When you purchase pre-shredded cheese, the only way to prevent it from clumping and molding is to add potato starch, corn starch, powdered cellulose, and Natamycin. Block cheese remains a whole food without additives or preservatives. Food and nutritional experts all seem to agree that whole foods are better for you.
2) Less expensive. Grating your own cheese from a block of cheese is definitely cheaper than having it pre-shredded.
Freshly Grated Cheese Melts Better
Not only do those preservatives and additives to that bagged shredded cheese help to keep it from sticking together, but the added starches also inhibit the cheese from that creamier, smoother melt you get when you shred your own from a block of cheese.
The shelf life of block cheese is longer than that of shredded cheese. With far more surface area exposed to the enemy (air), shredded cheese is far more susceptible to an early demise and thus has a shorter shelf life than a block of cheese.
It's probably more expensive to grate the cheese than to cut it into blocks. And cleaning the cutting blades would be a lot more involved.
Pre-shredded cheese certainly is convenient, but it's not worth the final result. Pre-grated cheese contains preservatives like potato starch and natamycin, meant to keep the shreds from clumping together in the bag. That also means they don't melt together as well when cooking.
Cheddar cheese commonly comes in 8-ounce blocks. This will be equivalent to about 2 cups when grated.
You don't need to freeze cheese for long before shredding it—in fact, doing so could compromise the flavor and texture. According to our Editorial Director of Food Sarah Carey, 30 minutes is enough time to slightly harden the cheese. Once it's firm, use a box grater and shred the cheese like you normally would.
First things first: “Always double-wrap your cheese – in waxed paper or baking parchment, ideally – and put it in a plastic container lined with dampened kitchen towel or J-cloth.” Then clap on the lid and put it in the top of the fridge – that's where the temperature is usually the most constant, unless you have a ...
The cheese should be firm and very cold, so make sure it is straight out of the refrigerator. If you're shredding soft cheese, like mozzarella, put it in the freezer for 15–20 minutes before shredding. If cheese is too soft or warm, it will clump together.
The cheese will still melt and it will still taste delicious, but it doesn't get QUITE the same texture when you use it in certain recipes. But there are still lots of times using shredded cheese will work just fine!
In the dairy industry, cellulose is used mainly as an anti-caking agent that ensures shredded cheese will “flow and not clump into a ball,” when it's coming out of a shaker. To make the additive, the raw fiber is chemically treated until it's refined to a microcrystalline powder or reconstituted as gum.
It is best to grate, melt, or crumble cheese that has been frozen so the texture differences aren't as noticeable. It usually isn't great when sliced or served cubed on a cheese board after it has been frozen. Melting into casseroles, soups, or other hot dishes such as macaroni and cheese are perfectly fine.
When you look at the ingredient list on the back of a bag of shredded cheddar, you'll almost always find cellulose. It's a common ingredient in pre-shredded cheese, valued for its anti-caking and moisture-absorbing properties. It's not that cellulose itself is bad.
When you purchase pre-shredded cheese, the only way to prevent it from clumping and molding is to add potato starch, corn starch, powdered cellulose, and Natamycin. Block cheese remains a whole food without additives or preservatives. Food and nutritional experts all seem to agree that whole foods are better for you.
It tastes better. Since freshly grated cheese doesn't contain added preservatives and chemicals and since you're shredding it on the spot, it will have a fresher, creamier taste. And fewer additives is always a healthier option.
Look for visual cues such as an extra slimy surface; dark, dry, and cracked areas in a hard cheese; or yellow splotches on a blue cheese (remember, unintended mold doesn't necessarily mean the entire wheel is done for). If the cheese is unopened, bloated packaging can also be an indicator.
Processed Cheese
Typically, processed cheeses like American cheese don't need to be refrigerated either, at least until you open them. Some common examples of these are canned cheese, squeezable cheese, and sealed loaves or blocks of American cheese.
It's best to keep cheese, of all varieties, in a dark, cool and airy space – the vegetable compartment of an average fridge is ideal, as it is not too humid or cold. Cheese should be allowed to breathe, however this needs a little balance to avoid the cheese from drying out, or becoming too humid and sweaty.
When measuring semi-hard cheeses, such as cheddar, Swiss or mozzarella, by weight, it is generally accepted that 4 ounces yields 1 cup shredded cheese, or in answer your question, yes, 8 ounce of shredded cheese will fit into a 2-cup volume measuring cup.
Before overbuying expensive cheese remember that: 1/4 pound cheese = 1 cup grated. 1/3 pound cheese = 1 1/2 cups grated. 1/2 pound cheese = 2 cups grated.
Place a cheese grater or zester on a cutting board. Carefully put pressure on a box grater or set the side of a cheese grater or zester firmly on the cutting board. Take the block of cheese and push firmly against the grain of the cheese grater to shred cheese. Shred as much cheese as needed.