Quick Tip: Flavor Soups with Cheese Rinds

published Nov 10, 2008
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

We go through a healthy amount of Parmesan and Pecorino cheese in our house, and we used to just throw the rind away. This was until we discovered this trick used by chefs and Italian grandmothers for centuries!

When your soup or sauce is ready to simmer, throw in an old cheese rind. The rind will soften and the flavors of the cheese will infuse throughout the dish. If the rind hasn’t completely dissolved by the time you’re ready to serve, you can either remove the remaining rind altogether or use your spoon to break it into small, chewy pieces.

If you’re not ready to use a rind right away, it can be stored indefinitely in the freezer. As we do with shiitake mushroom stems, we keep a bag in the freezer that we add to or take from as needed.

Give this a try in these recipes!

(Image: Emma Christensen for the Kitchn)