One of my favorite cheeses is Parmesan, especially the nutty and wonderful Parmigiano-Reggiano, known as the “King of Cheeses”. I consider it a kitchen essential. It’s named after the areas where it is produced in Italy, they comprise the provinces of Parma, Reggio, Emilia, part of Bologna, Modena, and Mantova. Under Italian law only cheese produced in those areas are allowed to be labelled “Parmigiano-Reggiano”. You can see the name stamped on the rind. Outside the EU the name “Parmesan” can legally be used for cheeses similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Keep a hunk of it in your fridge or freezer. It lasts forever and even a small grating adds a lot of flavor to a dish. I use it with scrambled eggs and roast vegetables, as well as pasta and pizza. Parmigiano-Reggiano has a lot of the quality umami, or savory.
It’s not an inexpensive cheese, but a little goes a long way. And you end up with these wonderful leftovers at the end…Parmesan rinds. Yes, don’t throw them away. Keep a bag in your freezer and save them. You might ask for what? Here are some ideas.
- Drop a rind into a pot of beans, especially white beans, while they cook. Remove before serving.
- A traditional use is in an Italian minestrone soup. Again drop in a rind to cook with your pasta and beans, then add fresh vegetables. The rind adds invaluable flavor. When you are ready to serve the soup, remove the rind and add a grating of fresh Parmesan.
- Make Parmesan stock. It tastes a lot like chicken (have you heard that before?) and packs a punch of umami. Use it for a risotto.
- Make Parmesan olive oil. Have you seen those tiny bottles of Parmesan oil in the better delis? They are outrageously expensive! And, you can make your own with your own leftover rinds. Simply add them to a jar, cover with good olive oil (make sure they are entirely covered) and store in a cool dark place. It will take several months for the flavors to blend. If you store it in the fridge, warm it up before use.
Parmesan Olive Oil
Use the oil as a finishing oil for a pasta dish, soup, or roast vegetables. Or maybe instead of your regular oil in a salad? I think you will find the uses are endless.
Pasta with Parmesan Olive Oil
Pasta with Cauliflower. Artichoke Hearts and Parmesan
So, buy good quality Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano if possible) and don’t throw away the rinds!
This oil is part of my contribution to Fiesta Friday, I can only imagine what a boost of flavor it will add to many of the dishes. It’s Fiesta Friday #91. Come join the fun at a virtual blogging party hosted by Angie of The Novice Gardener. The co-hosts this week are Juju @ cookingwithauntjuju and Indira @ I’ll Cook, You Wash.
Great post!
Thank you!
What a great post Liz! I use Parmigiano-Reggiano too and save the rinds. I love the idea of covering them with olive oil. We love meat an cheese trays, and this oil would go will with a baguette and more cheese!
Yum, it would be delicious! The rinds at my local deli are actually a hot item.
I didn’t know they sold just the rinds! Guess why not.
You have to ask for them and they are frequently out. But you can sometimes get them at a much reduced price. Same with the ends of prosciutto, which are good ground and fried until crisp. They are a good garnish.
I’d never heard of parmesan oil…it’s such a clever idea! How perfect to use on that delicious looking pasta…
I think you would find lots of uses. It’s really delicious.
I totally agree Liz, I never discard parmesan rinds, there is always parmesan rinds in olive oil in my pantry, it’s indispensible.
The idea is well worth passing on. It’s not entirely original as I got the idea from others (could have been you?) many months ago. I looked to see if I could find the post but it was lost.
I always save my rinds, but you have given me some new ideas of what to do with them.
Hi Hilda, buried treasure in your freezer! And those little bottles of Parmesan oil in the store are horribly expensive.
Hi Liz – you have made me feel so bad for throwing my rinds away – next time I will be making some of that olive oil, would go so well on home-made pizzas bases with just a little mozzarella and dried herbs…..
Oh Laura, it would be lovely used that way. Yum.
Clever indeed, no cheese here though!
I never noticed, you don’t use cheese?
Never intolerant to it! It really don’t like me !
You have lots of other good things to eat!
Yeah!
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I go through a lot of Parmesan Cheese so I have plenty of rinds in the refrigerator. Great idea for oil and Parmesan broth – need to see if I have a pound? Thanks for the recipes and Happy Fiesta Friday 🙂
I just put a couple in a jar and covered them with oil. As I get new ones I add them to the jar, always keeping them covered with oil. They will go moldy if not covered. You probably don’t need a pound, they pack a lot of flavor for both the stock and the oil.
Actually, none have become moldy – I guess I use them quick enough!
Do you use the rinds out of the oil in soups? I’ve wondered if it’s ok to take them out and use them in another recipe. That would be amazing!
I store mine in the refrigerator and pull one out when I need it for soups, etc. Anything stored in oil too long can become rancid/moldy so I would not wait too long to use them in a recipe.
Good tip, I will start using the older ones. It’s starting to be soup weather.
This is great – I love the suggestions on how to use the rind. It’s so great when chefs can use the entire product to that there’s very little or no food wastage. Thank you for the recipe and the post – I definitely plan to keep this for reference when I need to use up my rinds!
I know, it makes me feel good when a great product can come from something usually thrown out.
I had no idea! And that despite being a) seriously mean and b) addicted to parmesan! Thank you for sharing those ideas, I can’t wait to get infusing 🙂
You are welcome, it was a light bulb going off for me as well the first time I read about it.
That’s not a lightbulb, that’s proper floodlights!
I’m so glad I saw this post! I’d read a while back that parmesan rinds were great for flavoring soups, but I couldn’t figure out how people collected enough rinds to do that before they got all moldy – I didn’t realize that you could pop them in the freezer. Thanks for the tip!
You are welcome. You can also cover them with olive oil, put them in the fridge. Pull one out when you want to make soup. That way you have both Parmesan Oil and a rind for soup.
Love the Parmesan olive oil idea!!
Thank you Angie, and thank you for listing me as a featured post this week!
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You are putting your microbiology background to work creating magic in the kitchen Liz! Can’t wait to try this!
What a hearty Fall meal! Thanks for sharing 🙂
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How long does the oil last. You say age it in a dark place for several months. How long does it last? I plan on aging it for awhile, just the rinds and oil, and gifting it next Christmas. But, I wanted to know if it will last that long and longer? I hadn’t planned on aging it in the refrigerator, but could. I have a nice, flip top bottle. They seal well. I could heat the oil and seal it in a mason jar as well, if needed. Please advise, me on what You think.
Thank You!
A year is a long time, I am afraid that they might start to become moldy by then at room temperature. I would put the oil in the fridge.
Will the Parmesan Oil last in the fridge? Or better yet, how long could the Parmesan oil last in the fridge? Could it be frozen or would it make it gross?
Sorry for the late reply. I haven’t frozen it and so, don’t know. Instead, I freeze the rinds and save them until I have enough to make the oil. It doesn’t need a year to age.