[jerkstate]

I switched to block cheese when I found out that pre-grated cheese (SO convenient) has anti-caking agents which alter the flavor. The only thing I did to make this easy? buy a 2nd grater so I could still grate cheese if the first was in the dishwasher. I'm sure it's already paid for itself.

On a 5lb block of cheddar, I use a plastic sandwich bag over the exposed end of the block with a rubber band wrapped around to keep it fresh.

[tallanvor]

The anti-caking ingredient has a negligible effect on flavor. Where you want to avoid them is when you're cooking a dish where you want the cheese to melt smoothly. Using the pre-grated stuff is fine for things like tacos, burritos, pizza, and even omelets. For stuff like mac and cheese and other cheese-based sauces, that's where you want to grate your own if you can. --And if you can't, well, the food will probably taste just fine even if it doesn't look quite as good.