What to do with those cheese rinds

Save your cheese rinds!

Save your Grana Padano rinds! Not only is this a great way to use the entire piece of cheese, but it is also a wonderful way to add a subtle richness to long-cooking soups and sauces.

You should buy cheese with a natural rind, not in wax or paraffin.  I keep a zippered plastic bag of any sizable pieces of grating-cheese rind in a drawer in the refrigerator. Stored air tight, they will last indefinitely, or you can plop them in the freezer.

Before adding them to any dish, rinse the rind pieces well, scrubbing or scraping off any mold residue or markings, and then drop the rind in the cooking soup or sauce. When the sauce or soup is finished, remove the rind piece (it will be soft and chewy), or cut it up in little cubes and throw it back in the soup as a surprise for some lucky person at your table.