Turns out theyre not quite the same thing.

Or do they just mean the same thing?

If youve been wondering the same thing, keep reading.

Stove Top Mac and Cheese with Chicken Make the Sauce

Nick Evans

Using already shredded cheese saves time and effort at home.

Just to make it extra confusing.

Grated Cheese

Grated cheese is usually done at home with, you guessed it, a grater.

A grilled cheese sandwich cut in half on a plate with the cheese stretched between the two halves in oooey gooey goodness. There are shredded cheese bits strewn about and basil leaves on a cutting board nearby.

Alison Bickel

Youll most often see grated cheese called for in recipes, sometimes specifically freshly grated.

The exception to this rule (of course theres an exception!)

is Parmesan and pecorino Romano cheese.

I really dont know.

And I dont recommend buying it, since it tends to contain more miscellaneous ingredients than it does cheese.

That is, unless the recipe specifiesfreshlygrated, then you should grate the cheese yourself.

This is especially important in creamy and really cheesy dishes, likemac and cheeseorqueso dip.

But if youre short on time, tossing some bagged shredded cheese on yourquesadillaorpizzais a-OK!