How do you grate cheese politely?

[CariS]

Also, I must confess, that when I read the title, I was thinking...hmm...does she mean how to cut the cheese politely :confused:. With all the bOOks and teA abounding on this forum, one can never tell. :lol:

 

I was thinking this too. :lol:

 

~CAri

[Forget-Me-Not]

What, no posts about kilt-wearing, cheese-grating celebrities yet?

[Ellie]

Also, I must confess, that when I read the title, I was thinking...hmm...does she mean how to cut the cheese politely :confused:. With all the bOOks and teA abounding on this forum, one can never tell. :lol:

:lol::lol::lol:

[Britomart]

When I grate in privacy I use my hands on the cheese. When I grate in front of someone I use plastic wrapped around the cheese.

 

Unless we're using the remainder of the block that day, I try to grate with the packaging between my fingers and the cheese, because if you can avoid touching it, you can usually keep it from molding longer. At least, in my experience.

[Lady Florida.]

:iagree:

 

It would not occur to me to grate cheese at the table. Just because restaurants do it does not mean that it should be done, KWIM?

 

I saw it done at home and at the home of extended family long before I ever knew they did it at restaurants. We hardly ever ate out when I was growing up. But it's not all for show, even at restaurants. The flavor is best when it's freshly grated. There is nothing like freshly grated parmigiano.

[Nestof3]

I vote invite me. I would assume your hands were clean. I buy preheated, lol. I'm also trying to imagine how much of the cheese would even be touched by you while grating. But anyway. :)

[Sun]

I would vote for 2, 3 or 4, but I think that a guest should not let you know they dislike your chosen method. If they don't like how you grated it, then they can abstain from cheese eating, but they should not mention their distaste.

[Teachin'Mine]

What, no posts about kilt-wearing, cheese-grating celebrities yet?

 

 

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f98/canada-day-trafalgar-square-67592/

 

There's kilt wearing and grated cheese on poutine! Do I get extra credit for including poutine??? :D

[TracieT]

I voted pre grate.

 

I totally not a germophobe, but passing a chunk of cheese around the table would turn me off.

 

I remember as a kid when we'd eat corn on the cob at my friend's house they would each just spin their corn on the communal stick of butter. I doubt anyone was taking bites and respinning, but it always freaked me out a little bit.

[mrs.m]

Some of the clumsier among us would prefer that pre-grated option no matter what. Visions of bloody knuckles or a flying cheese grater hitting the hostess in the head would cause us to mumble "no thank you" even when we really, really want some fresh cheese :D

 

:iagree: sliced finger on top of my lasagna is not good. :ack2:

 

Unless it's that little enclosed grater tool. I'm ok with that.

[justasque]

Hard cheese like Parmesan gets grated fresh at the table. Serving pregrated Parmesan would make my Italian in-laws gasp.:D

 

If it were a soft cheese like cheddar I would pre-grate. If it were a hard cheese like asiago or parmesan I would wrap the cheese in a cloth napkin and allow guests to grate their own.

 

:blink:

 

On what kinds of food did y'all grate the cheese individually? Pastas?

 

I can tell you that in Southeastern Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina, there would never have been a meal that included people grating cheese over their own food.

 

I saw it done at home and at the home of extended family long before I ever knew they did it at restaurants. We hardly ever ate out when I was growing up. But it's not all for show, even at restaurants. The flavor is best when it's freshly grated. There is nothing like freshly grated parmigiano.

 

Depends on the cheese. Lots of inexpensive cheddar for Mexican food is grated in advance by one person and served with tongs. Expensive Asiago or Parmesan is grated individually over one's plate, generally for a pasta dish or something similar. It is both a taste issue - fresh grated is best - and a money issue - at $10 a pound, I don't want a single curl of cheese to go to waste. It's also a cultural issue, I think, in part due to how the cheese fits with the dish. The Asiago tends to be used as a delicate accent, whereas the cheddar tends to be mixed into the dish for a more overall flavor.

[Laura Corin]

:blink:

 

On what kinds of food did y'all grate the cheese individually? Pastas?

 

 

Or something like risotto if the cheese wasn't stirred in before hand.

 

Laura