Seriously? I feel like I'm at a confessional...I've never used the rinds for anything but I do cry a bit when I've pitched them in the trash. This will make my life have less guilt now.

What a great way to use cheese rinds and not let them go to waste. I will try this for sure!

Whoa, is it National Parmesan Rind Day, today? I had just finished reading this post by Melissa Clark on the NYT Diner's Journal when I clicked over and saw those gorgeous toasted rinds of yours! I've been tossing Parmesan rinds into soups and sauces for a while now, but I've never tried toasting them. Thanks for the inspiration, Elise!

Wow, what a neat technique, I am absolutely going to try it out! Can it be done with other cheeses too? Jarlsberg for instance? and if not Jarlsberg, then what kinds?

Thanks v. much!

Great question. I tried doing it with the rind of some Gruyere, but it got messy. The outer rind wasn't edible, it charred off and was easy to peel off. But the cheese started to drip fat over my stove as I toasted it. Not good. So I gave up. Works great with Parmesan though. ~Elise

I have a super-secret stockpile of Parmesan rinds in my freezer that I use to make minestrone.

Who'da thought you could toast up the rinds like croutons? Love it! Thanks for sharing.

Is there a concern about the ink on the rind?

From what I understand, Parmigiano-Reggiano uses heat branding on the rind. ~Elise

When my piece of Parmesan gets down to the rind I will try broiling it so I can eat it.

Omg! I was just thinking about a way to make pure cheese crackers!!! Perfect timing! Can we can do this with cheddar cheese???
Thanks for this one........... Lisa ;-)

I don't think it will work with cheddar. This requires a hard, dry cheese. ~Elise

I never collect enough cheese rinds to do this. I always use mine in soups. They impart an enormous amount of flavor.

Now I'm going to have to sacrafice a soup and give this a try.

You have just blown my mind. Seriously.

Just yesterday, I used a couple of Parmesan rinds in a minestrone soup. I love the idea of roasting them and using them in lots of other things too.

Oh my, Elise - this is just evil! I have a bagful of rinds sitting in my cheese drawer, waiting to be included in a soup. The soup is going to have to wait. I have some serious toasting to do. I think this is a job for my handy little kitchen torch.

Someone had concerns about the ink on the rind. I think one should have a lot more concerns about the invisable stuff. A documentary about Parmesan cheese clearly mentioned never to use the rinds because it is heavily impregnated with chemicals to fight off the bugs during the aging process. I used to put my rinds into soups too but never did it again after seeing the doc.

Hi Frances, for something like this, it would be best to cite your source. From everything I know, there are no additives other than salt in Parmigiano-Reggiano, which is the authentic form of Parmesan, made under the strictest of guidelines in a particular region of Italy. Even the "ink" is actually a heat branding. ~Elise

Oh my...as if I needed ANOTHER reason to munch on cheese. What a delightful idea, and you're right, so simple it makes you wonder why you've never thought of it before! Definitely worth a try -- great snack for the cook with a glass of wine while preparing dinner.

My husband is going to love you for this! He is always complaining about my always growing bag of parm rinds in the fridge (for some reason, these things never get moldy) as I use them less in the warmer, summer months since I am making less soups, stews and the like. This will be a fantastic way to make a dent in the bag. Thank you.

In Brazil, on the Ipanema beach, you can find a lot of street vendors walking around with a little charcoal stove and they would grill cheese and sell it on a stick

I've heard of that too. A friend of mine grills provolone. It's a bit difficult though as the cheese is melty on the inside. You have to grill it on very high heat, turning it frequently so that the outside gets browned as the inside heats up and gets melty. ~Elise

This is amazing! I can't believe I never thought of this.

Oooh what a fab thing to do with the olde ends! I bag and freeze my rinds to add to soups for extra umami oomph, but I love this idea too - shall give it a go :)

We usually toss the rinds in spaghetti sauce, but this sounds like more fun. "eat like popcorn". I love it!

Genius!

I'm not sure how I missed this post, I guess I was in transit from Gloucester. And how had I already forgotten this incredibly tasty little throw away snack that we shared that night? I love the French/Italian idea of no waste. It just makes so much sense. My parmesan pieces are smaller than yours, but will be guarded well for this little delicacy. Thanks for the reminder.

US Parmesan cheese is not processed the same way in which the certified Italian variety is made. Cheese labeled as just Parmesan in the US are treated with chemicals. It can not be healthy to consume rinds in this manner.

Perhaps. I've only seen the true Parmesan sold in wedges off of a cheese wheel with a rind. The US parm is typically sold shredded. ~Elise