{"id":3430,"date":"2019-12-28T01:27:14","date_gmt":"2019-12-28T01:27:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betterfood.co\/?p=3430"},"modified":"2021-12-24T10:26:31","modified_gmt":"2021-12-24T10:26:31","slug":"how-to-grate-cheese-in-a-food-processor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betterfood.co\/how-to-grate-cheese-in-a-food-processor\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Grate Cheese In a Food Processor (with video!)"},"content":{"rendered":"
Food processors are such multi-purpose kitchen tools. One of my favorite features of my own Cuisinart food processor? It came with a shredding disc specifically for grating cheese!<\/p>\n
No more buying bags of pre-shredded cheese from the grocery store. Now, you too can save a little money and eat a little healthier. I\u2019ll cover exactly how to use a food processor to shred your own cheese at home. <\/p>\n
What do I mean by a little healthier?<\/p>\n
Let me explain. When you purchase already shredded cheese from the store, the ingredient list is a little longer than simply \u201ccheese.\u201d To extend the life of the product companies add preservatives. Sometimes they add artificial colors, sugar, salt, or vegetable oil as well. And to prevent the cheese from sticking together once shredded? They add an ingredient that may surprise you.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the deal\u2026<\/p>\n
Well, real cheese is processed cheese. Meaning that cheese-making itself is a process. However, there are large differences between what we think of as natural cheese and what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labels a processed cheese.<\/p>\n
To put it simply, real <\/em>cheese is made of natural ingredients. Milk, salt, and sometimes some natural colors. Real cheese does not contain whey<\/strong>, because it is removed in the cheesemaking process. Real cheese is most frequently sold in block form. <\/p>\n Processed cheese is a cheese product. Meaning it can be made from one single cheese or a blend of several kinds of cheese. These cheeses may be solid or powdered and usually, they still contain whey. Fats, oils, salts, spices, and even artificial colors are often added to pasteurized process cheese. Then they add an emulsifier (a substance that stabilizes an emulsion) to stabilize the cheese product while it is heated and then poured into a mold. Processed cheese is sold in slices, blocks, and spray cans. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n As weird as it sounds\u2014yes, there might be wood<\/em> in your pre-packaged shredded cheese!<\/p>\n Have you ever wondered \u201cWhat is the white stuff on my shredded cheese?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Check out the back of a package of shredded cheese and you\u2019ll see an ingredient called \u201ccellulose.\u201d Cellulose often comes from wood pulp and its purpose in your bag of cheese is to keep it from sticking together. It doesn\u2019t always come from wood though, cellulose can be made from any non-digestible plant fiber. <\/p>\n So, is cellulose in cheese bad for you?<\/p>\n Not necessarily. It\u2019s non-toxic so it\u2019s legal to put in foods and so far there are no known harmful side effects. <\/p>\n So, is it better to grate your own cheese? I vote yes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s best for your health to avoid eating much overly-processed food, so in this regard, block cheese is better for you than (pre) shredded cheese. <\/p>\n Now if you\u2019d prefer to skip out on potentially eating sawdust too, it\u2019s time to get friendlier with your food processor! If you do the final process yourself at home\u2014the shredding\u2014you can skip out on the last round of food additives.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a quick video tutorial for how to shred cheese in your food processor. I prefer grating cheese in a Cuisinart food processor, but you can use a Kitchenaid, a Hamilton Beach, a Black & Decker, or even a Ninja blender (though in that case, you\u2019ll get more cheese \u201cblobs\u201d than shreds unless you have their new grating attachment).<\/p>\n You will need a shredding disc<\/strong> and a stem adapter<\/strong> in addition to your working bowl and lid.<\/p>\n Refrain from grating and freezing fancy little wedge cheeses such as stilton, goat cheeses, gouda, or gorgonzola. Most soft cheeses won\u2019t grate well.I hope my video plus tips have you feeling confident in your own cheese-shredding skills. Now you can grate your own cheese, in your own food processor, and keep it from sticking!<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n This is the shredding disc<\/p>\n Here I will grate a block of medium cheddar cheese. But you can use your food processor to grate almost any cheese you like\u2014mozzarella, Parmesan, Colby, etc.<\/p>\n <iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/w4tFMyvNpdM” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n My freshly-shredded cheddar cheese<\/p>\n This is the easiest way to grate cheese in my opinion. Handheld cheese graters are tiresome to use since they take longer and they can be a pain to clean.<\/p>\n Now that you\u2019ve got your block grated down into delicious ready-to-eat shreds, it\u2019s time to talk storage. A common question among at-home cheese shredders is \u201cWhy does grated cheese stick together?\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s because of the high moisture content <\/strong>in the cheese. Now before you go adding your own sawdust, here\u2019s another idea.<\/p>\n Kitchen Tip:<\/span><\/strong> Try adding 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch to your bag (or container) of shredded cheese and give it a thorough shake to evenly distribute.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re using all the cheese immediately, you can probably skip the cornstarch.<\/p>\n Another common question is, \u201cHow do you shred and freeze cheese?\u201d We\u2019ve already covered the shredding part now here are some tips for freezing cheese.<\/p>\n There are many reasons to use your food processor to grate your own cheese. Maybe you have a few blocks that are approaching their expiration dates and need to shred and freeze them. Or maybe you are on the keto diet<\/strong> and cheese is your bestie so you like to keep a big stash on hand. Possibly you just want to cut down on processed food <\/em>for your health (a wise choice!). Perhaps it\u2019s all three of those reasons!<\/p>\n I hope my video plus tips have you feeling confident in your own cheese-shredding skills. Now you can grate your own cheese, in your own food processor, and <\/em>keep it from sticking!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Food processors are such multi-purpose kitchen tools. One of my favorite features of my own Cuisinart food processor? It came with a shredding disc specifically for grating cheese! No more buying bags of pre-shredded cheese from the grocery store. Now, you too can save a little money and eat a little healthier. I\u2019ll cover exactly … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3451,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,22],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nDoes shredded cheese have wood in it?<\/h2>\n
<\/h2>\n
Ready, Set, Shred!<\/h2>\n
<\/h2>\n
Storing your freshly-grated cheese<\/h2>\n
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<\/h2>\n
A Very Cheesy Conclusion<\/h2>\n