Freshly Grated Cheeses Only
Something has always bothered me when I’m watching a cooking video and the creator tells me to use freshly grated cheese. They never explain why they think using freshly grated cheese is better, and it sounds so pretentious.
Well, dear reader, I finally discovered why it bothers me: I wasn’t getting the full story.
As someone who doesn’t own a cheese grater, I didn’t want to think that using freshly grated cheese in my recipes would make that big of a difference, taste-wise or quality-wise.
I already knew that the pre-grated cheese I buy at the store is coated in starch to keep the cheese from conglomerating and to preserve it for longer. And what do these content creators add to their cheese sauces? Flour. A starch. To make a roux.
Making a roux is supposed to add flavor to your recipes, but the first time I made mac and cheese for my boyfriend, I must have made it wrong because it was the most flavorless mac and cheese I’ve ever had.
Nowadays, I stick to making the cheese sauce with butter, milk, and 2-3 pre-grated cheeses. The starches that coat the cheese help thicken the sauce, and it still tastes amazing.
But, like I said earlier, that’s not the full story.
While pre-grated cheeses are often coated in a starch, they are also coated in preservatives. Preservatives aren’t inherently bad, but it’s the ones found in ultra-processed foods (that we regularly eat) that aren’t doing us any good.
The preservatives often used in grated cheese are cellulose, calcium sulfate, and natamycin. Cellulose isn’t harmful in small quantities, and natamycin is a mold inhibitor. Calcium sulfate is the one I had to o a little research on.
Calcium sulfate is regularly used in the food industry and is obviously FDA approved for the foods it is used in, but with different levels of hydration in the compound, calcium sulfate becomes gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O) or plaster (CaSO4·1/2H2O).
Sulfates aren’t the best for you, either. As I mentioned in my Epsom Salt article, high concentrations of sulfates are harmful, but low concentrations of sulfates can be found in a lot of products, ranging from the food industry to the beauty industry. Plus, the amount of sulfates in the air has actually decreased over the years.
Here is an image of the ingredients in Great Value brand grated cheese from my refrigerator. As you can see, it doesn’t contain any sulfates, but always check if you’re worried about it, because it may vary for different types and brands of cheese.
So, I understand why people might not want to use pre-grated cheese, especially if they are feeding it to their children. However, the levels of sulfates found in everyday food and other products are low.
I say use the pre-grated cheese from the store if you want to. I’ve eaten pre-grated cheese all my life, and I’m still healthy. But, don’t just take my word for it–if you’re still worried about the ingredients in your food, research it for yourself.
All in all, I hope this article helped you make more informed decisions about your cheese.
Have a great day!
Sources:
Brooks, Amelia. “How to Store Freshly Grated Cheese.” Storables, 19 Oct. 2024.
“Calcium Sulfate.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Jan. 2025.
Hickman, Kiersten. “The Hidden Ingredient in Shredded Cheese That’s Destroying Your Recipes.” Eat This Not That, 24 June 2020.
Tarlton, Amanda. “3 Surprising Reasons Why You Should Always Grate Your Own Cheese.” Taste of Home, Taste of Home, 13 Dec. 2022.