In the Baltimore Sun this morning, there was an article about Parmesan Cheese that has been making the rounds the past few days. Here's a LINK to it. I thought it was very interesting and helpful. Basically, the grated Parmesan Cheese that we buy in the store has varying degrees of fillers in it. It's pretty horrifying to think that there might be wood pulp in some of the cheese we've eaten. It's also sad to think that Target's store brand of Parmesan cheese didn't even have any parmesan cheese in it (it was a combination of other cheeses)!
Every once in a while I find a grocery item that I'm willing to spend more money on because it really matters (like real butter instead of margarine). Parmesan cheese just moved onto that list this morning. I'm sure the companies that sell grated parmesan are now going to scramble to decrease the percentage of their fillers and show that they're doing so--or at least I hope so. But, until I'm sure, I think I'm going to get the shredded parmesan at Aldi from the refrigerated section instead of the grated parmesan that I've been buying for a while.
Wood pulp is cellulose. I believe that cellulose is sprayed onto all shredded cheese which prevents clumping. I have also bought block cheeses and shred myself and that is one of the reasons, but I don't think it's terrible to use it occasionally. I definitely buy preshredded cheeses for camping or fishing trips when I'm using a camp kitchen.
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