Why Cheesemongers Are Hating TikTok's New Whipped Brie Trend

Love it or hate it, there's no denying the power of social media when it comes to food trends. The hashtag #tiktokfood has been viewed more than 100 billion times, and you can find everything from celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Ree Drummond to TikTok-famous folks like "the Pasta Queen" Nadia Caterina Munno. But the vast majority of the food content on TikTok and Instagram is created by the influencers who come up with budget hacks, easy meals, and of course viral crazes like "pink sauce" and butter boards.

One social media trend that has some serious staying power is whipped cheese. From ricotta to burrata to feta, no soft cheese is off limits for the mixer it seems. The latest trend in whipped brie, however, has some cheesemongers up in arms. Their biggest gripe? That whipping brie requires removing and tossing the rind. Creating the soft, edible rind of a wheel of brie takes a skilled cheesemaker around two weeks under specialized conditions according to the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company, and not only does it hold a lot of the mushroomy, umami characteristics of the cheese, it's also a major part of brie's identity. So callously throwing the rind away is a bit sacreligious to a cheese aficionado.

Whipped brie is very simple to make. According to Meg Quinn, who kicked off the trend on Instagram, all you have to do is remove the rind of a wheel or two of brie, cut the remaining cheese into chunks, and then whip it in a food processor until it's smooth for a super spreadable, salty dip that works great with anything you'd normally serve with brie, like cranberry and orange sauce. While it got its start on Instagram, it's taken off on TikTok. 

@justataste

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♬ Made You Look – Meghan Trainor

Despite its high-end origins as a riff on a recipe from the French Laundry, according to Quinn, cheese people are not happy about whipped brie because the rind is an intrinsic part of the cheese. Emma Harvey, cheese buyer at City Market South End in Burlington, Vermont, said to Allrecipes, "There are flavors and notes present in the rind that differs from the paste of the cheese. So please, as a monger I beg you, don't just throw the rind away."

The rind, after all, is what gives brie its briny, earthy signature flavor and texture. New England Cheesemaking Company says, "It is the development of this bloomy rind community that creates the magical transformation of the fresh curd on make day, to that amazing tasting cheese that flows from the first cut when it is totally ripe." Cheesemakers spend a lot of time developing their recipes, including the rind, so don't just chuck them.

Throwing away cheese rinds is not only a little disrespectful to cheesemakers, but it's also a bad habit to throw away edible food. Food waste is a huge problem around the world, and there's no reason to throw away something that you can repurpose — especially an expensive ingredient like brie. Social media influencers are major offenders of promoting food waste, according to the BBC. Even worse, there was a social media trend at the beginning of the decade of wasting food on purpose.

So if you're dead set on breaking the cheese rules and making whipped brie, there's a simple solution that will give the rind its due: set the rind pieces aside and use them somewhere else. Quinn says on her Instagram to use the leftover rinds on a piece of toast or on top of a cup of tomato soup if you want an easy fix. If you'd rather serve them up with your whipped spread, How Stuff Works recommends toasting them for spreading, or for topping a salad. Just pop them in a hot oven or under the broiler like you would a marshmallow. If they are too gooey, try dredging them in panko breadcrumbs before toasting them for a little structure and crunch.