In a world that has grown increasingly obsessed with crafting alluring, Instagramable charcuterie boards, people are diversifying their cheese knowledge and consumption more every year. While soft, aged, and ripened cheeses were previously left to the more adventurous cheese lovers among us, you are now likely to find them represented on the snack table at almost any gathering – though many are still unsure of how to properly eat or cook with these somewhat intimidating cheeses.
In this article we’ll do a deep dive into the world of brie cheese, answering your most burning questions about this creamy substance and building your confidence when eating or using it in a recipe. Yes, it is safe (and generally encouraged) to eat the rind on brie cheese – but what causes it to grow in the first place? Does it melt fully when cooked? And if you don’t want to eat it, how do you remove it? Read on to find answers to all these questions – and more!
What is the Rind on Brie and What is Its Purpose?
Brie is traditionally classified as a soft, cow’s-milk cheese with a bloomy rind. If you’re new to this type of cheese, you may find its somewhat fuzzy exterior a little alarming – but it serves an important purpose in making brie the cheese that has captured hearts and stomachs around the world.
The rind on brie is made of different combinations of molds like Penicillium candidum or Penicillium camemberti, yeast, and yeast-like funguses. These organisms slowly bloom across the surface of the brie and eventually come together to form a unified layer that completely envelops the cheese.
The exterior rind serves as protection from microorganisms that may contaminate the cheese as it ripens. It also works to break down proteins and fats in the cheese itself, which creates brie’s soft, creamy texture – the very characteristics for which it is known and loved! It also significantly contributes to the cheese’s signature flavor and texture.
How Do You Eat Brie Rind?
So now we know you can eat the rind…but how do you actually do that? There are many ways to eat brie and many involve consuming the rind.
Perhaps most obviously, it is a delightful addition to any cheese platter. While some people scoop the interior out to spread on bread or a cracker, many cheese lovers consider it unsophisticated to eat around the rind, which contributes greatly to brie’s flavor profile. So dive in and give it a try!
When served this way, make sure to remove brie from the fridge well in advance, as it is best enjoyed at room temperature. Giving it time to warm up a bit allows the creamy texture of the cheese to fully express itself. When purchased as a full wheel, cut the brie into wedges before serving. Slice the wedge from either side, rather than from tip to outer edge. The center of the wheel is most flavorful, so slicing from the side ensures you can experience the full range of flavors in the cheese with each bite.
Another popular way to eat brie is to bake it – wrapped in puff pastry, phyllo dough, or on its own. The flavor of brie lends itself well to a myriad of flavor combinations. Experiment with adding different herbs, fruit preserves, or honey. Baking brie creates a warm, gooey spread that can be eaten alone or with a crusty loaf of bread.
Others prefer to incorporate brie into recipes, like Baked Brie Mac and Cheese or Brie Spinach Dip. In most instances, the rind is included – but make sure you read and follow recipe instructions carefully to achieve the desired outcome.
Should You Remove the Rind on Brie Before Baking?
This is largely a question of personal preferences. When making a dough-wrapped baked brie, the rind is traditionally left on to preserve the full flavor profile of the cheese.
Another benefit of keeping the rind on when baking is that it helps maintain the structure of the cheese, allowing the interior to melt and the rind to soften while still holding its round shape. When you cut into a baked brie, the interior will ooze out – though not as much as it would without a rind.
Some baked brie recipes, especially those baked without dough, call for the top rind to be cut off so that you can dip bread directly into the warm, gooey interior. But if you want the full brie experience, leave the rind on.
How Do You Remove the Rind from Brie?
If you try the rind and decide the flavor and texture are not for you, it is easy enough to remove. Take a chilled brie from the refrigerator, lay it on your countertop, and carefully trim the thin rind off on all sides with a serrated knife. For even better results, wrap the brie in food grade plastic wrap and place in the freeze for at least 30 minutes. Read our full post on how to easily remove the brie rind in 5 easy steps!
If your brie is very soft, you may prefer instead to cut just the top off and scoop out the interior. This will preserve the structure of the brie wheel and prevent any messy oozing that may occur as the cheese sits out and warms.
You can also use a potato peeler to carefully remove the rind from your brie. Again, depending on how ripe your cheese is, this may be a messy process. Be sure to chill your brie in advance and serve it in a dish that prevents the cheese from oozing onto other foods you may be serving alongside it.
Does Brie Rind Melt?
Brie is considered a fantastic melting cheese in the culinary community and is often included in recipes with a gooey, creamy component as a result. While the rind on brie will soften during baking, it will not completely melt.
Because of this, the rind is generally removed before brie is added to recipes that require a completely melted cheese so that any remaining rind does not distract from the desired texture of the dish. In some cases, brie will be added before removing the rind, and any remaining large pieces will be removed after the cheese has melted.
Should You Remove the Rind to Store Brie?
When storing, remember that whole cheeses need to breathe – wrapping them tightly in plastic prevents that from happening, which can cause mold to develop. Instead, loosely wrap whole wheels of brie in wax paper or parchment paper. They’ll last several days in the refrigerator.
Brie that has been pre-cut, on the other hand, should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap before storing in the refrigerator. After you open a wedge of brie, it is best to wrap it in its original packaging, then add an additional layer of plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
Removing the rind before storing brie can make preservation a somewhat more difficult task. Because ripe brie is a very soft cheese and is served at room temperature, wrapping it after removing the rind may present challenges. Opened or unopened, brie can last 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator or 3-6 months in the freezer.
When Should You NOT Eat Brie Rind?
While the brie rind is generally safe to eat, like all foods, it can go bad. Here are some things to look for when determining if your brie is past its prime:
- The rind is largely grey, brown, red, or another unexpected color. It’s common for the rind to be splotchy or mottled, but if your rind is another color, it may be best not to eat it.
- The rind is thick, chewy, cracked, flakey, or papery. It should be somewhat powdery in appearance.
- The cheese inside the rind has molded.