One mom wants to help you cut down on food waste by keeping an expensive kitchen ingredient out of the trash.
The scoop
In a video shared to TikTok, Rosalynn Daniels (@rosalynndaniels) stops some expensive and flavorful cheese rinds from entering the trash. Daniels says, "we do not throw away the Parmigiano Reggiano rinds." She says those leftover cheese rinds can be used in a number of recipes instead.
The video shows her adding the cut-up cheese rinds to a broth. And she tells TikTok they can also be added to soups or "any of your other cookings." The caption also suggests adding it to homemade marinara sauce. Daniels says you can also do the same with Parmesan rinds.
@rosalynndaniels Use you #cheeserindsoup & #marinarasauce I love to do this with #parmigianoreggiano and #parmesan #cheeserinds Simply freeze them until you're ready to use. #foodwastesolution #useeveryscrap #eliminatefoodwaste ♬ original sound - Rosalynn Daniels
How it's helping
If you've ever purchased wedges of the Italian cheese, you know it's not cheap — a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano can run more than $25 per pound.
Keeping that cheese rind out of the trash not only saves you money, but it also helps you to reduce your food waste footprint — a $218 billion bad habit in the U.S., according to the EPA.
Plus, since cheese is a dairy product, it's also a major contributor to pollution leading to the heating of the planet. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, animal agriculture produces 14.5% of all global planet-warming gases.
What everyone's saying
TikTokers are into the hack. "I love it," one writes, while another calls the trick "great."
"Now tell everyone you know to stop wasting those rinds and put them to good use," Daniels says in the video. And according to the TikToker's video caption, you can also freeze the rinds until you're ready to use them.
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more, waste less, and help yourself while helping the planet.
