If you have fresh parmesan in the fridge, you invariably end up with a piece of hardened crust that seems unusable. But through the magic of the microwave, Food Geekery suggests there is a window of opportunity for bringing back your parmesan crusts.
The key is to let it puff up in the microwave, sort of like popcorn, until the popping stops somewhere between 30 and 90 seconds. If you've done it wrong, it will either be too hard or burnt. After a brief rest period, the parmesan is ready to eat or be used in a dish.
If you master the technique, crusts are signficantly cheaper per pound than a block of cheese. This should help when you really need a hit of parmesan reggiano, like this poor gentleman in Oak Park, Illinois.
I hover before the cheese counter, entranced at the array of delightful old milk on display, I intone the name like a fangirl waiting at the stage entrance for a glimpse of her idol.That's real cheese love. If the puffs don't sound appetizing, you can always opt for Parmesan Fricos -- grated cheese, arranged in thin rounds and baked in the oven. Imagine the crunch of potato chips with the deliciousness of cheese.
The only thing to keep an eye out for is the possibility of mold. Over on Chowhound, there's a discussion about the differences between parmesan's color change (it's dried out), the appearance of white spots (calcium or mold), and just how long to keep it in the fridge (try for days, settle for less than weeks).
[Image via Flickr: bloggy bouluga]
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