive American, cheap burgundy, expensive burgundy and possibly a cheap Red varietal not in that family to see the difference it would make. Keep making these! I love to learn about food science and these have opened my eyes quite a bit! Thanks!
Good idea, about the olive oils. Just last night I considered buying an organic olive oil from Tuscany. The price for a bottle in Canadian$ was $32. Then, I discovered the shipping brought the price up to $80. No way, Jose' !
@@Ottee2 the good stuff is quite amazing but no where near $80 for the difference. Its buttery, nutty, gives a better feel in the mouth, etc. You use it entirely differently as well. Its not for cooking
@@GonzoDonzo , no doubt. One should savour an oil of that quality like a fine cognac. That said, I use olive oil everyday in my cooking, salads, etc. Last bottle I bought was like nine bucks at Walmart.😁
if youre buying olive oil that costs less than $15/liter youre most likely getting scammed. most cheap olive oils are not really olive oils, but a mixture of olive and vegetable oil. good, real olive oil is not cheap.
@@fredocuomo5386 , um, maybe so. My goto olive oil for several years was Carapelli's ORO VERDE, extra virgin olive oil, 500ml bottle for about seven dollars. Now, it's about nine to eleven dollars a bottle.
I buy the 36 month aged Parmigianno Reggiano from Costco, I believe it's called Stravecchio. It's worth every penny and is a game changer. love the stuff
The green bottle stuff will melt, it just takes much higher temps. It actually works really well on air fryer french fries, as it adds flavor and melts into a slightly crispy shell which gives the fries a better texture in the air fryer. My wifes favorite fries in a single serving that I make for her about 4-5 nights a week are an average sized red potato, hand sliced into relatively thin fries, tossed with a tiny amount of olive oil, heavily dusted and tossed with green bottle parm, put in a single layer in the air fryer on 425f for 15 minutes, then salt and garlic, or your preferred seasonings. 5 min prep, taste great, great texture, and are an easy meal addition without the oil fryer mess.
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.
Thank you for taking the time to make such informative video. I grew up in Italy and when I think of Parmigiano the first thing that comes to mind is that pediatricians prescribe as a source of protein for young children and the elderly who need nutritional support. The product is totally trusted due to the strict quality control and its history. The raw milk used is particular as it has its own bacterial characteristics. Its bacterial flora is unique to local environment factors (altitude, humidity etc), but mostly the composition of the local grass and hey. These specific characteristics also play a role in the bactericidal action that takes over the bad bacteria after several months of curing, therefore allowing for a safe product. This is a very important aspect that demands strict control and oversight. Almost forgot! With pasta alla carbonara we use pecorino cheese rather than Parmigiano Reggiano, it gives it a much creamier texture and rustic flavor that pairs perfectly with the pancetta. Costco has a good imported pecorino, it does not have the traditional peppercorns in it but it is of good quality and affordable.
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.
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.
I absolutely love these food comparison/breakdowns. I love learning about new things with the food I use and eat, all well-encompassed by your great and thorough teaching style. Props
Appreciate all of your deep dives into topics I enjoy, thanks Ethan! With 5k comments already, you're questions have probably been answered, but here's my 2 cents: Rennet is an enzyme, not a culture. An enzyme is a chemical term for something that speeds up a reaction and there can be organic (in the biological sense, not the abused label we now have) or inorganic. Cheese cultures are what we most commonly refer to the lactic acid bacteria that are responsible for converting lactose in the milk to lactase as well as providing other enzymes that get released during aging. The "enzymes" on US produced parm are likely fat cleaving enzymes called lipases which often (always?) are derived from sheep, goat or cows. Depending on which ones are used, they create various flavors most often descried as piquant. They are often added to cheeses to make them more flavorful with shorter aging times. I believe this is due to the short chain fatty acids that they produce. Hopefully some food scientists or bio chem people can bring us up to speed on the specifics. As to DOP, my opinion is that it is like a patent. Some privilege should be given to the people who created a product and made it famous. Let the imposters make similar cheeses, let them be fabulous cheeses, but let them come up with their own name and marketing. Italy is so serious about it, because Parmigiano Reggiano is a very large part of their exports. Also, there is something to be said about the intention of how a product is made. Some people see the value in this and will pay for it and others won't, but defending the name helps to differentiate those who do see the value in this so that they are not giving their money to those who intend to deceive, even if the product is indistinguishable to your five ordinary senses. A good analogy might be "fake" diamonds. Can you or the majority of us tell the difference from 2 feet away without specialized instruments and/or training? If not, why do some still insist on the "real" thing?
Good comparison. Patents expire after 20 years. Let’s double that for the cheese just to be generous. The inventors of parmigiano reggiano should get 40 years where nobody else can call their cheese that. Afterwards it’s a free for all
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.
@@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...
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.
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 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!
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.
‘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
@@andyking957 You know that milk comes from females? So it's buffala mozarella.
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.
@New Meta Hi you2088. Okay, way too funny. I think many people are thinking cottage.
@@you2449 *crossaint
Crossfit ?
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
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!
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 know the feeling.... I had that experience with a blue cheese in the mountian west.... feels so lost to time its almost like it was a dream
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 UA-cam 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Fun fact: in Italy we usually say "parmigiano" even when we use a different cheese like Grana Padano or some non-PDO grana-type cheeses (only in informal settings, a public establishment can use the word parmigiano only if actual Parmigiano Reggiano is used). The preference towards Parmigiano, Grana or other cheese (like Pecorino Romano) is mostly a regional one (I'm from Piedmont and therefore prefer either Grana Padano or, even better, non-PDO grana that is produced in my region with Piedmontese milk, like Gran Biraghi, Valgrana and others).
PS: the king of all cheese is actually from Piedmont, and it is called Castelmagno.
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.
this video and the tomato video both rule so much and easily some of the best food videos on the internet
EASILY one of the videos ever
@@endhel_ "EASILY one of the videos ever"!!! Imagine being this mentally disparaged...
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
Years ago I googled 'cheese recipes' and stumbled upon a UA-cam 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)
Wow, that's really cool! Do you remember what video/channel it was?
It's so nice to see a cooking UA-camr 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.
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
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!
You are seriously my new favorite channel! I love learning all the nit ang grit about food (my favorite subject) 😂
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...
@@agoatwithnonamd 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.
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.
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
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.
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
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
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
@@Non-BUY-nary 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
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.
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
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
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'm from Canada but spent several months living in Europe last year. At Borough Market in London, I bought a chunk of grand prize winning parmigiano reggiano, cut from the wheel on the spot. Just wanted to make a decent pasta, which I've done an untold number of times and always with shrink wrapped, imported parmigiano reggiano. That carbonara I made from Borough Market cheese absolutely blew my mind. I'm back home now and still think about that cheese lol, no carbonara I've made since has measured up. Not even close.
finally somebody with his feet on Earth...
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
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.
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 UA-cam documentary
@@greyvii511 That is a fair question 😂
She would love Good mythical morning then
Sorry, I am here to add another option, Cotija a similar cheese from MEXICO, which is also produced here in the states. Our family will often substitute for when the video cheeses are not available here at home. We are a family which is addictive to cheeses. Love all the notes available.
Thank you for this!!!❤
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 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.
I'm so glad to see you diving deeper and more useful for your viewers while my former favorite UA-cam cook just turns into pure entertainment with a side of food. Entertainment has its place, but your videos concretely improve my life while also being genuinely enjoyable to watch.
which former favorite?
@@PosteriorPounder maybe joshua?
@@dumdum407 yup
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 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.
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.
I think you really hit your stride with this video. I learned so much about Parmesan cheese, but more important , where to spend my money and where not to. I actually followed your advice tonight. I watched your other video on tomato sauce and the cheese video. My lasagne was a hit. I used the “cheaper” cheese in the sauce, and the good stuff on top. I like how you analytically/scientifically look at these topics .
let me tell you: even many italians use different aged parmesan. younger is better for the sauce, older is better for the topping. actually, if you google it, you´ll find recommendations on what aged cheese is good for what purpose
Astounding high degree of clarity and usefulness video!!
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.
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.
The cooking channel I've waited for. Testing, comparing, contrasting - doin' some real science/experiments. Thank you.
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!
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.
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’ve noticed this over my years of cooking as well. I like to use the cheap pre grated cheese in sauces or other dishes as a salt source, and I use the 20 or 24 month block as a garnish. It was great to see this put to the test
Once I started watching, I immedately walked to my kitchen, opened my fridge and cut a piece of Parmigiano Reggiano. I have become addicted to this cheese. Its so good.
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.
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.
I literally can’t wait for the next “Ethan” video - so much research, so much knowledge. I have cooked for many years and my game is exponentially raised by your quality research, recipes and knowledge! 🎉
Thanks!
This is literally THE best cooking channel on UA-cam, by far! Well done!
I find this incredibly interesting. Yes, I'm from Wisconsin. Also we don't only make cheddar and not all of our cheese tastes like cheddar. Fun fact we also produce more cranberries and beer than any other state, and there is a cheese that uses both in it.
Sounds amazing! I’m in Switzerland which has amazing cheese but i love English and American styles too, I really miss having access to cheese curds and cheese from Wisconsin and California
Well I went to Madison some years ago and looked up some artisan cheese place. For the prices they were charging, I could take a bullet train to Paris, eat 3 pounds of french cheese and be back in time for dinner (I live in Germany).
But I sure enjoyed the deep fried cheese curds for sure! the french don't know those! 😛
Cranberry beer cheese… I want to throw this in a soft but firm and crisp edge beer batter dough. Honestly, I think the US Parmesan is just as good.
Still wish things like merlot cheese and a great deal of other unique cheeses were produced for affordable prices.
There’s a Honey maker in Florida called Gaskins honey, and they’ll sell me orange blossom honey, with a floral aftertaste thick as well, made raw for about $75 per gallon. It’s better than any honey small and large I’ve tasted it’s made in the orange groves near Homestead
Hey, cheddaring is a _process._
I work at a cheese factory in WI and our main product is actually parmesean. We do a lot of different cheeses (our cheddar is fucking incredible) but probably at least half of the cheese we send out is parm or parm blends
Green bottle cheese contains a fairly large amount of cellulose powder, much much more than the pre-grated higher end stuff. It is required to keep it from clumping with the fine grating. Cellulose, of course, is an indigestible carbohydrate - a fiber. It is, generally, water soluble, and basically acts as a thickener like flour or corn starch, as starch and cellulose are both long chain carbohydrates. But they also both brown! And that is why your green bottle cheese is browning - the cheese is melting, but there is so much cellulose in it that it it browns like cheese mixed with bread crumbs instead.
Thanks
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.
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.
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)
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
you must be the most interesting food youtuber out there for real. Being an 18 year old huge nerd myself, i really enjoy watching you go full nerd mode on everything cooking. You've played a huge part in me growing as a young cook, and in fact I've made my mom plenty of your recipes and she, as well as i do, very much enjoy your food, and your videos.
Thank you for using HEB and Central Market products! I love being able to relate more than other people
I've been binging these deep dives and loving them.
As an Italian eating Canadian grated "parmesan" expexting my usual flavour scarred me for life
Never thought I'd watch almost 40 minutes on just parm lol but your videos are always so well put together and well thought out. Appreciate the content Ethan!
These deep dives into an ingredient are absolutely amazing! I can't imagine the effort that goes into putting these together! Love it, keep them coming!!
This might be one of Ethan's best videos, idk how man but you keep topping yourself in every respect. Love what you do and how you do it. The world needs this video.
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.
This is not about protecting gastronomic culture, that is your silly interpretation. It is about protecting a trademark or name. It's not like they can patent a 1000 year old cheese making process. So the EU is not doing more than recognizing business who have vigorously fought to defend their brand name. Anybody can copy it and sell it with an alternative name.
@@gregorymorse8423 it's not silly, you are just ignorant and arrogant, a very common, yet deadly combination of intellectual traits. Protecting the name is a way of protecting the meaning behind it. And as you said, many can replicate it, but never like the original. Not even in Italy they can, the area is special for the production of the milk, you need a specific environment with a specific cow, with a specific flora and strict processes. What they protect is this authenticity through the trademark and this is how the culture is preserved. There is absolutley nothing wrong with that.
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
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!
@@levonschaftin3676 Yep lol. I eat cheese and make curated cheese plates for a living. Lots of fun, and there's SO much to learn about cheese. Cheese makers truly put their hearts and souls into every wheel, there's so much care and detail involved in each wheel.
@@MilwaukeeWoman Either works- my only distinction is that I work more on the culinary/pairing side as opposed to the selling side. But those are two different sides of the same delicious..wheel? Cheese people are absolutely lovely.
These deep dive episodes are fantastic, Ethan 😊 please keep the educational content coming for us food nerds
I always appreciate these long format breakdowns, especially the focus on what application is best for each. I think all ingredients have their uses, even if they're the cheaper items that most might turn their nose up at.
I love to eat chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano with some red grapes. So good.
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 these videos!
I’d be interested to see one on Olive oil. Comparing cheap ones sourced from many countries all the way up to the boutique oils.
I think also, one on beef burgundy made with varying levels of Pinot noir cheap American, expensive American, cheap burgundy, expensive burgundy and possibly a cheap Red varietal not in that family to see the difference it would make.
Keep making these! I love to learn about food science and these have opened my eyes quite a bit! Thanks!
Good idea, about the olive oils. Just last night I considered buying an organic olive oil from Tuscany. The price for a bottle in Canadian$ was $32. Then, I discovered the shipping brought the price up to $80. No way, Jose' !
@@Ottee2 the good stuff is quite amazing but no where near $80 for the difference. Its buttery, nutty, gives a better feel in the mouth, etc. You use it entirely differently as well. Its not for cooking
@@GonzoDonzo , no doubt. One should savour an oil of that quality like a fine cognac. That said, I use olive oil everyday in my cooking, salads, etc. Last bottle I bought was like nine bucks at Walmart.😁
if youre buying olive oil that costs less than $15/liter youre most likely getting scammed. most cheap olive oils are not really olive oils, but a mixture of olive and vegetable oil. good, real olive oil is not cheap.
@@fredocuomo5386 , um, maybe so. My goto olive oil for several years was Carapelli's ORO VERDE, extra virgin olive oil, 500ml bottle for about seven dollars. Now, it's about nine to eleven dollars a bottle.
I really appreciate this channel bc you give an honest unbiased review without any kind food snobbiness one can find on other channels. Thank you!
I buy the 36 month aged Parmigianno Reggiano from Costco, I believe it's called Stravecchio. It's worth every penny and is a game changer. love the stuff
The green bottle stuff will melt, it just takes much higher temps. It actually works really well on air fryer french fries, as it adds flavor and melts into a slightly crispy shell which gives the fries a better texture in the air fryer. My wifes favorite fries in a single serving that I make for her about 4-5 nights a week are an average sized red potato, hand sliced into relatively thin fries, tossed with a tiny amount of olive oil, heavily dusted and tossed with green bottle parm, put in a single layer in the air fryer on 425f for 15 minutes, then salt and garlic, or your preferred seasonings. 5 min prep, taste great, great texture, and are an easy meal addition without the oil fryer mess.
Thanks!
@@evasilvalayton758 No problem! If you try them let me know what you think.
Im gonna have to try this, thank you!
@@AL3X2011 hope you enjoy them! I would be glad to see you spin on them if you try it.
You make fries 4-5 times a week?!
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.
Thank you for taking the time to make such informative video. I grew up in Italy and when I think of Parmigiano the first thing that comes to mind is that pediatricians prescribe as a source of protein for young children and the elderly who need nutritional support. The product is totally trusted due to the strict quality control and its history. The raw milk used is particular as it has its own bacterial characteristics. Its bacterial flora is unique to local environment factors (altitude, humidity etc), but mostly the composition of the local grass and hey. These specific characteristics also play a role in the bactericidal action that takes over the bad bacteria after several months of curing, therefore allowing for a safe product. This is a very important aspect that demands strict control and oversight.
Almost forgot! With pasta alla carbonara we use pecorino cheese rather than Parmigiano Reggiano, it gives it a much creamier texture and rustic flavor that pairs perfectly with the pancetta. Costco has a good imported pecorino, it does not have the traditional peppercorns in it but it is of good quality and affordable.
Bro, your videos rock. Fascinating and keeps my attention despite being longer. Also, always useful
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.
4am, still at work, need to know about cheese.
Looking at the price difference, why the hell is the US variant so expensive???
We going to 50th Street... Absolutely...50th Street
😂😂😂
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.
I absolutely love these food comparison/breakdowns. I love learning about new things with the food I use and eat, all well-encompassed by your great and thorough teaching style. Props
I really appreciated your scientific approach to analyzing the qualities of these cheeses.
Can't imagine how much time this video took. Thanks for running all these tests and compiling it together!
Gives me flashbacks of doing college presentations
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
Ethan and Kenji make a great content combo; the home cook with an extremely high production value vs. the chef with a gopro
I've been subscribed to you since the early days, and I must say... this channel has gone next level.
Appreciate all of your deep dives into topics I enjoy, thanks Ethan! With 5k comments already, you're questions have probably been answered, but here's my 2 cents: Rennet is an enzyme, not a culture. An enzyme is a chemical term for something that speeds up a reaction and there can be organic (in the biological sense, not the abused label we now have) or inorganic. Cheese cultures are what we most commonly refer to the lactic acid bacteria that are responsible for converting lactose in the milk to lactase as well as providing other enzymes that get released during aging. The "enzymes" on US produced parm are likely fat cleaving enzymes called lipases which often (always?) are derived from sheep, goat or cows. Depending on which ones are used, they create various flavors most often descried as piquant. They are often added to cheeses to make them more flavorful with shorter aging times. I believe this is due to the short chain fatty acids that they produce. Hopefully some food scientists or bio chem people can bring us up to speed on the specifics. As to DOP, my opinion is that it is like a patent. Some privilege should be given to the people who created a product and made it famous. Let the imposters make similar cheeses, let them be fabulous cheeses, but let them come up with their own name and marketing. Italy is so serious about it, because Parmigiano Reggiano is a very large part of their exports. Also, there is something to be said about the intention of how a product is made. Some people see the value in this and will pay for it and others won't, but defending the name helps to differentiate those who do see the value in this so that they are not giving their money to those who intend to deceive, even if the product is indistinguishable to your five ordinary senses. A good analogy might be "fake" diamonds. Can you or the majority of us tell the difference from 2 feet away without specialized instruments and/or training? If not, why do some still insist on the "real" thing?
Good comparison. Patents expire after 20 years. Let’s double that for the cheese just to be generous. The inventors of parmigiano reggiano should get 40 years where nobody else can call their cheese that. Afterwards it’s a free for all
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"
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
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.