7 smart ways to use leftover cheese

Having leftover cheese is a blessing in disguise: it means you have an immediate incentive to make all of your favourite foods, well, exponentially better.

1. To enrich the breading for pan-fried or baked chicken, add 50 to 75 millilitres (1/4 to 1/3 cup) grated Parmesan cheese to each cup of bread crumbs.
2. For a fun new taste in muffins, add Parmesan cheese. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Sauté four shallots and three garlic cloves in 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) olive oil then set aside to cool. Whisk together 500 grams (two cups) flour, 10 grams (two teaspoons) baking powder, 10 millilitres (two teaspoons) crumbled dried rosemary (or Italian herb seasoning) and two millilitres (1/2 teaspoon) salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk 75 millilitres (1/3 cup) olive oil, the cooled shallot ­mixture, 250 millilitres (one cup) milk, one egg and 75 millilitres (1/3 cup) grated Parmesan cheese. Stir into the dry ingredients until just moistened. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and sprinkle with another 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) grated Parmesan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out almost clean, about 15 minutes.
3. For nifty Parmesan cheese baskets, heat a 25 centimetre (10 inch) nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle about 45 millilitres (three tablespoons) shredded (not grated) best-quality Parmesan cheese over the bottom of the pan, sprinkling more in the centre for stability and less around the edges for a delicate, lacy look. When the Parmesan disk is melted and golden brown on the bottom, two to three minutes, use a spatula and your fingers to carefully lift it out of the pan. Quickly flip and drape the disk over the bottom of an inverted drinking glass (the golden side of the disk should be on top). Gently press in the sides in a few spots to create folds and the look of an upside-down basket. Let cool until firm, about five minutes. When cool, invert and fill with cold chicken salad, tuna salad, green salad or another cold food. Avoid hot foods as these will melt the cheese again and cause the basket to collapse. The baskets will keep at room temperature for several hours or covered and refrigerated for up to one day.
4. To add flavour, colour and aroma to a gratin or other casserole, top with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
5. For a fun twist on fried rice, add mozzarella cheese. Most Chinese recipes call for beaten uncooked eggs to be drizzled over the fried rice right at the end of the cooking to help hold the rice and other ingredients together. Try adding a cup or so of shredded mozzarella at the end instead. It will have the same effect but with a fresh and different taste and texture!
6. To give frittatas an irresistible topping, sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the top, then broil until lightly browned.
7. To make Parmesan butter, combine:

• 125 ml (1/2 c) softened unsalted butter
• 50 ml (1/4 c) grated Parmesan cheese (preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano)
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) dried oregano
• 1 ml (1/4 tsp) salt
• 1 ml (1/4 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• Use on crusty bread or melted over broiled chicken, pork, beef or shrimp.

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