What happens if you toast parmesan?

[alicat]

Well, I'm making some rather nice French onion soup and it needs gruyere on top. I can't be bothered to go to the supermarket and the only hard cheese I have to hand to add to the crouton on top is parmesan. I'm tempted to give it a go and report back.

 

[Old jon]

Good idea, l will have to try that .

 

[midlife]

Doesn't it go crispy?

Shaun

 

[alicat]

Just done some googling - doesn't look good. And I've remembered I have some stilton in - that sounds like an every worse idea. I think I'll sink the grilled bread ribollita style instead.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Just done some googling - doesn't look good. And I've remembered I have some stilton in - that sounds like an every worse idea. I think I'll sink the grilled bread ribollita style instead.

Sprinkle the parmesan on the bread along with rubbing some garlic on it and then grill it

 

[Piemaster]

 

[alicat]

Sprinkle the parmesan on the bread along with rubbing some garlic on it and then grill it

That is a good idea. I did two batches - one grilled bread with olive oil and garlic rubbed in then the soup on top. One with grilled parmesan then the soup on top. The parmesan didn't melt properly and was too strong. I will try @Marmion's method tomorrow; it's closest to my method one (which worked quite well) - or I might just go and get some gruyere!

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

That is a good idea. I did two batches - one grilled bread with olive oil and garlic rubbed in then the soup on top. One with grilled parmesan then the soup on top. The parmesan didn't melt properly and was too strong. I will try @Marmion's method tomorrow; it's closest to my method one (which worked quite well) - or I might just go and get some gruyere!

Parmesan won't melt "in a mass" like Gruyere, it's to do with moisture content, but it does melt and works well when stirred into a sauce or grilled.

Your blue cheese would have probably been quite nice.

 

[annedonnelly]

It goes crispy. I put some on top of a pasta bake last night as I wanted to use it up.

 

[Profpointy]

maybe one for the middle classes: household hint 144-

Don't waste money on expensive foreign Parmesan; buy Cheddar instead, but unwrap it and keep it for a month or two and it turns into perfeclty satisfactory Parmesan

 

[alicat]

@Profpointy - like it! I suspect that is how they discovered parmesan in the first place.

 

[Profpointy]

@Profpointy - like it! I suspect that is how they discovered parmesan in the first place.

i wasn't entirely joking either !

 

[subaqua]

the thing is there are good parmesans or bad parmesans and even worse is the

"grated hard italian cheese" which has lots of butyric and isovaleric acid present making it smell orrible.

the expensive stuff i got at Christmas was not as orrible in that respect.

oh and the cheddar cheese will be made with pasteurised milk not un-pasteurised as the parmesan is

 

[AndyRM]

I toasted some parmesan earlier.

Nothing.

 

[Paulus]

You can toast it but it goes a bit crispy. It doesn't melt like cheddar.