You Can Probably Eat That Cheese Crust
I noticed that not everyone eats brie crust . It’s silly because the brie crust is good, and – if you’re scraping the sticky center off the wedge on a shared cheese platter – it’s pretty darn rude. But even brie aside, many people avoid perfectly edible and sometimes delicious crusts for no reason.
Don’t eat wax
By “crust” I mean the hardened outer part of the cheese that forms during the ripening phase of the cheese. I don’t mean the red wax around your gouda or the fabric around your cheddar. These particles of inorganic matter will not poison you, but they are inedible and will not taste good. (This goes double for Babybel, I use this wax for my art.)
Try white (it’s delicious!)
According to Food & Wine , there are three main types of rind: flowering, washed, and natural. A flowering rind is the pale, white, or off-white, slightly fluffy rind that you see on the outside of soft cheeses (such as brie) and is an important part of the cheese. (Yes, this is due to mold, but mold gives us cheese and many great antibiotics.) Not only is this type of rind difficult to remove elegantly from its soft core, it often has a pleasant, earthy, full-bodied taste. it is meant for enjoying the flavor of the cheese. Aside from brie, you should eat camembert peels, Mount Tam American treasures and Humboldt’s mist and anything that has a French name that looks very soft and creamy. (The Serious Eats have a good list.)
However, if the rind has come off the cheese or is stained with dark mildew, you should skip this because it is not.
Orange, are you glad you ate?
Washed crusts look orange, appear sticky, and sometimes smell very odd. They vary in flavor, and I can’t tell you that you will love the zest of every washed cheese you try, but you can, especially when it comes to soft washed rinds. Once the cheese has set, it is treated with brine, which is often accompanied by goodies such as cider, wine, brandy, or beer; sometimes they are also covered with herbs, flowers, or some kind of ash. These salty, thick and slightly meaty rinds are filled with aromas lovingly hand-picked by cheese makers and tell the story of the cheese. Shaving them off means getting rid of the excess aftertaste and behaving (a little) disrespectfully. Taleggio is perhaps the most famous of the washed rind, and while the smell can be a problem, it is worth trying – the rind and all – at least once.
Keep it in stock
Then there are the tough, natural guys. This is your Parmigiano Reggiano and any cheese that has been aged and air-dried, allowing the rind to develop on its own. Of course, there is nothing wrong with trying them, but they can be a little harsh on the teeth (or just bitter), and harder samples are best saved for flavoring. It should also be noted that the categories may overlap – although Gruyere is a cheese with rinsed rind , this rind is very hard and not fun to chew.
Then there is you
You probably won’t like every crust you put in your mouth. Heck, some people find the texture of the brie crust – one of the most available crusts – repulsive. Whether you eat a cheese crust or not is a matter of personal preference, but please try it before cutting. Like any food created through a laborious, almost artistic process, cheese has its own story and the crust contains a lot of plot. Basically, no crust will hurt you, so give it a try, make your choice, and enjoy the cheese.