Grated Emmental cheese isn't just cheese; manufacturers also add potato
As a child, you used to grate cheese yourself with your grandmother's grater. The shredded bits would fall directly into your steaming plate of pasta and melt almost instantly. You think back on it with a touch of nostalgia…
In packages of grated cheese, French law allows "up to 2% potato starch," explains cheesemaker Pierre Coulon on France Inter radio. The reason? Primarily economic. Indeed, "It's not a bad idea to sell potatoes at the price of cheese!" he remarks to François-Régis Gaudry. Because while 2% may seem negligible in a 200g package, the economies of scale are very real for manufacturers: with an average of 240,000 tons produced annually, Emmental is "the most produced cheese in France," he emphasizes. But that's not the only explanation. Beyond lowering the cost of the finished product, the starch serves a crucial purpose: it's what's known as an "anti-caking agent," the expert explains. In other words, it prevents the cheese from clumping together into the dreaded, sticky mass of grated cheese. Indeed, for economic reasons, the cheese used by manufacturers is often very young and therefore more "moist," adds Olivier Dauvers, consumer expert on RTL. Thanks to its drying effect, the starch prevents the Emmental strands from clumping together, explain the professionals. This ingredient poses no health risk and, on the contrary, helps preserve the cheese. However, it does tend to dry it out. In addition to being younger and less flavorful, the cheese will therefore be a little harder to melt. Between saving time and the result on the plate, it's up to you to decide what you prefer!
This starch isn't added by chance: its main purpose is to keep the cheese strands separated in the bag. A handy little industrial boost, which also explains why packaged grated cheese never quite has the same texture as freshly grated cheese.
