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Comment by ginko | Hacker News Reader

>The cost alone compared to a normal block of cheese should be enough to put anyone off

Hm, I find grated cheese is often cheaper pound by pound than blocks of cheese. Same for other precut ingredients like bacon for instance. The reason being that it's an easy way for producers to process the ends which can't be sold otherwise.

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weird, I have the exact opposite for where I shop for cheese. The blocks are usually cheaper (usually like half as much). Though they like to play games with the prices. Where 16oz will be one price one week and 2 8oz will be more than the 16. Then 2 weeks later the opposite will be true. The downside is grating it takes time. But if you do go with block get a firmer cheese. Some of the brand names will not be very firm and slime out the grater. I usually have pretty good luck with the 'store brand'.

In the UK it's a lot cheaper for the blocks:

  - Tesco Extra Mature Grated Cheddar 250g
    - £ 2.25
    - £9.00/kg
  - Tesco Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese 220g
    - £ 1.90
    - £8.64/kg
  - Tesco Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese 400g
    - £ 2.85
    - £7.13/kg
  - Tesco Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese 700g
    - £ 3.50
    - £5.00/kg

edit: Added price for a 220g block of cheese

I suppose as long as we are comparing areas, my local grocery (Lucerne is a Safeway store brand). If you get the same size of each, do the prices come more inline? I'm used to paying fairly close to the same price regardless of packaging if it's the same size from the same brand. But of course regional and national influences, along with consumer expectations, surely play a part in the pricing.

    - Lucerne Cheese Natural Medium Cheddar - 32 oz
      - $9.99
      - $0.31/oz
    - Lucerne Cheese Shreaded Sharp Cheddar - 32 oz
      - $9.99
      - $0.31/oz
    - Lucerne Cheese Sharp Cheddar = 32 oz
      - $9.99
      - $0.31/oz

> If you get the same size of each, do the prices come more inline?

Just had another look and while they don't sell a block that weighs the same as the pre-grated it is much closer in price for a similar sized block.

£9.00/kg for the pre-grated (250g) and £8.64/kg for the block (220g).

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