I wonder whether the cheese would ripen better and get better structure, less defects/voids, if it were subjected to the sound vibrations from Italian opera singing records playing during those months of ripening.
Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?
131–140 of 166 posts
Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?
#132Earlier quoted context omitted.
It wouldn't. Not for now It's not only the sound, it's the sound, the bounce, the response to different strengths, the smell, the color. Humans are multimodal, machines are not, yet. The moment we have a Michelin star level robot cook, then we can start thinking about automating this kind of stuff. For now, we have better results with humans! Italians have absolutely zero problems replacing manual processes with tech…
Preparing a Michelin star worthy meal is orders of magnitude harder than checking a cheese for defects.
It requires the same basic modality
Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?
#133Earlier quoted context omitted.
I can’t really rate cheeses on a scale; A 36-months comté or emmental has very different flavours from a 36-months Parmigiano and I wouldn’t rate one "better" than the other. Like any good cheese, I agree that Parmigiano Reggiano is best eaten on its own. I’m French and something that surprise me is that both Italy and France have very good cheeses, but only in France we eat cheese on its own as part of the meal: the…
> (at least in my experience) at home people don’t really eat cheese on its own. that's sad. i love at home charcuterie boards and a nice bottle of wine. while much more fancy that what my dad did. I did grew up with blocks of cheese pretty much always available as he loved cheese. and no, we're not from Wisconsin
This is such an underrated experience - a bottle of wine (doesn't even have to be particularly expensive, just pleasant), some cheeses, maybe a few slices of sausage or cold cuts, maybe a baguette or a salty cracker. Jazz or perhaps a some easy listening music in the background - pure bliss! The best things in life cost so little and yet are so perfect.
Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?
#134Earlier quoted context omitted.
I can’t really rate cheeses on a scale; A 36-months comté or emmental has very different flavours from a 36-months Parmigiano and I wouldn’t rate one "better" than the other. Like any good cheese, I agree that Parmigiano Reggiano is best eaten on its own. I’m French and something that surprise me is that both Italy and France have very good cheeses, but only in France we eat cheese on its own as part of the meal: the…
Why do you think this happens? In America eating cheese by itself is usually seen as a very fancy activity. I can’t think of the last time I had a spread of just cheese in the US, and it was probably a fancy place.
But it doesn't need to be! If you want to put out a nice charcuterie and cheese spread for a social occasion, you have so many options at multiple price points. You can make a great spread with even a generic cheddar, colby, "mozerella" etc. If you've got a restaurant supply store near you, bet you can find some basic sausages, salami, etc that won't break the ban on a charcuterie board. I've seen $20 spreads and $200+ spreads, and while they were different, each made the guests happy.
Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?
#135There's just something incredible about a skill that exists entirely in someone's ears and hands, passed down person-to-person, not taught in a classroom, not automated, not optimized - just learned over time standing next to someone wiser than you
Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?
#136Cheese, not the kind that comes in plastic bags, is incredibly cool and delicious. It is nothing like what most people think of as cheese. There are some youtube videos about people making artisanal cheeses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM102CO8JL0 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImpROVueIcE Kids! Do this at home!!! I've been making cheese at home for the last year. It is hard - but not as hard as programming…
What do you do with the whey? I make paneer at home and use the whey to make chapati (bread).
Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?
#137This reminded me of the story about Charles Proteus Steinmetz diagnosing the problem inside a generator at Henry Ford's auto plant just by listening to it very carefully. "Ford, whose electrical engineers couldn’t solve some problems they were having with a gigantic generator, called Steinmetz in to the plant. Upon arriving, Steinmetz rejected all assistance and asked only for a notebook, pencil and cot. According to…
Funny how both cheese tapping and generator listening come down to the same core skill: quiet mastery built from experience, not textbooks
Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?
#138I am glad that this continues to be done by hand, and expect, based on Italian attitudes towards food and tradition, that it will continue being done by hand for another hundred years. It is interesting how important it seems to us that jobs like this remain done in the traditional way. For all their expertise, I am sure a technical solution would also easily be able to detect what they are looking for: voids within…
Tradition isn't just nostalgia - sometimes it's a protective layer against that slippery slope toward mediocrity disguised as efficiency
Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?
#139This reminded me of the story about Charles Proteus Steinmetz diagnosing the problem inside a generator at Henry Ford's auto plant just by listening to it very carefully. "Ford, whose electrical engineers couldn’t solve some problems they were having with a gigantic generator, called Steinmetz in to the plant. Upon arriving, Steinmetz rejected all assistance and asked only for a notebook, pencil and cot. According to…
How much is the legal obligation to pay such a bill, legally speaking? It sounds like they hadn't agreed on a figure beforehand, so could he have billed an arbitrary amount (say, a million dollars) and would Ford have been required to pay that too? What is the limit?
Re: Why Tap a Wheel of Cheese?
#140Probably I'm biased because I'm Italian and I grew up eating them, but Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano are hands down the best cheeses there can be. Many people know and consume them only grated on pasta dishes, but they are especially delicious on their own with some good bread or grilled polenta. Also, the crust can be chopped up and added to risotto (as you're cooking it) and they turn into wonderful little c…
I didn't grow up with it like you did, but the first time I tried a chunk of it on its own with a little honey and bread… game over.