The Common Food Scrap That Will Totally Transform Your Beans
It's a classic cook's conundrum: You're making a dish and know it needs a little extra something, but you can't tell quite what. If you find yourself in this position, you may be tempted to look to the spice cabinet or refrigerator sauce shelf for inspiration.
One of the biggest reasons you shouldn't buy pre-grated Parmesan is that you won't be able to enjoy the rind. Whether you're a total cheese freak or only dabble in dairy, you may not know that the outer rind of Parmesan cheese is actually edible, since it's just regular Parm that has hardened with age. The only problem is that the cheese rind is very tough and chewy, so it's difficult to eat as is. Luckily, using rinds in a recipe is practically effortless. When cooking a pot of dried beans, just drop a rind in the water and wait.
Parmesan rinds boost the flavor
If you're able to find quality Parmigiano Reggiano, especially one that's been aged for a decent amount of time, its rind will add a great deal of umami complexity. Just be sure to fish the cheese rind out of your beans before you dig in — all of the flavors should be in those precious legumes, after all. Parmesan rinds go great with pretty much any kind of bean, including black beans, chickpeas, and white beans. Other bean-based braises are also improved with nutty, salty Parm rinds, including homemade broth. (Since Parmesan is an Italian cheese, try using it in Italian dishes like minestrone.)
To start stocking up on your own, simply stow any residual rinds from full wedges of cheese in a resealable bag in the freezer. With this method, you don't even have to defrost the rinds before using them since you're tossing them into boiling water. If you need to try this hack ASAP, however, you can also buy cheese rinds from the grocery store or your local cheesemonger. Regardless of whether you're looking to dress up a plate of beans or are trying to reduce food waste, Parmesan rinds are a tasty, transformative ingredient to keep on hand.