Why You Should Absolutely Always Save Your Parmesan Cheese Rinds (2024)
Some people achieve adulthood when they file their taxes on time. Others become full-grown adults when they break into a happy dance because they finally have healthinsurance. For some folks, adulthood is reached when they have a riveting conversation with their accountant about their 401k. For me, I graduated to adulthood when I started saving my Parmesan rinds and saving them for future cooking uses. Now that is something that a child could never do. A kid would throw away a Parmesan rind, thinking that it's gross, useless, and ugly. But not me. Because I am an adult. And I am smart enough to know that Parmesan rinds have great potential. In fact, they belong anywhere but the garbage.
We all know that moment after you have grated through your block of Parm for pastas, gnocchi, pizza, and risotto, and it's finally time to face the rind. Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened, I whisper to my disappearing cheese. When this devastating realization occurs, don't you dare even think about tossing the rind. Instead throw it in a zip top bag and store it in your freezer (it'll be fine for up to 6 months). It's okay if they start to look a little dried out because they'll instantly rehydrate when you cook them. Sure, your local cheesemonger will probably sell you a rind if you ask nicely, but you don't need to buy one if you've got a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano (the good stuff) in your fridge.
Before we dive into all the incredible ways you can utilize the rind, let's talk about what exactly it is. Parmigiano-Reggiano is an aged cheese, which means it's inevitable that it will develop a tough, waxy outer shell from the air-drying process. Because of this process, the rind develops on the exterior of the cheese, and it has a much tougher texture than the interior cheese. The aged flavors of the cheese are much more concentrated in the rind than it is in the cheese, making the rind a literal flavor explosion. The rind is completely safe to be consumed raw or cooked, though its texture is unappealing compared to that of the cheese.
Okay, back to the uses. Once you've managed to hold onto this unsuspecting flavor jackpot, there are plenty of tasty ways to put the rind to good use. You can throw it into simmering soups, stews, beans, and pasta dishes for an extra kick of salty, cheesy, funky flavor. Your dried beans, brothy, vegetal soups, chicken noodle soup, and bolognese will thank you. Throw it into broths and stocks for a subtle burst of rich cheesiness. If you're making risotto and you've got a pot of broth simmering to the side, go ahead and throw a rind in there, why don't you? There are a handful of cheeses whose rinds you'll want to stay far away from, but Parmigiano-Reggiano is not one of them.
Let the rind cook for at least 30 minutes and up to several hours, if you can, in order to unleash as much flavor as possible. Don't worry about overdoing it — the flavor of the rind will never overpower whatever it is that you're cooking. As the rind is cooking, don't forget to get in there and stir it every so often just to ensure that the flavor is evenly incorporated throughout the dish and so that it's not sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once your dish is done cooking, fish out the rind. While you definitely could eat the rind, the real point of adding it is for its flavor. Well that, and also to prove your adulthood. I don't care when you filed your taxes this year — stop being childish and hold onto those precious rinds, okay?
The rind is a protective layer that develops on the outside of the cheese wheel as it ages. While it is edible, it can become too hard and tough to chew (think of it as the crust on a loaf bread). Still, Parmigiano Reggiano rinds are packed full of flavor and can be used to enrich sauces, soups, stews and more.
The most classic way to reuse parmesan rinds is to cut them into cubes and add them to soups, broths, and soups. With the heat, the cheese will start to soften and release its flavor, making the taste even more intense than if simply grated.
Parmesan rinds will last for a few months in a zipper-lock bag in the fridge, but my preference is to keep them in the freezer (in a zipper-lock freezer bag) where they will last practically indefinitely. Don't worry about thawing them before use, just toss them right into the pot!
Soft cheeses such as cream cheese, cottage cheese, shredded cheeses, and goat cheese must be refrigerated for safety. As a general rule, hard cheeses such as cheddar, processed cheeses (American), and both block and grated Parmesan do not require refrigeration for safety, but they will last longer if kept refrigerated.
Simply drop a Parmesan rind or two into a pot of simmering soup, Bolognese, tomato sauce, risotto, or beans. You can also make Parmesan broth, a satisfying vegetarian alternative to use in place of chicken or vegetable broth in recipes.
Mold generally can't penetrate far into hard and semisoft cheeses, such as cheddar, colby, Parmesan and Swiss. So you can cut away the moldy part and eat the rest of the cheese. Cut off at least 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) around and below the moldy spot.
Once you hit the rind, stop grating, and give the exterior a quick wipe-down with a mild white vinegar solution. (This is just because the rind will have been handled a lot so it could use a little cleaning at this point).
No need to worry - these tiny white specks are actually a good thing. They're most likely calcium lactate crystals, also known as “cheese crystals.” They are completely safe to eat, and usually signify that a cheese is flavorful and well-aged.
Some people use a micro planer and grate the rind itself and use it like grated parmesan, but I save the rinds for other dishes. If you've been throwing away your rinds, you've been missing out on putting them to a delicious second use. Here are 10 ways to use the rinds: Throw them into tomato sauce when cooking.
Do Fresh Eggs Need to Be Refrigerated? Freshly laid eggs need to be refrigerated immediately. Fresh eggs purchased from a farmers market need to be refrigerated as soon as you get home. Per USDA guidelines, eggs should be stored at 40 degrees F or below to help minimize the risk of Salmonella.
Butter and margarine are safe at room temperature. However, if butter is left out at room temperature for several days, the flavor can turn rancid so it's best to leave out whatever you can use within a day or two.
In the traditional sense, Parmesan cheese is made using rennet. Rennet is a natural enzyme found in the stomach of young mammals that helps them digest their mother's milk. Since rennet is a restricted, or haram, ingredient in a Muslim's diet, traditionally made Parmesan is not halal.
Even though the rind is edible, it is very hard and sometimes gritty. It doesn't grate well, but the Parmesan rind has other uses, particularly in soup or sauce recipes. When the rest of the cheese is gone, you can use the rind right away in another dish, or keep it in the freezer to use later.
The entire wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano is edible, including the rind. Although many people think the rind is made from wax, Parmigiano Reggiano PDO (Protected Denomination of Origin) cheeses have a natural rind that forms on the cheese during the salting process.
Introduction: My name is Jeremiah Abshire, I am a outstanding, kind, clever, hilarious, curious, hilarious, outstanding person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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