Use This Creamy Parmesan Stock to Add Rich Flavor to Soups, Braises, and Sauces (2024)

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Parmesan

Save your Parmesan rinds to make this creamy, cheesy stock.

Ozoz Sokoh

Ozoz Sokoh is a food explorer focused on celebrating and documenting West African culinary heritage.

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Updated September 06, 2023

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Why It Works

Simmering Parmesan rinds in water creates an easy, flavorful stock from scraps that would otherwise get thrown out.
Blending the softened rinds after simmering produces a rich and creamy stock with intense flavor, perfect for using in soups, braises, and sauces.

Typically, Parmesan rinds get thrown out or into soups once people hit the hard, “ungrateable” edge, but there’s more ways to use the rind than simply throwing it into a simmering pot on the stove. I like to hold onto the rinds and make a simple stock with them, which I can then store in the refrigerator or freezer.

There are two ways to make a stock from Parmesan rinds. The first is to simply simmer rinds in water, which produces a light, delicious, cheese-flavored broth. However, the second route is my preferred approach, since you wring every last bit of flavor from the rinds: you simmer the rinds in water and then blend them, which produces a creamier, more concentrated Parmesan stock.

Use This Creamy Parmesan Stock to Add Rich Flavor to Soups, Braises, and Sauces (3)

The creamy Parmesan stock can be used as a substitute for water or stock in any recipe where you think the flavor will work. It forms a great soup base, as well as a flavorful liquid for rouxs and other sauces. Trying to boost the flavors of risotto? Look no further. Cheesy beignets, fried dough, biscuits? The possibilities are endless.

I’ve made this with both rinds of Parmigiano-Reggiano and other non-Italian Parmesans, and I typically will save them, well-wrapped and in the freezer, until I have enough to make the stock.

May 2021

This recipe was cross-tested in 2023 to guarantee best results.

Recipe Details

Creamy Parmesan Stock

Prep10 mins

Cook30 mins

Ingredients

9 ounces (255g) Parmesan rind scraps (about 1 1/2- by 3 1/2-inch pieces)
6 cups (1.5L)water
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

Directions

Using a paring knife or vegetable peeler, scrape away and remove any mold residue or excess cheese from the Parmesan rinds. Place rinds in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cool water for 30 seconds.
In a 3-quart saucier or large saucepan, combine rinds with water and salt and bring to simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to maintain gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to ensure that rinds don’t stick to bottom of the saucepan.
While Parmesan mixture simmers, set up a tall and narrow vessel suitable (about 6 cup vessel) for an immersion blender. Set up an immersion blender and set aside until ready to use (see notes). Place a fine mesh strainer covered with cheesecloth over a heatproof bowl and set aside until ready to use. (Once the rinds are softened, the blending process must happen quickly or the rinds will begin to harden again. That is why setting up the immersion blender is imperative.)
Working quickly while the Parmesan mixture is still very hot, remove from heat and transfer mixture to prepared vessel. Using the immersion blender, pulse, starting at low speed and gradually increasing to high speed, until liquid is creamy and Parmesan rinds are broken down into coarse-breadcrumb-size pieces, 1 to 2 minutes. Strain stock through prepared fine-mesh strainer. Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

Special Equipment

Fine-mesh strainer, 3-quart saucier or large saucepan, immersion or countertop blender.

Notes

A countertop blender may be used, but it is essential to clean the blender immediately before the cheese hardens on the blades.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Parmesan stock can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days and frozen for up to 3 months.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
268	Calories
18g	Fat
9g	Carbs
18g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	268
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g	23%
Saturated Fat 10g	49%
Cholesterol 55mg	18%
Sodium 1479mg	64%
Total Carbohydrate 9g	3%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 18g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 555mg	43%
Iron 0mg	2%
Potassium 115mg	2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)