Where Can I Buy Just Parmesan Rinds? Good Questions

Q: I'm interested in using Parmesan rinds as a flavoring in soups, but I don't go through much Parmesan on my own.

Do you know of any place where I can buy just the rinds?

Sent by Kimberly

Editor: Kimberly, I would start off by checking at your local cheese counter or grocery store — anywhere they carve up big wheels of Parmesan to sell in smaller pieces. They may sell you the rinds at a reduced rate. You can also check Italian restaurants, although restaurants often save rinds for stock themselves. One final idea is to particularly pick out blocks of Parmesan that have a good chunk of rind attached. Parmesan will keep for quite a long time, properly stored, so you can cut off the cheese and use the rind.

Readers, any ideas?

Next question?

(Image: Emma Christensen)

Comments (18)

I've seen them sold at Whole Foods before. My husband always use to make fun of my stash in the fridge until he saw how much WF was trying to sell them for. He's never doubted my frugal ways (saving butter wrappers in the freezer to grease pans is another example) since.

My local cheese store gives them away free. You just have to ask for them and hope nobody else has done the same thing before you!

Stew Leonards sells packs of parmesan rinds.

Whole Foods always has them - if you don't see any out on the floor - ask someone behind the cheese counter.

Since you don't go through a lot of parmesan, just grate some parmesan and use it to flavor your soups. You won't need a lot and it beats looking and paying for rinds.

I've just recently used a parmesan rind in a soup. But it didn't melt all the way. Can I re-use it in another soup?

I think I have seen them at Fresh Market.

Why has no one mentioned the more obvious problem? You need to eat more parm. I suggest a small hunk with every meal. ^_^

Our Giant Eagle (NE Ohio) stores carry them. And at $1.99 a pound, you sometimes score when not-so-frugal employees leave plenty of cheese on them!

Krogers carry them in the specialty cheese section.... at least in Atlanta

I buy mine at Whole Foods!

Thanks for the tips, everyone! I asked for some at Whole Foods, and though they didn't have any handy, they were more than happy to cut some for me. I paid $10-something per pound though, so I'll try some other places for a better price in the future.

And alicelost, I seriously laughed at your comment. Clearly I haven't been living my life to the fullest. I'll try to rectify that immediately. :)

Onebravegirl, $10/lb is actually on the lower end the price spectrum for parmesan. The really good stuff (i.e. Parmaggiano Reggiano) runs about $25/lb. Worth every penny.

Check out Trader Joe's (if you have one in your area). They sometimes carry a really good Australian parmesan that is almost as good as the parm-reg. And at $10/lb, I think it's a good deal.

Any store that grates its parm in house will have rinds to sell or give away. I also freeze mine to save up :)

oddly enough, my butcher has them. they are in the meat case with all the cut meats.