Italian Cheeses

Italian Shreds

Performance Foodservice proudly offers a wide array of private brands in its Italian shred category to assure every customer receives the unique flavor profile and high-quality performance they have come to expect.

Features:

• Italian shreds will maintain the features of natural Italian cheeses and any other natural cheese included in the blend such as Cheddar or Monterey Jack
• The percent of each cheese in a blend can determine the browning of a specific dish or pizza
• Available in regular, feather and fancy shreds to reach the needs of every consumer
• Multiple combinations available in multiple brands to satisfy any operator. 

Menu Recommendations:

• Use blends to add dimension to pizzas
• Add shredded blends with other ingredients like black olives, red wine, oregano and basil to ground chuck then bake and serve with a chunky tomato sauce
• Top bruschetta with shredded blends
• Chicken parmigianas, lasagnas and casseroles can achieve new dimension with a unique Italian blend of shreds

Brands that offer Italian Shreds:

Piancone, Ultimo! Cheese, Northland Star, Piancone Crown Jewel, Favoloso, Silver Source, Roma Formaggio Premiato, Raffinato, Assoluti, Assoluti Golden Ribbon Pizza Cheese, Salute!, Roma, and Luigi.

Italian Diced

Features:

• Italian diced products come in a variety of blends to achieve different flavor profiles and browning capabilities
• Diced product traditionally comes in small square cubes made for the same type of purpose as shreds
• Blends consist of primarily Mozzarella cheese with some including Provolone or Cheddar as secondary cheeses to the Mozzarella

Menu Recommendations:

• Diced cheese can be used in the same type of applications as shreds
• The same amount of diced product can be used for a menu item as shreds so it is a great alternative for pizzas and pasta dishes
• Excellent for faster prep on pizzas; diced products come in a wide array of blends offering versatility with a number of unique flavor profiles and performance.

Brands that offer Italian Diced:

Northland Star, Piancone Crown Jewel, Roma, Salute!, Favoloso, and Assoluti Golden Ribbon Pizza Cheese

Italian Prints/Loaves

Rectangular in shape, prints or loaves are extremely versatile, easy to cut and have a consistent texture. Typically there is less waste with this type of cheese because it has multiple uses, including shredding, cubing, and slicing.

Features:

• Mozzarella products traditionally possess a delicate, milky flavor with a smooth, plastic texture.
• Whole milk Mozzarella is richer in taste with excellent melting properties
• Part skim Mozzarella browns faster than Mozzarella made with whole milk
• Provolone is a full flavor cheese that intensifies and sharpens with age
• Provolone is commonly produced with a smoked and unsmoked flavor profile
• Prints and loaves are excellent for both shredding and slicing capabilities

Menu Recommendations:

• Goes well with other cheeses to add dimension to pizzas
• Gives an Italian flair to traditional meatloaf
• Goes well with tomatoes, cured meats, black olives, pesto and roasted red peppers

Brands that offer Italian Prints/Loaves:

Piancone Crown Jewel, Roma, Raffinato, Assoluti Golden Ribbon Pizza Cheese, Roma Formaggio Premiato, Silver Source

Italian Hard-Style

A hard cheese is lower in moisture than most other cheeses and is typically available shredded or grated. These cheese can be used in the front or back of the house.

Features:

• Asiago develops a sharp, buttery and nutty flavor when it is aged and turns to a hard, granular texture
• Parmesan maintains a sweet, buttery, nutty flavor that intesifies with age; it is always aged over 10 months
• Romano products possess a sharp, tangy, assertive flavor
• Made with part-skim cow’s milk, Romano is creamy white in color with a hard, granular
  texture

Menu Recommendations:

• Use grated Asiago over flat bread dough and bake as usual for a distinguished taste
• Use grated hard Italian cheeses over salads, soups, vegetables, pasta and pizza
• Add grated Parmesan to hot garlic mashed potatoes or risotto or serve chunks drizzled with a good quality balsamic vinegar
• Hard Italian cheeses can be added to the breading used to coat chicken, fish or vegetables
• Goes well with apples, pears, figs, dried fruits, pasta and rice

Brands that offer Italian Hard-Style:

Roma, Raffinato, Assoluti Golden Ribbon Pizza Cheese, West Creek