Tried grating fontina in food processor. Help please.

[middleagedfoodie]

Never did this before. I must have let the fp rip too long and it turned into a dough like ball. I'm thinking of chilling it and when I am ready to use it, hand grating. The recipe calls for sprinkled fontina. I haven't cooked with fontina before, but my understanding is it will melt. The recipe I'm doing is a lasagna and I don't want the fontina to lump up. Will the regrating work? I will go buy more if I must, but it is so darned expensive, I'd like to be able to use the cheese I turned into a big ball in my recipe.

[rasputina]

Did you use the chopping blade or the grater? Because I can't imagine how you would get a dough ball from using the grater on the FP. I've never had problems with it.

[magiesmom]

it must have been the chopping blade because the grating function can't go on too long; the food goes through and that's it.

[middleagedfoodie]

Did the freezer thing. It helped, though didn't love the lasagna recipe I used. Lots of work. Not enough bang for the buck.

[bitchincook]

I burned out the motor of my first food processor when I used it to grate fontina, so now I always use a hand grater for it and other soft cheeses. Agree with those who say to put it in the freezer first, though I'd leave it there for at least a half hour, especially if you want to get cheese you can sprinkle.

[biondanonima]

You should be able to regrate the fontina - just put it in the freezer to firm up and hand grate it. You could also just slice it thinly, since it's going to be layered into a lasagne anyway.

[katecm]

I second this vote. It grates poorly for the same reason that it melts beautifully - it's incredibly moist and soft. The slices will help you distribute it without having to fight it. (p.s. it's the best mac and cheese secret ever).

[Barbara76137]

Fontina is a great melting cheese. Put it in the freezer for 15 minutes before you grate it, that should help. Saw an episode of "Everyday Italian" the other day and I think Giada also then mixed the grated Fontina with a drier grated cheese, I think it was parmesan, since she said that would keep it from clumping.