Mechanicallvlan t1_j75nt1s wrote on February 4, 2023 at 6:40 AM

Reply to comment by newtickled in Cheese by BetterMakeAnAccount

^This is definitely the best that I'm familiar with, but it's a little pricey. I think I need to try somewhere that I haven't shopped at for cheese before, like maybe Mama Jean's. As an example, these are prices that I just found for Parmigiano Reggiano on a few sites:

Brown Derby: $24.89/lb

Target: $22.15/lb

Mama Jean's: $21.29/lb

Hy-Vee: $18.99/lb

Walmart: $18.61/lb

Martyr-X t1_j767n6f wrote on February 4, 2023 at 11:21 AM

Unless they’re all the same brand, that price list means very little, especially with something that varies in quality brand by brand like cheese. Of course smaller stores will charge more for the same exact brand/item, or maybe they have a better quality of offering. It obvious that Walmart would be the cheapest, but probably not the best quality, good if you’re just searching for the economic purchase. I wouldn’t expect someone to be searching for the “best cheese around here” and looking at specialty shops/cheese caves while simultaneously also seeking Walmart-level pricing.

If you’re looking for high quality at high price, go to the specialty shops. If you’re looking for the lowest price on cheese, I’d say skip Walmart and go straight to Sam’s Club, or even restaurant-supply store that sell at wholesale prices.

Mechanicallvlan t1_j76ce85 wrote on February 4, 2023 at 12:23 PM

Parmigiano Reggiano is made to very exact standards, and every wheel is inspected by the Consortium before being approved for sale. There are ~46 exporters of the cheese listed on the Consortium website, but basically the whole point of the Consortium is to ensure that all Parmigiano Reggiano is made to the same high standards. The flavor does change with aging, but I think you'll probably find that any Parmigiano Reggiano "brands" that you encounter in stores here have been aged for about 2 years -- and that they all taste extremely similar. This is from the Consortium's US website:

>The PDO certification for Parmigiano Reggiano is the equivalent of a legal guarantee by the European Union that the product is “the real thing”. In order to earn this certification, the entire process – starting with the milking of the cows and ending with the aging of the finished product and its packaging – must all take place exclusively in the specific region in Italy that is included in the official Parmigiano Reggiano DOP mandates – the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna to the left of the river Reno and Mantua to the right of the river Po.
>
>Parmigiano Reggiano is subject to very strict rules and regulations that are carefully monitored to ensure the highest possible quality standards. In order to be called Parmigiano Reggiano, the cheese must be made with the same three natural ingredients that have been used for over 900 years...
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>Also, Parmigiano Reggiano must be aged for at least 12 months before it can be sold in stores, while other hard cheeses don’t have an aging requirement – which is why they are often less complex in flavor and aroma.

Incidentally, although it is no longer the case, Walmarts in this area used to sell blocks of Locatelli Pecorino Romano (which is excellent cheese).

Martyr-X t1_j76e7si wrote on February 4, 2023 at 12:44 PM

Ok, I can dig that, especially with the EU standards and regulations for naming rights, etc. I appreciate the discourse and education, and it seems it was wrong of me to disparage any of the “cheaper” brands as less than or lacking. I will certainly apply the practical knowledge of generally buying cheaper PR in the future.

However I still say that all PR is not created equal, even if it’s all approved and inspected to be above some minimum level of quality. I’d argue there’s still a gradient, in both quality (a cheese expert would be able to tell the subtle differences) and quantity (rarity ie small artisanal families vs larger corporate operations, aging 12 or more months). Both of which drive price differences, hence why some wheels cost hundreds of dollars and others cost thousands. I admit that I’m no PR expert and I’m not saying I could tell the differences, but I simply Can’t fathom that the baseline EU regulatory requirements for making PR are also the limits of those cheese makers capabilities, and there has to be a “good, better, best” within subset, which leads to the aforementioned price differences.

In the end, it’s probably much like wine (or anything else). There’s reasons some bottles are more expensive, and it’s usually a combination of marketing, quality, supply, and retail economics.

Mechanicallvlan t1_j76hhio wrote on February 4, 2023 at 1:18 PM

>In the end, it’s probably much like wine (or anything else). There’s reasons some bottles are more expensive

From Food & Wine Magazine:

>But despite the fact that more than 330 dairies hand-produce Parmigiano-Reggiano, all of these cheeses taste surprisingly similar. That's because the methods of production are so tightly regulated. By contrast, with French wines, for example, you'd pay close attention to the winery, even with bottles from the exact same appellation. But with Parmigiano-Reggiano, the producer is of less importance. Either the Consortium approved it or it didn't, and if it did, you're getting quality cheese.