I haven't had the problem, so can't be sure, but it sound like they simply need to be drier. Perhaps a hotter oven would be better, or a darker pan, or an extra minute. I find it takes more cheese than one would ever expect, compared to how much would make good coverage for cheese toast, for instance, because you get so much shrinkage in the crisping process.

Fricos never turn bitter—unless they’re burnt, of course.

Frico is just baked shredded cheese, so no need for recipes. Although, sometimes I’ll include spices to complement a certain dish.

In any case (and this will make me sound certifiable), I don’t bake them. I nuke them. Microwaved fricos might cause nonna to have a conniption, but I’m not a nonna, nor Italian.

Parmesan, Cheddar and Gruyère will all work. But if you want to test other types of cheese, either slice (1/4-inch), or shred a small mound of cheese, place on parchment paper and microwave for 40 to 50 seconds, keeping a very close eye. It might take more, or less time, depending on your microwave.

Once cheese appears fully melted and lacy, remove from microwave and allow to cool. It will set firm after a few seconds. But if center still appears too soft, nuke a bit longer.

Sol☀️

OMG! I'm shuddering. Not about the MW per se, but because of what would happen in mine. I can zap some melty cheese on a Corelle plate and get cheese sandwich filling (i.e., no bread), but no matter what it's sitting on or for how long, cheese in the MW, for me, goes from gooey to petrified without a stopover in lovely crispy cheeseland. More power to you, Sol, that you can make it work.

Essentially the same answer as I had, though. If it's too soft, it needs more heat. :)

Thanks! I recooked them, literally 3 minutes. The texture is perfect, but they certainly have some color on them. I do not find them bitter. Just toasty tasting like the little bits that escape when you are making a grilled cheese sandwich. That’s my favorite part!

The 3 in the upper left corner are parm. The remainder are cheddar. Wish I had taken a before shot!

The first batch yesterday was made on foil. Thinking that the cheese would have sufficient oil, I did not grease or spray the foil. They stuck horribly. This batch I made on parchment and re-cooked on parchment. It worked so much better!

Also, I put Trader Joe’s “Everything But The Bagel” seasoning on one parm and one cheddar. I just do not like that seasoning blend. There is something that tastes really really fake in it.

Look at you @Solsthumper! Love your signature emoji! I’ll give your nuked cheese a chance, but my general rule is no cheese in the microwave.

bbstx, did you do the re-bake at 375 also? I really am going to have to try those, they look so good!

@ediej1209 AL Zn 7, no. I bumped the heat to 400 for the re-bake. I’m low-carbing. These give me a little crunch with salad. Of course, they also make me want a glass of wine to go with them. 😆 I hope you enjoy them!

We're having Chicken Parm tomorrow night. This looks like something different to have as munchies while we're waiting. You mentioned you used cheddar and parm. I will probably be using Locatelli Peccorino Romano as I have some that needs used up. If I find my "nubbin" of parm/Reg that's buried somewhere in no-man's-land I will mix the 2.

Plllog, shudder no more; I’ll take a few pictures in the a.m. to show how they turn out.

BB., now I’ll have to make some extras for snacking.

Sol

😋 YUM

@Solsthumper, that is impressive - not only the frico but the presentation! I’ll give it a try.

FWIW, I left the frico from yesterday on the counter overnight (the 2 that were left). They were still crispy this morning!

Sol, I had total faith in you even before the pretty picture. It was my own attempts in the microwave causing my shudders. I think the particular machine and environment come into play here.

BB., they wouldn't have lasted 24 hrs. around here. The guys and I have no self-control.

Plllog, no splaining necessary. I just hope next time you try making it, you'll have us over.

Sol

Interesting that you post, Sol. I just tried a MW Frico. Compared to yours, mine was a fail. But if what you are looking for is a breadless grilled cheese sandwich, it was a success.

I used 55 seconds, but I have no idea the wattage of my microwave. I know it is over 1000, but I don’t know how much over. I can’t find it listed on an available surface anywhere. It is in a pantry cabinet, so I cannot easily get to the back.

I may try again later and boost the time to 60 seconds. It was cheddar.

I forgot to take a picture but I made some small ones last night using a mix of Parm/Reg and Peccorino/Romano. I set the time for 1 minute but it's a good thing I stood right there and watched. At 40 seconds there was smoke! Eeek. So I hurried up and hit the Cancel button; the Fricos were fine and so was the parchment paper. But after they cooled, when I tried one it was very chewy. So I put the other 2 back in for another 10 seconds. They were just a tiny tad darker than after the first cooking but still pale. And still chewy. I was hoping for more like a cracker crispy.

Oops, I did it again! Well, not really oops. I did it on purpose. I cooked another MW cheddar frico. Went 60 seconds this time. It was nicely crisp, except there were a couple of chewy spots, but not unpleasantly so. Sol🌞, you may have converted me!

Congrats on the success!

OTOH, in the midst of a whole bunch of cooking there wasn't anything to eat so I zapped some cheese on the end of my lovely sourdough, but somehow got hours instead of just over a minute, and I caught it before it was too far gone, but the ends looked like Sol's pictures, but were both chewy and hard, not crisp, and never going to be crisp. The part that melted into the bread was good though. :)

Iw onder if some of you are using bags of pre-shredded cheese? That would give different results because of likely anti clumping additives and the drying factor of being grated.

Not I.

Linda caught me. Yes, I’m using pre-shredded cheese. 🥴 And, yes, I know that is cheating of the worst sort. If I were doing this for company, I’d shred my own. But just as a quick cracker substitute, it is working fine now that I’ve gotten the time and temp of a regular oven adjusted, and the time of the microwave adjusted.

I grated mine right before I made the Fricos. Wonder if I should have done that a couple of hours earlier and spread it out to "dry" for a bit beforehand?

I need to re-visit this. I have a big block of good white Irish cheddar. I have always used my silpats. Various parms same.

I want even color, whatever it takes. No oven or microwave is the same. (duh)

30 seconds, rest one minute, 30 seconds...rest 5 minutes, 30 seconds.

Oven? recipes are all over the planet. Not something a recipe is needed. Just need to find your 'sweet spot'. Fortunately I have a wall oven at eye level. Big glass front I can watch.

Martha tossed her cheddar in a bit of flour. But most cheese has different moisture content...so that plays into the outcome as well.

Seek your own inner chef. like Sol....it will work paying attention.

I pass no judgment, but the drying of the pre-grated cheese might help a lot.

Last time I made them in a muffin top pan which I have for making flat buns, but haven't perfected that yet. It has one of those non-teflon finishes which I like to avoid, but it's supposed to be safe. 😏

Made a dozen yesterday with a 7yr old. (we were making papadum for a dip)

Microwave worked so much better than the oven. I used Manchego, Romano, and white cheddar. The last two a combination of all three. We liked those the best. 20 sec, 15 sec, 10 then ten. With a pause between to check for lace and crisp.