What to use instead of parmesan
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Salty savoury seasoning grated over a finished dish
Two years of ageing breaks much of the protein down into free glutamate, so it behaves like a seasoning that happens to be cheese.
Grana PadanoRan out
1:1
Milder and less crystalline because it is aged for less time. Cheaper, and it melts a little more readily.
Pecorino RomanoRan out
3/4 the amount
Much saltier and sharper with a clear sheep note. Cut the salt in the dish or it will be inedible.
Aged gouda or a long-aged cheddarRan out
1:1
Sweeter and fattier, and it melts into puddles instead of staying as a dusting. Good on soup, wrong on pasta.
Nutritional yeastPlant-based
3 tbsp + 1/4 tsp salt per 1/4 cup grated parmesan
Savoury and cheesy-smelling with no fat and no melt at all. It sits on the surface as a powder and dulls if it goes into hot liquid.
What doesn't work: Pre-grated shaker parmesan. It is coated with cellulose or starch to stop it caking, so it refuses to melt, sits on the pasta as sandy grit and thickens a sauce into paste.
Emulsifier and body in a pasta sauce
Its protein and fat bind with the starch in the pasta water into a smooth coating. Too much heat and the protein tightens and the fat splits out.
Pecorino RomanoRan out
3/4 the amount
Emulsifies the same and tastes far sharper. It breaks more readily, so keep the pan off the heat while you toss.
Grana PadanoRan out
1:1
Slightly softer and milder, and it comes together with less effort.
Cashew cream with nutritional yeastPlant-based
1/4 cup cashew cream + 2 tbsp nutritional yeast per 1/2 cup grated parmesan
Coats the pasta convincingly and thickens as it stands, so loosen it with pasta water. Sweeter, and it will not string or crisp.
What doesn't work: Mozzarella or another young melting cheese. Too much moisture and stretchy casein, so it strings into a lump around the tongs and leaves the sauce thin and greasy underneath.
Keep the rinds. Dropped into a soup or a sauce they give you the savoury depth without any grating.