Cookbook:Parmesan Cheese

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Parmesan cheese is a hard dry white Italian cheese that stores well. It has a particularly salty taste.

It is available ready-grated as a powder intended for sprinkling onto food at the table. Some people use this for convienience, although the smell can be unpleasant. Don't use this, unless you really have to.

Much better to grate or shave the cheese into thin slivers immediately before use. This will give you a moister, fresher effect, with a smell that's more like cheese should be. It's the traditional topping to many Italian dishes, including risotto, where it adds a final richness and creaminess.

With the advent of refrigeration and pre-shredded soft cheeses, mozzarella cheese can now take the place of parmesan for table usage but the taste is blander.

Parmesan cheese is used in the making of pesto.