Parmigiano-Reggiano rinds

[CaliPoutine]

I don't understand where these rinds are coming from. Why are they cutting them off in the first place? Do people not like to buy cheese with the rind attached? I don't like to buy a piece with rind on two sides because it's a pain to grate, but I'm happy to buy a piece with rind on one side because I know how great it is for soups. Can somebody please explain?

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Some people(I dont know why) like to buy the cheese already grated in those clear plastic containers.

[monavano]

I don't understand where these rinds are coming from. Why are they cutting them off in the first place? Do people not like to buy cheese with the rind attached? I don't like to buy a piece with rind on two sides because it's a pain to grate, but I'm happy to buy a piece with rind on one side because I know how great it is for soups. Can somebody please explain?

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Sure, many stores take the wheel of parmesan, cut the rind off, and pre-grate it for sale in a container or bag. Some people who don't know the true gem that the rind is think "this is expensive, so why pay for the weight of the rind since I'm not going to use it".

People who cook with the rinds look for them separately as they are usually priced much cheaper than the pieces of parmesan, rind or no rind.

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Adding, I recently went to my nearby Balducci's and asked the cheese guy if he had rinds. He said he just cut up a whole wheel the day before and threw the rinds out.

He found some more pieces from which to cut the rind from for me. But why a gourmet store would throw away rinds is beyond me.

[Peter the eater]

I have come up with a use for Parmigiano-Reggiano rinds which is new to me. Odds are some of the food geniuses out there in eG land will find this old hat, but for now I'm quite pleased with myself:

Microplane a bunch of dry old rind into a shot glass, add a tablespoon of evoo and some crunchy salt. In a few minutes you have a wonderfully chewy nest of golden filaments - perfect for a point of toast or atop soup or pasta.

BTW I tried this with warm water too. The first shavings that went into the water dissolved on contact, adding more led to a gooey substance with the look of molten mozzarella and the taste of Parmesan. There's some potential here but the oil version was much more exciting.

Edited November 30, 2007 by Peter the eater (log)

[oneidaone]

The rinds are definitely good for stock. Also, according to a dog owning friend, dogs love to chew on them.

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Testing this theory...

Lexi being a bit more obedient than usual:

The blur you see is Lexi deciding that she likes the rind more than she likes posing for pictures:

I will add, however, that not much chewing occurred, so rounding the edges might be a good idea.

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Lucky dogs!! I thought I treated mine, too!

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When I am making the beef stock mixture for Manele & Koele's food I use a parmesan rind to spike up the flavor it gets nice and soggy and some it goes in the cusinart when I puree all the ingredients prior to adding the ground turkey and Happy Dog, I should try letting them chew on one!