Product: Kirkland Signature Parmigiano Reggiano
Description: A one-pound container of coarsely shredded Parmesan Reggiano cheese that’s been “aged over 24 months.”
Preparation summary: Ready for use
High points: The price is more than 60 percent lower if purchased at Costco. When refrigerated, the cheese maintains its robust, nutty flavor for months. The front label shows a “Protected Designation of Origin” seal, which assures the product is imported from the region where it is actually produced—in Italy’s Reggio-Emilia and Parma provinces.
Low points: Considered the Cadillac of hard cheeses, the irregular straw-like grate in this presentation isn’t as desirable as the fine, powdery kind sold in Italian markets and cheese shops. More disappointing were the hard, waxy shards that surfaced. They’re from sections of the cheese wheel straddling the rind, which are weak in flavor and equate to sawdust if run through a food processor.
Retail price: $13.49 at Costco; $42.99 on Amazon.
Why buy pre-grated cheese at all??? A block of whole cheese and a good micro grater will give you fresh grates whenever you desire some. That Kirkland container wound barely fit in a standard European refrigerator!!!