Author Topic: Any hope for hockey-puck Parmesan?  (Read 3500 times)

MrsKK

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Any hope for hockey-puck Parmesan?
« on: June 17, 2009, 09:22:41 PM »
I made a 2 lb Parmesan in August of last year, but obviously didn't have it ageing at a high enough level of humidity.  It is hard as a rock, I can't cut it with a knife, and can't even grate it.

Is there anything I can do to make it usable?

TIA!

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Any hope for hockey-puck Parmesan?
« Reply #1 on: June 18, 2009, 01:45:28 AM »
Is it rock hard all the way through or just the rind?

MrsKK

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Re: Any hope for hockey-puck Parmesan?
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2009, 02:19:16 PM »
I haven't been able to cut it, so I don't know...

zenith1

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Re: Any hope for hockey-puck Parmesan?
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2009, 06:03:26 PM »
I'm thinking that there may be some eatable paste inside the wheel if you can get to it. I tried a small wheel of romano the first time I made that cheese and because of the size of the wheel I had way too much rind vs the amount of paste.I wound up cutting that one early because I it was drying out also. The flavor and texture was not bad considering it was only aged two months as I recall. So I think that you have to play around with the length of time that you brine the wheel and the time that you age it. Smaller wheels will age quicker because of the thickness of the wheel. Also remember that the longer a brined wheel ages, the thicker the rind becomes because of the drying action of the salt. :)
                     

wharris

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Re: Any hope for hockey-puck Parmesan?
« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2009, 06:26:56 PM »
I would get a clean saw or chisel and cleave that puck in two. 
You may have some goodness down deep inside that puck.




zenith1

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Re: Any hope for hockey-puck Parmesan?
« Reply #5 on: June 18, 2009, 08:31:10 PM »
or hope that the season starts early! ;D

Caise-bodach

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Re: Any hope for hockey-puck Parmesan?
« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2009, 06:32:02 AM »
WOW! and I though I was the only one that did that to some innocent, unsuspecting milk!
LOL...sorry for the result, but been there, done that.
All kidding aside, have you thought of getting out the ole' grain mill and giving it a whirl on the coarsest setting?   I can remember some pretty finely ground "parmesan" topping at pizza places.  It might not work, but if it did you might at least have the flavor.  Just a thought.
OMCz

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: Any hope for hockey-puck Parmesan?
« Reply #7 on: June 19, 2009, 09:14:19 PM »
I've got a few small pieces left of some 3 and 4 year old parms and romanos that are rock hard but I throw them in the grinder anyway. It's alot of work but it you can break of some chucks i'll grind.

linuxboy

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Re: Any hope for hockey-puck Parmesan?
« Reply #8 on: June 19, 2009, 09:54:24 PM »
If you can saw off smaller pieces, you can toss them in a soup to soften up. An Italian wedding soup or minestrone goes great with hunks of dried out parm :)

MrsKK

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Re: Any hope for hockey-puck Parmesan?
« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2009, 03:19:43 PM »
I haven't done anything with it yet, as I've been preoccupied with other stuff.  I do like the idea of sawing it apart with a clean hacksaw, though.  I don't have a grain mill, but if I get small enough chunks cut off of it, I could clean up my coffee grinder and use that to "grate" it up, I guess.

wharris

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Re: Any hope for hockey-puck Parmesan?
« Reply #10 on: June 22, 2009, 05:16:16 PM »
I would imaging that at the core, this wheel of cheese is still far to moist to consider putting in a coffee grinder.

I would simply split the wheel open and grate the inards..

I'll bet it's fantastic.