Parmigiano Reggiano: The art of cutting by hand

parmigiano-reggiano is an Italian PDO cheese it comes from the municipalities of Parma Reggio Emilia Madonna Mantua to the right of the Po River and Bologna to the left of the Reno River it has been produced for nine hundred years using artisanal and natural methods without additives or preservatives with raw milk and long ageing from the farmer to the stock breeder and from the dairy man - the cheese tester those who make parmigiano-reggiano invest care enthusiasm and commitment now it's your turn by opening and portioning the cheese wheel correctly you will enhance the value of this premium product this is the only way to be sure you offer your customers a complete sensory experience that makes them aware of its value we have created this tutorial to make you a real parmigiano-reggiano expert discover how to handle it presented and communicate its value in the best way possible ready let's begin look at the cheese wheel check to see if there are cuts or deep cracks and examine the condition of the ride clean it with a cloth to get rid of any grease or dust find the distinctive marks there is the certification mark the month and the year of aging this number with three or four digits identifies the dairy where it was produced you can find out what dairy it comes from in a few seconds on the parmigiano-reggiano consortiums website on the bottom you'll find this K st. AG a unique tracking code for every wheel also make sure there is an EC inspection stamp on the lower side of the cheese wheel and make sure you're familiar with your national health and safety regulations make sure that the cheese wheel is at room temperature and has been left outside the cold room for at least 24 hours place the wheel at the height and angle that allows you to apply adequate pressure do you see traces of grease dry them so it will be easier to handle and now get your knives ready one hook knife to Parmesan cheese knives one knife with a serrated tip knife and one cheese spatula by cutting a hole parmigiano-reggiano cheese wheel you exalt the grainy texture of the cheese a characteristic of its long aging and now decide how to open the wheel there are two ways vertically more practical ideal at the store laterally the more showy lateral cut is ideal for buffets trade fairs or whenever you're in front of an audience to perform a vertical cut place the wheel in a horizontal position and trace a mid line with a parmesan cheese knife dividing a flat part into two semicircles divided in half where the stamp is because the part without dots is behind it this way you limit the risk of having a slice without dots using the hook knife cut into the rind along the guide line and keep going down the side of the wheel called its Scalzo now turn the wheel over and repeat the process to finish cutting the rind the best way to turn the wheel is to stand it up turn it round and put it back down sink the knife with a serrated tip into the center of the flat part it has to be perfectly straight then sink the Parmesan cheese knife into the edge where the flat part meets the side make sure you get the right angle turn the wheel again and insert the second Parmesan cheese knife wait a few seconds take the three knives out and turn the wheel over repeat the process on the other flat side wait for a vertical crack deform and now the wheel can be broken open into two halves to continue cutting take a half and cut it with a hook knife from the center all the way to the side turn the wheel upside down and repeat the same procedure to complete marking the rhyme insert the knife with a serrated tip and a fracture line will form now put a Parmesan cheese knife into the edge with a flat part and the side meat turn the half wheel around and repeat this step now it will split into two quarters now portion the wheel into two eighths choose the most stable side of the quarter and work on that mark the rind insert the serrated knife and then the Parmesan cheese knife turn the wheel over and separate the two halves with a serrated knife on the cheese side be careful not to damage the top part now you have two eighths of parmigiano-reggiano place the wheel in a vertical position if you're not an expert get someone to help you to keep it stable mark the rind with a hook knife all you have to do is follow the line of the central dot between the words parmigiana and Red John sync the serrated cheese knife deep down in it repeat the operation rotating the wheel and alternating the Parmesan cheese knife with a serrated knife the knife blade must always penetrate the cheese perpendicularly to the rhyme once you've got all the way around if the two halves haven't loosened up repeat the procedure now use the spatula the two halves of the wheel come apart do you want to put on a show lay the wheel flat on its base and lift off the top half like the lid of a treasure chest place the half wheel with the flat part facing up trace a mid line on the flat part with a hook knife and continue cutting down the side now wedge the spatula into the center and insert the Parmesan cheese knife into the crust race it and lower it make sure you cut a decent notch into the side when you get there turn the wheel around and repeat the operation turn the wheel upside down insert the spatula into the center of the exposed cheese turn the half wheel around and continue in the same way you'll see that a fracture line will form separate the half wheel and you now have two quarters of Armagh jonno Reggiano arrange the quarter with a Reyn facing up using the hooked knife cut from the center of the fracture line of the flat part moving outwards and then on the side with a Parmesan cheese knife repeat the operation to divide the two quarters turn the quarter around and separate the cheese using the two knives first with a spatula and then with a parmesan cheese knife now you have two waves of parmigiano-reggiano to continue portioning with the 8th of the wheel with the cheese facing down take the Parmesan cheese knife and trace a line to divide the eighth in half put the point of the Parmesan cheese knife in and push it down continue with this up-and-down movement slice down with a sharp movement when you get to the side ride now with the internal cheese facing upwards repeat the cut alternating between the spatula and the parmesan knife put the point of the Parmesan cheese knife in and make sure that the blade splits the rind repeat the operation along the entire line turn the eighth over trace the midline with a spatula use the Parmesan cheese knife to separate the cheese repeat this operation for the rest of the triangles if you want to cut smaller portions use sideways cuts to guarantee a proper cheese rind ratio or remove the rind from the flat part and then make the horizontal cuts remember precise portioning reduces waste to ensure maximum quality from zsa no Reggiano cheese should be cut and graded as and when requested by the customer for the sake of practicality you can prepackaged the cheese one or two days beforehand however the cutting and grading must be done at the place of sale pre-packaging can be done in two ways with clear food wrap with cheese wrap wax paper after cutting it is good practice to round off any sharp edges to avoid damaging transparent food wrap used for packaging Jesus with parmigiano-reggiano PDO status prepackaged in the area of origin before market release must bear the collective mark bearing the words parmigiano-reggiano wedge and wheel if the product is prepackaged at the point of sale this mark cannot be used if you are in Europe you can use the denomination parmigiano-reggiano cheese and the ingredients milk salt rennet for non EU countries follow the current labeling regulations or contact the consortium you can preserve the entire wheel for many months in conditions similar to those of the aging storeroom and clean the Rhine from time to time temperature up to 61 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit low lighting high level of relative humidity vacuum-packed products can be preserved at fridge temperatures for up to six months fresh products that have been portioned to removed from a vacuum bag can be kept in the fridge for several days in an airtight container transparent food bag or wrapped in transparent food wrap if you see a thin layer of fat or mold don't worry you can return the cheese to its optimum state by removing it and cleaning the surface when you display pieces of parmigiano-reggiano always show the identification data of the product found on the rind month year and serial number if you stock cheese's of different ages make a sign or chalkboard where you explain their different characteristics you will find lots of useful information and tips on the consortium's website communication with the customers fundamental when presenting parmigiano-reggiano you can add value to your point-of-sale with special display material for further information about communication materials visit the consortium's website always guide clients in their choice by asking them to tell you their intended final use a cheese aged 15 to 18 months is ideal thinly sliced in salads a cheese aged 24 months is perfect to grade on pasta have undecided customers try a shaving of cheese and offer them a brief description of its sensory and nutritional characteristics do you know how to make shavings of parmigiano Reggiano insert the Parmesan cheese knife a few centimetres into the cheese and then turn it look the shaving forms on its own remember to always inform your clients of the unique nutritional properties of parmigiano-reggiano of its high level of digestibility and its high calcium content enhancing the value of parmigiano-reggiano will also enhance the value of your store

Channel: onlyparmesan

Views: 3,690,106

Rating: 4.6650167 out of 5

Keywords: Parmigiano Reggiano, Cheese cutting by hand, wrap cheese, Wheel Parmesan, Cutting parmesan

Id: m3ZI15VjwEU

Length: 13min 46sec (826 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 30 2016

Reddit Comments

[u/WhackWeeder]

Ah yes the video I randomly watched at 4 am on adderall months ago.

[u/AmazingRealist]

There's only one true video on how to break a wheel of parmesan cheese.

[u/Nikolausgillies]

Fuck this feels like some shitty training video McDonalds would make you watch when you’re learning how to make burgers.

Fun to watch him break the cheese but that voice over and music track was awful

[u/verybakedpotatoe]

That thumbnail looked like totally different and not all-together more appetizing cleavage.

[u/dolbp]

Eat a cheese wheel every time he says Parmigiano Reggiano

[u/Mechanicalmind]

I glanced at the thumbnail and thought it was some PAWG in a black one-piece swimsuit.

[u/znaXTdWhGV]

cheese consortium?

[u/ZombieBoobies]

That guy is very stoic except for when that first cut is made all the way through, then he's got a cute little smirk. I enjoyed this.

[u/AngeloPappas]

Needs to be longer and with more interruptions for ads. /s