Why Parmesan Rinds Are A Cook's Secret Ingredient | Kitchen Aid

What can I do with leftover parmesan cheese? People always say don't throw them away.Leah, London SW1Parmesan rinds are real flavours, so you're right to think twice about throwing them away, Leah. "When I was young, my parents gave them to me to chew when I lost my baby teeth," recalls Filippo La Gattuta, chief executive of the Big Mamma Group in London. Of course, he has since found other solutions to the leftover scab problem. "My favorite way now is to scrape the crust with a knife [just to remove the waxy coating], cut it into small pieces, then put it in the microwave for about a minute, until it puffs up. ." Once cooled, you'll have the perfect crispy snack to go with the appetizer.

If you don't have a microwave, make cheese 'crisps' with oven. . Chef Theo Randall, author of The Italian Pantry, says: "Soak the crusts in about a liter of boiling water [from the kettle], then, once they are tender, cut them fairly thinly and bake them. cook them." The key is to get nice, soft crusts - "you get a lot nicer flavor that way" - so if soaking them doesn't do the trick, transfer everything to a saucepan and heat on the stove. The snacks' success also relies on those crusts being properly stored: "Keep them in a dry place," says Randall, who puts his in a paper bag and keeps them in a plastic container in a cupboard. . The Guardian's Italian food correspondent Rachel Roddy, meanwhile, keeps hers in the fridge but, she adds, "you can put them in an airtight container in the freezer".

If you have five or six crusts to play with, Randall recommends making broth: "Parmesan is made with cow's milk and salt, so it has a very rich flavor. Cook an onion, celery and carrot sofrito in oil, then add some zest and boiling water. “Slow cook for about two hours and you'll have the most incredibly intense broth that works great in a risotto. You won't necessarily need to stir parmesan into your risotto later either, as the broth has "an extremely concentrated flavor, much like dried porcini mushrooms, and it kind of thickens everything up".

< p class="dcr-18sg7f2">You can also use this same broth as a base for a soup, or you can simply add a whole crust when adding liquid to a soup. Roddy says, “I don't often use bouillon cubes. I just use water and a crust of parmesan - it's like a little flavor bomb. And, if minestrone is on the cards, La Gattuta suggests cutting the crust into small pieces and melting it into the soup to add a welcome "chewy texture."

Spent crusts also add a touch of umami to sauces (tomato or cheese, for example), stews and, most importantly, says Roddy, all manner of bean or potato pasta dishes. Randall, meanwhile, has even been known to toast crusts: “Charge the outside of the crust, then scoop out the cheese with a teaspoon; it will have melted and tasted smoky. Come to think of it, this might just be the thing to keep in your back pocket on Bonfire Night.

Have a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com