"Can I - or should I - eat the rind of my cheese?" Great question. And absolutely you can. Of course, it totally depends on preference.
It's always easiest - and tastiest - to try the white fuzzy rind of a "bloomy rind" cheese like Brie or Camembert. That's natural. And believe it or not, that white matted exterior is actually the flower of the mold that helped create your cheese. I happen to love it. But, if you don't like it, scoop out the interior and leave the rind behind.
The brownish orange of a stinky "washed-rind" is also edible. Go for it.
When it gets to the hard cheeses, it gets a bit more difficult. They can be tough to chew and very hard. A cheese like parmesan, which has aged for a long time, can be impossible to eat. But keep those rinds. Don't throw them away. Toss them in a soup (or freeze them in a ziplock bag for future broths).
Some rinds are just plain tasteless. They may taste like cardboard, or be dusty. Feel free to dislike and discard.
But no rind will make you sick.
There is only one rind that you should avoid. It's the wax rind of the Gouda and Edam, often glossy and colored red, used to protect the cheese. That's wax, people! Do not eat it!
