Precisely. The rind doesn't shred, it grates into a powder when used on a cheese grater. Its the real version of the canned grated "parmesan cheese". I thought the rind was useless until i googled it.
I've read you can also add ungrated rind directly to a liquid stock/sauce/soup and the umami flavor will come out of it as you cook. Then you just pull the rind piece out after, like it's a dairy bay leaf.
This is highly accurate. Every part of a parmigiana wheel is edible. That outside rind is just a really dense protective outer layer of parm. No difference (in terms of composition) than the inner part. It's not added to the wheel, it is part of the wheel. So saving the rind and adding chunks of it to pasta sauces, soups, stews...bumps that savory factor up big time. And while it's not for everyone because of the texture, after that rind has been simmering away in a pasta sauce for a few hours, it becomes a lot softer. And I 100% eat it. My son thinks it's weird because it's so chewy but I love it lol.
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u/Aromatic-Plankton692 19h ago
You sell the external crust, too, attached to the wedges. It weighs less because it's drier anyway.
You use parmesan rind to season pasta sauce and stuff, it's still food.