When it comes to making delicious mashed potatoes, there are many tips and tricks to achieve a beautiful creamy taste and texture. Some people add tons of milk and butter. However, there is one uncommon ingredient that will completely elevate your mashed potatoes in a way you probably wouldn't have imagined.

While many people would be quick to throw away this specific thing, it is actually described as "culinary gold". The special ingredient was revealed on allrecipes.com, by Sara Haas, a food and nutrition expert with formal training in the culinary arts. It was while working at an Italian restaurant that the head chef shared this revolutionary information.

She wrote: "He went on to tell me how the rind of parmesan is almost as delicious and useful as the cheese itself. That it is, in fact one hundred perfect edible."

The rind was "the secret" to the chef's marinara sauce and Sara revealed that she made "a mental note" of the tip and by the time she hit culinary school, used it in to make mashed potatoes, which both she and her instructor thought was "delicious".

Fortunately, Sara revealed that you do not need to be an expert chef to make use of the ingredient and in fact homecooks can make the mashed potatoes with a parmesan rind in just a few easy steps.

Method:

1. Cook your potatoes as you normally would.
2. While your potatoes are cooking, add the milk, butter, and Parmesan rind to a small saucepan. Set the pan over a medium-low heat and bring to a simmer, adjusting the heat as needed to keep it simmering. Cook for at least 20 minutes.
3. Mash your potatoes. Remove and discard the rind, then add milk mixture to the potatoes a little bit at a time. Season with salt and pepper.

For those who like a bit more flavour, you can leave the rind for an additional 20 minutes or so as the longer the rind sits in the mixture, the more flavour you'll get out of it.

Additionally if you have parmesan in the fridge but not planning to make mashed potatoes anytime soon, you can easily store it by popping it into a resealable freezer bag and into the freezer. The experts says it will last for up to one year, so be sure to label and date it.