Grated cheese: blind test evaluates the main brands – 08/30/2029 – Food
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At home or in restaurants, it is common to serve pasta dishes accompanied by grated cheese. There are places that even serve soups and broths with this ingredient available, and there are those who like to use it in movie popcorn, pizza and even the classic plate bread. A trip to the supermarket can show a good supply of Parmesan in this form.
Because of this, ten brands of grated cheese easily found in supermarkets, emporiums and online stores were blindly evaluated. The test is part of the Folha Prova evaluation section, which offers the reader a purchase and use guide — white wine, coffee, Brazilian olive oils, hazelnut cream and frozen cheese bread were topics already covered. The result is not a ranking, but a list that evaluates strengths and weaknesses.
“In the industry, the cheese is usually grated because it was defective. If there is a problem with the piece and it cannot be used for sale, they cut it to be grated. A perfect cheese will never be grated in the industry”, says master cheese maker Martina Sgarbi , one of the guests for the tasting.
“It’s not always just the parmesan. Sometimes they add more than one cheese that causes a problem. It’s important to pay attention to that.”
Cheese consistency, flavor, texture and smell were evaluated. Following the guidelines of another master cheese maker, Júlio Abrahão, who specializes in consulting for brands, the participants tasted pure grated cheese, even though most people buy the product to serve as a side dish or to compose recipes. “It’s ideal for the palate,” he says.
Participating in the jury were teacher Camila de Barros, 35, writer João Ricardo Dias, 42, theater director Victoria Ariante, 32, and journalist Wallace Toledo, 39. The group was completed by chef and cheesemaker Martina Sgarbi. The tasting took place at the Wilma Kövesi de Cozinha School, in the Pinheiros neighborhood, in the western region of São Paulo.
Carrefour Classic
Opinions were unanimous as to the texture of the grated cheese. The judges said that they needed to chew a lot and that the taste was not as pleasant. “It is deceiving, because the first time you eat it it doesn’t seem so salty, but it gets salty, it’s not tasty at all”, said teacher Camila de Barros. “It tastes like plastic,” said Martina Sgarbi.
Price: BRL 6.99 (50 g) at Market.carrefour.com.br
Blue strip
“It’s closer to my memory of Sunday lunches”, said writer João Ricardo Dias, who pointed out that the brand would be his best choice for a basic meal. Wallace Toledo and Camila de Barros agreed. “If I bought it, I wouldn’t be upset,” said the teacher. But the amount of additives made the cheese seem very dry and not very tasty in the perception of Victoria Ariante and Martina Sgarbi, who called attention to the rancid taste that remained in the mouth.
Price: BRL 19.10 (100 g) at Casa Santa Luzia or BRL 15.90 (100 g) at paodeacucar.com
Gran Formaggio
Another unanimity, the grated cheese from the Gran Formaggio brand was what most pleased the group in all aspects, such as flavor —it seemed less artificial— and even in its aesthetic aspect, considered the most beautiful of the selection. In Martina Sgarbi’s opinion, that’s what really takes the grated parmesan and with a natural, more smoked flavor.
Price: BRL 10.49 (50 g) at Oba Hortifruti or BRL 16.90 (100 g) at paodeacucar.com
La Serenissima
The smell of eggs and the taste of flour were the opinions about the brand’s grated cheese from Argentina. The group pointed out that, among all the brands tested, this was the one that had the most grated cheese and also the most bitter and salty flavor.
Price: R$6.99 (50 g) at Natural da Terra or R$6.90 (50 g) at St. Marche
Mococa
The brand founded and headquartered in the municipality of Mococa, in the interior of São Paulo, showed, in the group’s view, the hardest, saltiest and most strikingly smelling grated cheese — the fault of the excessive amount of flavorings, in the view of Sgarbi, the master – cheese. The texture didn’t like the majority either. “You can’t taste the cheese, it’s just salt,” said Camila de Barros.
Price: BRL 3.65 (40 g) at Assaí Supermercados
President
The artificial taste and the very strong smell were the most cited characteristics of the brand of French origin. “It’s very rancid and has a vegetable-like taste,” Sgarbi said. The unpleasant texture was another point raised by the group. “It goes down the throat like it’s tearing, it’s not pleasant,” said Wallace Toledo. “You feel it down your throat.”
Price: BRL 6.59 (50 g) at probedelivery.com.br or BRL 6.98 at the Hirota market.
Relic of Canasta
Good appearance was the first characteristic that stood out in the brand’s grated cheese produced at Sítio do Recanto do Queijo, in Minas Gerais. Larger pieces and the smell closer to parmesan cheese were also highlighted, but the taste was perceived as excessively salty, not to mention the harder texture, more difficult to chew.
Price: R$14.99 (100 g) at Market Violeta.
Renata
The strong smell, as if it were artificial, was a point that drew attention in the group’s opinion. “It’s very simple, the kind you would put on top of something to try to solve a problem like food that was burnt or pasta that went too long to cook,” said Ariante. For Sgarbi, branded grated cheese would not be recommended. “It went through the machine several times to get it crumbly, and it has a rancid, artificial taste.”
Price: BRL 6.49 (50 g) at Oxxo.
Canasta Valley
The texture was good, although the cheese felt the wettest of all. The general perception was that it takes time to dissolve in the mouth, it is salty and, even so, hard. For Ariante, it is reminiscent of a cheese snack, while for Camila de Barros, what caught the most attention was its very marked taste of salt.
Price: BRL 13.59 (100 g) at Market Violeta or BRL 4.49 (40 g) at wholesale.com.br
Force
One of the most popular brands in supermarkets, it was rated as bland by the group due to its lack of cheese taste and smell. “That’s bad, because the cheese has to smell. In addition to being hard, you can’t chew it and it doesn’t taste like parmesan,” said Sgardbi. The strong color and dry texture also emerged. “It’s a yellow dye that has no taste,” said Toledo. For Ariante it could be ideal to mix in some other dish for the texture, but not for the flavor. “It’s pretty, but it’s not funny.”
Price: BRL 9.91 (100 g) at Carrefour or BRL 15.49 (100 g) at paodeacucar.com
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