Rind on Brie

Last year I was asked to be a judge at the great British Cheese awards

Oh, that's just showing off Teetime !

And how might I ask does one get to be in such an exalted position?

To answer the OP, EAT!

SIL is a partner in a Cheese distribution company, he says one of the reasons a lot of people do not eat the rind (what a waste) is that the cheese is not at room temperature.
He does or did a lot of corporate events mainly showing the links between Trappist Beers and Cheese, and saw a lot of people not try Cheeses as they were 'melted and gone all soft'.
Also a lot are southern cheeses where the ambient temperature is a lot higher than the UK.

Sorry, I don’t eat the rind from French Brie either, but I’m only buying ??Somerset Brie now and that rind is edible. I freeze Parmesan rinds to throw into broccoli soup.

I have never eaten brie,but it`s on my shopping list.
And at least i know that it can all be eaten.
Thank you Gransnetters.

I like brie and camembert really runny, so it would be hard to cut the rind off anyway, if I had ever thought to do so. Which I haven't.

Hard rind is good for flavouring your cooking

Last year I was asked to be a judge at the great British Cheese awards. I was allocated to one of the soft cheeses tables and my fellow judge was the Head of Buying for Neals Yard- he ate everything and so did the other judges on other tables.

I think your question is answered in these replies Minimoon.
Not everyone likes and eats the rind.
I just wondered if our fellow GNers did.

I eat the rind on all cheese, DH doesn't, so I eat his as well

Spice101 the brie in a cup included the rind. Just very mature/rotten Brie. Great flavour!
Have people seen that cheese with the active mites in the rind? I saw it in a shop window once. It looked revolting crawling with these little whitish creatures. A great delicacy apparently, but not for me!

What Chewbacca said.
I like the softness and creamy taste of Brie but feel wasteful throwing the rind away so don’t buy it often.
We have a block of Cornish cheddar each week and eat every bit ....... ?

For lovers of Brie, the downy white rind is the tart bite that balances out the fat-laden, oozing, pungent layer inside.

Did you know that the mouldy rind is one of nature's greatest living surfaces, doing double duty as a shield and a cleaner. The rind allows the cheese's deep flavour and aroma to mature, but also defends it against micro organisms that could spoil it. The Brie repays the fungi on the rind by supplying it with nutrients.

When the Brie comes out of the the casting, it's coated with a Penicillium candidum mould and put on the shelf to age for a few weeks. At 30 to 35 days, the cheese has reached "a point," the French expression for perfect ripeness.

All that I discovered after reading about the amount of salt and sugar that's in much of our food. It's rare that I ever eat any cheese these days or any processed meat, and as my wife is wheat intolerant I don't eat any bread either. That gluten free cardboard that passes itself off as wheat free bread is beyond palatable.

But just like all goodie-goodies I have to admit, when I am out alone, there's a takeaway that I always find myself in where I can buy and surreptitiously enjoy, a brie & bacon roll smothered in mango chutney. Whether the rind is left on I know not, the cheese is melted over the bacon having been microwaved.

Jane10 we can get "spreadable brie" here which is essentially the cheese without the rind.
I always eat it but sometimes it does have a very strong smell/taste of ammonia.

We used to buy Brie that was sold in a cup. Yummy stuff. Don't think delis are allowed to do that any more though.

the only brie i would eat is absolutely cold and firm from the fridge; any sign of it having a life of its own, ie being off, and i'm off.
i still like the rubbery texture and predictability of good old edam, but no red "rind" now, as i get it ready sliced in packets.

when i was a child i used to eat the red coating on edam, thinking it was a particularly intense rind...

I don't understand why you'd do that

Because it's like eating a piece of old chewing gum; it sticks to the roof of your mouth and is horrible to swallow. The soft middle bit is very nice but by the time you've finished chopping off that cakey stuff off the sides, you don't have much left.

I'm another who has never seen anyone cut it off!
I don't understand why you'd do that!

silky autocorrect Brie, not blue.

I wonder why you ask, I thought everyone ate the rind. Blue is one of those cheeses that you eat in its entirety surely.

Best part the rind IMO

It's yeast.
Penicillium camemberti

It's chalk? Really? Glad I chuck it away then!

I eat it. I believe it's only chalk (?) and the best bit of Brie is right next to the rind.

DH carefully cuts the rind off. The blackbirds fight over it.

Always eat rind on Brie. Delicious!
though some brands are tastier than others.

OH has IBS and can eat Brie so I buy every week. Asda's not so good, President is better.

We have for supper with crackers, or on a roll with turkey rashers and cranberry at lunch. OH not allowed bacon grrrr!