Five ways to use your cheese rind and be happy

Nobody should put cheese rind in the corner. #umamirich

Minestrone Source: Tammi Kwok

--- The Cook Up with Adam Liaw S2 airs weeknights on SBS at 6.00pm and SBS Food at 7.00pm, or stream it free on SBS On Demand. 'Use it up' is a series dedicated to a sense of ease in the kitchen and just as the label reads, using it up. BYO enthusiasm and an ingredient and I’ll BYO a recipe or five in return. ---

 

Just a moment, we're grating the last of our parmesan and we've got the rind in our sights.

Often relegated to the bin, the rind is overlooked even though it's been the base of flavour and strength, holding the cheese itself nice and close. So next time you've got a parmesan or hard cheese block, save the rind and store them in an airtight container in your fridge until you're ready to use them up.

Here are five easy wins. All contain cheesy rind, we promise.

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Make soup-erb stock

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot.

Add:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks (leaves and all), chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• ½ garlic bulb

Fry for 4-5 minutes. Add:

• 10 sprigs parsley
• 5 sprigs thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 200 g parmesan rind
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 cups water

Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer for 90-120 minutes. Stir it every 20 minutes to avoid any sticking.

Strain and store it in a sealed container in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Bottle it

Whether you are partial to a white sauce of milk, onion, garlic and flour or a homemade tomato sauce of chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper and fresh herbs, add your rind and remove before serving/bottling.

Homemade tomato sauce Source: Alan Benson

It belongs in bolognese, just as much as risotto

The next time you make a rich ragu or classic bolognese, throw in a couple of parmesan rinds into your sauce to up the umami.

Source: Wok Vs Pot with Marion and Silvia

Infuse your oil

Place into a sterilised jar:

• 2-3 parmesan rinds
• 400 - 500 ml good quality olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves (optional)
• Chilli flakes, rosemary (optional)

Give it a shake and then seal.

If you use garlic cloves then be sure to keep this refrigerated to make sure the garlic doesn't turn your oil rancid. 

Break up some bread, pour it over some mozzarella and get scooping! (Get this recipe here)

Source: Sharyn Cairns

Turn them into crisps

Scrub, dry and roughly chop them up into chunks. 

Space them out on a plate and microwave for 60 seconds. The rind will melt and puff up. You're welcome!

Parmesan rind crisps Source: Farah Celjo

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