why does Parmesan cheese need to be in the fridge if it sits on the shelf in stores?
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If we’re talking wedges or blocks of Parmesan, it doesn’t really need to be refrigerated. It can last for months. But it lasts *longer* if you refrigerate it, and a lot of people tend to only infrequently use it.
If we’re talking shredded or grated, it’s a little different but there’s different kinds. Overall it’s more in danger of *not tasting great* quickly, even if it’s still safe to eat, because it degrades when exposed to air. Blocks and wedges only have the outer layer exposed, so when you slice/grate/shred them 99% of what you get is the inner parts. (Aged meat is kind of like this, there’s actually a nasty layer they cut away first.)
Some stuff sold grated/shredded is ‘pre-dried’ and that just means they did some stuff to handle one aspect of why it stops tasting good and it will last longer. Other stuff is packed with preservatives and other additives and that also makes it last longer. I find the fresher stuff is usually refrigerated at grocery stores anyway, but the preservative-packed stuff like the Kraft bottles is 50/50 refrigerated.
When it’s unopened, there is no excess moisture to react with. Once it’s been opened, there is new air and moisture to deal with. You can actually leave your parmesan cheese out for some time. You just have to keep an eye for mold and growth. The fridge delays that significantly. Many products don’t necessarily need to be refrigerated, it’s just safer if they are.
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Real Parmesan is refrigerated at the store. The fake shit from Kraft that is like 67% cellulose and flavorings sits on the shelf. Because it is garbage. Mold and such didn’t consider it food and were probably shouldn’t either.
Where does Parmesan sit on the shelf? I’ve never seen it anywhere other than in the refrigerated section with the other cheeses.
Presuming you mean Kraft, not a block of ungrated cheese – Because the stuff in the store is sealed.
Once you break the seal, you allow bacteria & mold spores to enter what used-to-be a sanitized product, and must now refrigerate it.
Back in the 90s Kraft grated Parmesan instructions for after opening were to store in a cool dry place. At some point in the 2000s it changed to refrigerate after opening.
I had never seen parmesan being sold in supermarkets that weren’t in the refrigerated cheese section. Nor any other type of cheese for that matter.
I had a Spanish coworker who said to me, “Cheese is a living thing. Would you put your cat in the fridge?”
If it’s a Parmesan wedge wrapped in plastic, the reason it won’t go bad is because they cut the wedge and wrapped it in a sterile environment. There’s also no air to touch it to make it go bad, and new bacteria isn’t getting in. I’ve also seen them put a small amount of liquid sometimes in with the plastic which would be a salty preservative.
Most of the time they’ll put them in the refrigerated section anyways though, to make them seem like a fresher product
Once you open it none of these things protect it anymore
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