Parmesan Cheese - not always Parmesan, not even always cheese (and other gourmet gossip)

Banacek

Banacek

#1
#1
Has anyone been following the great Parmesan controversy?

It's been replete with a lawsuit against Walmart:
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2016/02/25/walmart-sued-over-wood-in-parmesan-cheese/

a lab analysis of the package contents of various brands of Parmesan:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...eese-you-sprinkle-on-your-penne-could-be-wood

and a guilty plea and bankruptcy of one of the leading manufacturers of the product:
http://www.alliednews.com/news/guil...cle_d2e6e490-db0e-11e5-aaf3-9b1ae00bf035.html

Bottom line is that the Parmesan cheese you may be sprinkling on your penne may not be Parmesan at all.
In fact, it might not even be cheese.

P.S. I am definitely looking forward to genius, TheRicker, The Exiled, and the APM himself to weigh in on this matter.
 
The Exiled

The Exiled

#2
#2
Being Italiano I always grate my own, imported Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano and would rather die before I try a can of that other shit. Same thing with bread crumbs, god knows what's in those cans. And if you think that's bad check out olive oil. 60 minutes did a piece on it awhile back. It pissed me off something fierce what these mafia goons were doing. Much better avatar by the way.
 
Banacek

Banacek

#3
#3
I read about the stringent standards for Parmigiano Reggiano in today's Newsday food section and agree that this is the way to go. So between that, the bread crumbs, and the olive oil, I now know what to put into your Easter basket. I'll drop it off to you at the next meet and greet.

P.S. Thanks. I tired of the turtle quicker than I thought I would.
 
genius

genius

#5
#5
Anyone who buys grated cheese in a can deserves what they get, IMHO. It is so easy to grate cheese at time of use (when the hot pasta is on the plate). I buy my cheese at giunta meat farms in Farmingdale (but not meat that I get in Farmingdale meat market and fresh fish at Johns Farms in Plainview - trust me - worth the trip to these places).

As far as olive oil I buy extra virgin olive oil by taste - Fairway has samples that you can taste . I do not cook with extra virgin.

I no longer make my own sauce (as some of the bottled stuff is pretty good ) but will only buy bottled sauce that has a limited single word ingredient list, e.g. tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, salt, and containing olive oil.
BTW - since Italian olive oils can use non-Italian olives (the label will say packaged or bottled w/o the word produced) and much of the olives used are from Spain, I buy Spanish olive oil.

PS. It was a sad day in my kitchen in 2009 when Gourmet magazine ceased publication.
 
T

TheRicker

Moderator
#7
#7
Walmart? You deserve what you get at that shithole. White trash central. In the military when guys HAD to go there it was a "Whiskey Tango Run". Some will understand, some won't. I'm half Italian, not Sicilian. So grating your cheese is part of the meal.
 
Banacek

Banacek

#9
#9
Gonna call you guys the Guide Gourmet Gang. Thanks for sharing. I knew I could count on you four to bring some wit and insight to the table here, pun intended.

And that makes three more markets - Giunta's, John's, Farmingdale Meats - that we have in common, genius, although I've frequented these much less than the three I previously cited in the duck sausage thread. We must have crossed paths at some points. Next guy I see ogling the women at any of the upscale markets in Plainview/Jericho, I will introduce myself in hopes of meeting you. :D
 
backseat

backseat

#14
#14
I get Mama Lombardi sauce at Costco. Making your own is always better, but I find the amount of work vs. the difference, not worth it. A little doctoring can minimize the difference.
 
Traderdave

Traderdave

#15
#15
Go to Di Palo's on Grand Street and Mott Steet.
The best commercial sauce bar none is
Rao's Marinaro.
The secret is add some red wine to the sauce.
You can also take a pound of ground turkey it ground beef in a Pan. Heat up a pan with a little olive oil and add the ground beef.
When it is cooked add a 32 oz jar of Rao's Marinara. Add some red wine and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
 
The Exiled

The Exiled

#16
#16
I've tried Rao's Vodka Sauce and didn't care for it. With all these bottle sauces I guess you have to do what backseat and Traderdave suggest and doctor it to your taste. I was listening to Bernard and Sid the other day and they had Steve Shirripa on and they were raving about his Uncle Steve's Sauce. I may give it a try to see what it's like. My mother's will always be my favorite though and I'm fortunate to still get batches of it when I see her.

Back to Olive Oil. Bertolli, Carapelli, Colavita, and Filippo Berio all failed to meet the extra virgin olive oil standards. Surprisingly, Costco's Kirkland Organic passed with flying colors. I was there today and saw a Kirkland Signature Olive Oil which I will buy the next time I'm there and I'll use it for dipping. If good fine, if not I'll go genius's route and head over to Fairway.
 
Slinky Bender

Slinky Bender

The All Powerful Moderator
#19
#19
The Exiled said:
I've tried Rao's Vodka Sauce and didn't care for it. With all these bottle sauces I guess you have to do what backseat and Traderdave suggest and doctor it to your taste. I was listening to Bernard and Sid the other day and they had Steve Shirripa on and they were raving about his Uncle Steve's Sauce. I may give it a try to see what it's like. My mother's will always be my favorite though and I'm fortunate to still get batches of it when I see her.

Back to Olive Oil. Bertolli, Carapelli, Colavita, and Filippo Berio all failed to meet the extra virgin olive oil standards. Surprisingly, Costco's Kirkland Organic passed with flying colors. I was there today and saw a Kirkland Signature Olive Oil which I will buy the next time I'm there and I'll use it for dipping. If good fine, if not I'll go genius's route and head over to Fairway.
Click to expand...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/neilste...went-wrong-with-fairway-markets/#42dac551344b
 
Banacek

Banacek

#20
#20
I think if the Fairway chain manages to be able to pull itself out of bankruptcy, the opening of Stew Leonard's in Farmingale will signal the death knell for Fairway's Plainview store. SL may even impact Whole Foods in Jericho and Trader Joe's in Plainview.
 
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