The Easy Hack For Grating Parmesan Cheese

Few kitchen gadgets are more daunting than your cheese grater. Yes, it looks simple enough to operate: Drag the surface of the cheese against the device's teeth and — voila — it's beautifully grated. There is one caveat, however. That previous sentence (and the act of grating cheese) both involve the word "teeth" and, if truth be known, no one enjoys using an instrument that has teeth. If you've ever lost a hefty chunk of your epidermis while converting a block of cheese into manageable shreds, you are far from alone. The grater is, after all, a dangerous device. In fact, in 2015 a man was charged with assault after attacking a woman with a cheese grater (via The Hamilton Spectator). 

Thankfully, others are busily trying to find a safer way to shred their cheese. Kitchn, for example, recommends removing your grater from the upright position and putting it on its side. Why? Apparently, the vertical motion puts your knuckles in serious danger of being abraded, but when done horizontally, "your fingers go nowhere near the sharp metal grates." MasterClass suggests scrapping the grater and opting to use a vegetable peeler instead. This method enables you to create large slices or "short shreds." When working with soft cheeses, they do recommend avoiding a sticky situation by spraying the peeler with cooking spray. 

Your grating technique may be the biggest mistake you're making with parmesan cheese, but what if there was a safe method that was super quick and easy?

It's time for your formerly grazed fingers to flutter with joy. They will no longer face peril when faced with shredding parmesan. All that is required is a knife, a blender, and a container with an airtight lid. According to Allrecipes, you simply need to cut your parmesan into squares, pulse them in your blender until they are a perfect size, and put your finished product in your storage container. If you're more of a visual learner, you can check out this YouTube demo. Either way, this method is a breeze. No band-aids or blood splatter required.

Now that you have a generous supply of grated parmesan, it is recommended that you use it in the next couple of weeks. In a cooking experiment conducted by Cook's Illustrated, there was a huge loss of flavor when shredded parmesan was stored for a month, but there was no discernable difference in taste for the first two weeks. These results not only give you an excuse to use extra cheese, but they also explain why you should think twice about getting pre-grated parmesan cheese from your dairy aisle.

The next time you are on a cheese-grating kick, give this easy hack a try. Your appendages will thank you.