Cheese please
June 21, 2022 6:34 AM Subscribe
We love parmesan cheese. Unfortunately, we've now moved to a place that doesn't have this yummy cheese easily available for purchase at local stores. Where is there a good / decently priced that we can order online parmesan cheese? Personal recommendations preferred.
Our exposure to parmesean has been whatever is available at the local Whole Foods -- so prolly we have not been eating the super premium stuff. We don't have a Costco membership (so ordering that entire wheel to ourselves is not an option).
It'd be great to buy parmesean in larger quantities, e.g., 1/4 or 1/8 of a wheel. We're based in Washington, so... if we can order from a more local source (whatever that means), that'd be preferred.
Please share your recommendations for places you've personally used.
Our exposure to parmesean has been whatever is available at the local Whole Foods -- so prolly we have not been eating the super premium stuff. We don't have a Costco membership (so ordering that entire wheel to ourselves is not an option).
It'd be great to buy parmesean in larger quantities, e.g., 1/4 or 1/8 of a wheel. We're based in Washington, so... if we can order from a more local source (whatever that means), that'd be preferred.
Please share your recommendations for places you've personally used.
Best answer: If I have to buy nice parmesan online I’ve used Zingermans before, usually during a sale, but they only sell smaller sizes (0.5 to 1lb usually).
posted by aramaic at 7:09 AM on June 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by aramaic at 7:09 AM on June 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
I lived in a place without Parmesan. We ordered it online! I found it on Amazon but I’m sure there’s better options. It arrived vacuum sealed with an ice pack in a styrofoam case. Buying 1kg at a time was cheaper and I’d cut it into manageable chunks and wrap them all in paper in a glass container at the back of the fridge.
posted by dazedandconfused at 7:13 AM on June 21, 2022
posted by dazedandconfused at 7:13 AM on June 21, 2022
If you are close to Trade Joes, they have an amazing, broad selection of affordable cheeses, often local. It's probably the best you can get in Washington!
But, if I was your relative and you said you really wanted a costco membership as a gift, I would very happily send it your way.
posted by bbqturtle at 7:31 AM on June 21, 2022
But, if I was your relative and you said you really wanted a costco membership as a gift, I would very happily send it your way.
posted by bbqturtle at 7:31 AM on June 21, 2022
Best answer: Seconding Murray’s. I go there in person a couple of times a month and they’re great. (Quaintly enough, I sent a Murray’s package to a couple of friend of mine who lived in Ann Arbor, where Zingerman’s is, and even they were impressed with it.)
posted by holborne at 7:32 AM on June 21, 2022
posted by holborne at 7:32 AM on June 21, 2022
Best answer: If you have the inclination, it's not THAT hard to make your own parmesan-type cheese...
posted by kschang at 7:35 AM on June 21, 2022
posted by kschang at 7:35 AM on June 21, 2022
Isn't Murray's owned by Kroger now? I guess it doesn't matter, if they still sell the good stuff, but I'm always hesitant when these kinds of places get acquired by megacorps.
posted by primethyme at 7:37 AM on June 21, 2022
posted by primethyme at 7:37 AM on June 21, 2022
I get Murray's at my local Kroger, and I've had them break the wheel in front of me and wrap some to go.
posted by deezil at 7:55 AM on June 21, 2022
posted by deezil at 7:55 AM on June 21, 2022
Is there no Fred Meyer or Safeway near you? I'd be surprised if they didn't have the same brand or similar in their fancy cheese case. They always have one, usually with Murray's cheeses (FM) or many flavors of Boursin. It might not be well stocked with the shortages right now, and in the smaller towns they can be pretty small.
posted by fiercekitten at 7:56 AM on June 21, 2022
posted by fiercekitten at 7:56 AM on June 21, 2022
Best answer: It was mentioned at the top, but I have had a good experience ordering from Formaggio Kitchen. They are expensive, but everything has been great.
posted by phil at 8:40 AM on June 21, 2022
posted by phil at 8:40 AM on June 21, 2022
World Market does an online business and sells foods. I love their pastas. Busiati is my new fave.
posted by Oyéah at 11:20 AM on June 21, 2022
posted by Oyéah at 11:20 AM on June 21, 2022
Response by poster: Thanks all! I'll probably be placing an order from jocelmeow's recommendations.... and maybe attempting to make a wheel when we're feeling super ambitious.
posted by ellerhodes at 1:21 PM on June 21, 2022
posted by ellerhodes at 1:21 PM on June 21, 2022
Best answer: Washington? I have heard good things about the Cheesemonger's Shop in Leavenworth, but I haven't been myself; they do sell parmigiano reggiano by the half pound for shipping, so if you're relatively nearby, I would inquire with them directly if you want a bigger chunk of a wheel. Beecher's is the bigger name locally, but they don't have parmesan or parmigiano reggiano for shipping afaict, they mostly specialize in selling their own cheeses.
Seconding the shoutout to Formaggio Kitchen; they were my local cheesemonger when we lived in Boston, and I love and miss them dearly since we moved.
If smaller independent is important to you (you mention preferring to support a local vendor, so this aspect often cross-tracks), you should know that Kroger bought Murray's Cheeses about five years ago.
posted by Pandora Kouti at 3:12 PM on June 21, 2022
Seconding the shoutout to Formaggio Kitchen; they were my local cheesemonger when we lived in Boston, and I love and miss them dearly since we moved.
If smaller independent is important to you (you mention preferring to support a local vendor, so this aspect often cross-tracks), you should know that Kroger bought Murray's Cheeses about five years ago.
posted by Pandora Kouti at 3:12 PM on June 21, 2022
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Murray's Cheese
Ideal Cheese
Formaggio Kitchen
Zingerman's
...though admittedly I was on the East Coast and these are all east of the Mississippi; perhaps another turophile will have suggestions for the West that wouldn't charge you quite as much shipping.
posted by jocelmeow at 7:08 AM on June 21, 2022 [7 favorites]