Andy Montoya
Lidia Bastianich, the host of several shows, including Lidia's Italian Kitchen, has a deep and comprehensive knowledge of Italian cuisine. She has a clear affection for cheese, which is evident in her dairy-heavy recipes such as Montasio cheese crisps, pizza rolls with ricotta, and home-style lasagna. Bastianich is a big fan of Grana Padano, which she describes as her favorite grated cheese. Grana Padano is a mild, nutty-tasting aged cow's milk cheese with a granular texture, similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano. It is a popular choice in Italian households due to its versatility, and Bastianich recommends grating it over pasta just before serving to conserve all of its aromas and flavors.
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Lidia Bastianich's favourite grated cheese is Grana Padano
Lidia Bastianich, the host of several shows, including "Lidia's Italian Kitchen", has a clear affection for cheese. Bastianich is a big fan of Grana Padano, which she has described as her "favourite grated cheese". Grana Padano is a mild, nutty-tasting aged cow's milk cheese with a granular texture. Its versatility makes it a popular choice in Italian households, including Bastianich's.
When asked about her go-to soup recipe that uses Grana Padano, Bastianich told Taste of Home, "I always tell everyone to buy chunks of cheese. None of that grated cheese works because it loses some of the flavour. Get a chunk." This advice applies to pretty much any type of cheese. In a different article, Taste of Home points out that pre-grated varieties don't melt as evenly as freshly grated cheese, are more expensive, and may contain anti-clumping additives such as potato starch.
However, Bastianich does recommend grating Grana Padano over pasta just before serving, rather than when it's still on the stove. "You don't want to cook the cheese," she explained. "Instead, you want the cheese to kind of fold in and melt in because then you conserve all of the aromas and flavour of the cheese at its best." As for how much Grana Padano she adds, Bastianich says you can never have too much.
Grana Padano can be used in a variety of recipes: folded into risotto, used in stews, and, of course, showered atop pasta. It is also used in macaroni and cheese recipes, where it is combined with fontina and cheddar and melted into milk.
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She recommends grating it over pasta just before serving
When it comes to grated cheese, Lidia Bastianich, the well-respected chef, restaurant owner, cookbook author, and television host, has a clear favourite: Grana Padano. Known for her deep and comprehensive knowledge of Italian cuisine, Bastianich argues that Grana Padano is the best cheese to finish off pasta dishes.
Grana Padano is a hard Italian cheese with a nutty flavour and a granular texture. It is made from aged cow's milk and is similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bastianich recommends grating it over pasta just before serving, rather than when it's still on the stove. She explains that "you don't want to cook the cheese... Instead, you want the cheese to kind of fold in and melt in because then you conserve all of the aromas and flavour of the cheese at its best."
Grana Padano is versatile and popular in Italian households. Its mild, milky flavour and aroma go well with milder sauces from the north of Italy. It can enhance the dish by adding another layer of flavour. Bastianich also recommends buying a chunk of cheese and grating it yourself, rather than using pre-grated cheese, as it melts more evenly and retains more flavour.
In addition to pasta, Grana Padano can be used in a variety of recipes. Bastianich has featured it in recipes for Montasio cheese crisps, pizza rolls with ricotta, and home-style lasagna. It can be folded into risotto or used in stews.
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Grana Padano is a nutty-tasting aged cow's milk cheese
Grana Padano is versatile and popular in Italian households, including Bastianich's. It works well in a variety of recipes: folded into risotto, used in stews, and, of course, showered atop pasta. Bastianich recommends grating it over pasta just before serving, rather than when it's still on the stove. This is because, according to Bastianich, "you don't want to cook the cheese... you want the cheese to kind of fold in and melt in because then you conserve all of the aromas and flavor of the cheese at its best".
Grana Padano is a mild cheese that adds another layer of flavor to pasta. Bastianich says you can never have too much of it. When grated over pasta, it is more than just cheesiness that is added; it brings another dimension of flavor. Its versatility extends to soups as well, with Bastianich recommending the use of Grana Padano chunks over grated cheese in her go-to soup recipe. This is because grated cheese loses some of its flavor and does not melt as evenly as cheese grated at home.
Grana Padano is also used in Lidia's macaroni and cheese recipe, where it is combined with fontina and cheddar, and then whisked over medium-low heat until the cheese melts.
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Bastianich says to avoid pre-grated cheese and always buy chunks
While Lidia Bastianich is a big fan of Grana Padano, which she has described as her "favorite grated cheese", she has a specific rule about how you should select your cheese. Bastianich says to avoid pre-grated cheese and always buy chunks.
In a post on the Lidia's Italy blog, Bastianich explains that Grana Padano is a mild cheese with a granular texture. Its versatility makes it a popular choice in Italian households. When you add Grana Padano to pasta, it's more than just cheesiness you're adding—you're also adding another layer of flavor. Bastianich recommends grating Grana Padano over pasta just before serving, rather than when it's still on the stove. "You don't want to cook the cheese," she explained. "Instead, you want the cheese to kind of fold in and melt in because then you conserve all of the aromas and flavor of the cheese at its best."
Bastianich's advice to avoid pre-grated cheese and buy chunks instead applies to pretty much any type of cheese. Pre-grated varieties don't melt as evenly as cheese grated at home, are more expensive than blocks of cheese, and may contain anti-clumping additives such as potato starch.
In addition to Grana Padano, Bastianich also uses other cheeses in her recipes, such as Montasio, ricotta, fontina, chedder, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. She is known for her deep and comprehensive knowledge of Italian cuisine, having immigrated to the United States from the northeast area of Italy known as Istria as a child.
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She uses Grana Padano in recipes like risotto, stews, and pasta
Lidia Bastianich, the host of several cooking shows including "Lidia's Italian Kitchen", has a clear love for cheese. Bastianich is a big fan of Grana Padano, which she has described as her "favorite grated cheese".
Grana Padano is a mild, nutty-tasting aged cow's milk cheese with a granular texture. Its versatility makes it a popular choice in Italian households. Bastianich recommends grating Grana Padano over pasta just before serving, rather than when it's still cooking. This is because cooking the cheese can cause it to lose its aroma and flavour. She also recommends avoiding pre-grated cheese, as it doesn't melt as evenly and can be more expensive.
Grana Padano can be used in a variety of recipes, including risotto, stews, and pasta. Its mild flavour makes it a good choice for recipes with milder sauces, such as those from northern Italy. When added to pasta, it brings an extra layer of flavour. Bastianich uses Grana Padano in her macaroni and cheese recipe, where it is combined with fontina, cheddar, and milk. She also uses it in her Montasio cheese crisps, where it is melted and then baked to create crispy wafers.
In addition to Grana Padano, Bastianich uses other cheeses in her recipes, such as ricotta in her pizza rolls and mozzarella in her Caprese salad. She also has a rule about how to select your cheese: always buy chunks of cheese instead of grated cheese, as the pre-grated variety can lose some of its flavour and may contain anti-clumping additives.
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Frequently asked questions
Lidia Bastianich, the host of several cooking shows, uses Grana Padano, which she describes as her "favorite grated cheese". She recommends grating it over pasta just before serving, rather than when it's cooking.
Grana Padano is a mild, nutty-tasting aged cow's milk cheese with a granular texture. Bastianich says that its versatility makes it a popular choice in Italian households.
Bastianich has also used Parmigiano-Reggiano, Montasio, ricotta, mozzarella, Gruyere, and cheddar in her recipes.
