My grandmother was from the Italy and one hell of a chef.
She was spirited and adventurous, and she lived by the ‘waste not, want not’ prophecy.
It should come as no surprise then that she even used the rinds of her Parmesan cheese.
Parmesan cheese (at least the good ones you buy in chunks) is not inexpensive and using everything that it has to offer will provide your food with optimum taste.
Cheese rinds are generally the pieces we all toss out, but you need to read this article.
Stop tossing, start saving those cheese rinds.
Are you ready to learn why and how to use Parmesan rinds in soup!
Is this a myth or will cheese rinds in soup become a legend?
You will know after you read this.
It’s All About Adventure in Food Styling
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I am always looking for ways to use all the items that I purchase in a grocery story.
When I open the fridge and find many veggies that are started and not finished it creates the need for me to prepare my specialty, “Soup Fresca Fridge”, that’s right fresh soup from the fridge, lol!
Growing up in a traditional Italian home, there was no such thing as a basic plastic bottle of Parmesan cheese from the grocery store.
Our Pasta, Risotto, Veggies, and Soups were all lightly sprinkled with traditional, true cow’s milk and sheep’s milk cheeses.
The cheese we use and used offers realistic tastes that are sweet, savory, salty and complex, unlike those in the $3 plastic jars in store shelves.
That said, the cheese obviously is not inexpensive and we purchased full pieces, chunks, etc.
Waste not, want not!
When I buy a chunk of fresh Parmesan I use the WHOLE thing, including the rind!
What happens if you just put basic in a pot and do nothing?
Basic is as basic does.
Delicious Vegetable soup does not create itself, but it can with a little bit of change.
Taking the lead from my gramma, I rid the possibility of basic and created delicious.
Delicious Vegetable soup does not create itself, but it can with a very simple change in your basic stock.
Want to learn more about grating cheese options then click here?
Why Use Cheese Rinds In Soup
Every part of the cheese can be used except the piece of paper on the rind, did you know that?
Well then, it logically follows that we got creatives using all parts of the luxury cheeses, and not just the part that would grate.
I mean, I want the best tasting soup on the planet in my bowl, don’t you?
Veggies soup is a standard in my home, as I don’t eat meat.
For my own menu, I keep it stocked because it’s fast, fabulous and yummy.
However, I don’t do basic veggie soup, I am always mixing things up.
My treks to the specialty stores translate to paying more for the ‘good stuff’ and keeping the lame, fake cheeses out of our home.
As a traditional, Italian girl, I grew up, enjoying the tastes of Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Grana Padano.
Each is salty, and all provide intense new flavor to your basic Pasta, Risotto, and bean dishes.
The price you pay for this type of cheese is well above the basic $3 and $4 cheese in a shaker at the grocery store, and for great reasons.
The cheese offers much more complexity and livens a basic food such as Risotto adding flare, and savory flavors.
Get ready to enhance flavor beyond the norm.
Don’t forget to get a Pro cheese grater.
Cheeses & Soup
See what I am holding?
A rind of Parmesan cheese.
What do these cheeses have to do with soup?
As I alluded to before, in order to use these cheeses, we purchase chunks of them, cut by the specialty stores that we shop at.
We grind what we can, and then, of course, we are left with the rind, not the paper on the rind, but the rind itself.
Why throw any of the cheese out?
Well, you might say because the rind is very hard, but that does not matter.
The cheeses all offer a salty flavor, some bolder than others, but nonetheless, all are purchased for their most specific tastes, so,
“let your soup benefit from the flavors in these grand little nuggets of rind” ~Dana
Simply take a piece or two as you can see I have, and place it in your stock of soup that is cooking.
As the soup cooks, the rind will dissipate leaving nothing but unimaginable, delicious taste and you will use every last ounce of that luxury grating cheese your purchased.
I keep an airtight container of rinds in the house.
Make sure to purchase an airtight container like Lock and Lock brand my favorite!
Every time I prepare soup, I use one or two depending on the size of the soup batch I am creating.
If you don’t buy cheese and grate it yourself, that’s fine.
Instead, the ‘waste not want not’ thought is trending in supermarkets that cut fresh cheese by the chunk.
I suggest that if you don’t see containers that offer the rind, just ask, they will surely accommodate and you will so enjoy the taste of this soup!
Tools For Cheese Cutting
Since I might not have hinted that you need a Pro Cheese Grater so that you can grate your own cheese, make sure you do.
Personally, the Chef Pro Grater from Integrity is nice!
Also a nice rugged knife that cuts through hard cheese is needed to cut off that rind!
I am partial to this multi-use knife it just glides through hard cheese like a dream.
Finally, for cutting atop a counter, I suggest using a cutting board that has nonslip feet.
IF you really love the taste of the soup, wait till you try this in a tomato sauce, the flavor is simply unreal!
Here’s to lavishly live food out loud as you learn why to use Parmesan Cheese Rinds in your Soup.
Again, make sure you have a Pro Cheese Grater!