Ina Garten's Super Simple Trick Turns A Wedge Of Parmesan Into An Unexpected Appetizer

Leave it to Ina Garten to add one more line to the list of reasons it's always smart to keep a wedge of Parmesan in the refrigerator. Not only can it dress up the simplest pasta dishes, give your grilled cheese sandwich a gourmet twist, and otherwise bring its nutty umami quality to all that it meets, it can also easily transform into an elegant snack with nearly zero effort. In an Instagram reel, the Barefoot Contessa demonstrates how to break that triangle down into bite-sized bits she calls shards.

"There's nothing simpler, or chicer, than Parmesan shards," Garten says in the clip. She uses a small paring knife not to slice, but to pierce and chip off what look like stylishly jagged inch-or-so-long portions halfway between slivers and chunks in size. That rough topography, she swears, is part of what makes this particular parm preparation so tasty (the uneven edges also make for a more interesting texture). And you can replicate her process incredibly easily at home, filling a ramekin with the fermented and aged dairy product for your next cocktail party or, of course, as a small bite for one.

Parmesan will outlast a lot of other cheese varieties in the refrigerator, retaining its quality even for several months before it's opened, especially if vacuum sealed. So it's tops for hacking up for last-minute visitors, or when some other canapé goes sideways and needs replacing. It's also strong, so a little bit goes a long way, leaving a decent amount left over for other uses. That's why you'll never find the pre-grated stuff in Ina Garten's fridge.

Should you want to make things a bit more involved than a simple arrangement of cheese pieces, you can top thin slices of apples or pears with shaved parmesan shards for sweet-salty success. You can also spear a few chunks to go with your bloody Mary garnishes for an extra-savory addition. And, as culinary celebrity and cookbook virtuoso Garten also details in that same cheesy Instagram reel, all you need for light, salty Parmesan crisps is a grater. Petite piles of freshly grated cheese on a parchment-lined baking sheet transform into crunchy, snackable chips after just a few minutes in the oven for a nutty finish that feels a lot more refined than it should.