Best cheese for pasta
Parmigiano-Reggiano is the cheese to grate over pasta. Pecorino Romano is the sharper sheep's-milk choice.
Dry enough to grate
The cheese should fall in dry flakes. Hard pressed cheeses do this. A fresh cheese clumps. A soft bloomy cheese cannot be grated.
Cow or sheep
Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano are cow's milk. Pecorino Romano is sheep's milk and saltier. Match the sauce.
The cheeses
- Parmigiano-ReggianoHard pressed cow's milk. Dry enough to grate over a finished dish.
- Pecorino RomanoHard pressed sheep's milk. A grating cheese for a tomato sauce.
- Grana PadanoHard pressed cow's milk. A grating cheese in the same job as Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- ComtéHard pressed cow's milk from France. Grate it over the finished pasta.
A poor fit
Questions
- What cheese is best to grate over pasta?
- Parmigiano-Reggiano. Pecorino Romano is the saltier sheep's-milk choice.
- Can you grate Brie over pasta?
- No. Brie is a soft bloomy cheese. Use a hard cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano.