Got some kitchen scraps on hand from all that cooking from scratch you’ve been doing? Instead of discarding vegetable scraps, you can easily recycle them into a nutritious stock. Homemade vegetable stock is a versatile and flavorful base for many delicious recipes — including soups!
In this guide, we’ll explore the benefits of making stocks from scratch, the uses for homemade vegetable stock, the best vegetables to use, and how to save kitchen scraps for a delicious and versatile stock.
Benefits of Making Stocks and Broths From Scratch
Control Your Food’s Ingredients
When you make vegetable stock at home, you have full control over the ingredients. You can choose organic vegetables and herbs, ensuring that your stock is free from artificial flavors, preservatives, and excessive sodium. This promotes natural living practices and allows you to customize the flavor profile of your stock.
Enjoy Cost Savings
Store-bought stocks and broths can get expensive, especially if you use them frequently in your cooking. Making your own vegetable stock from kitchen scraps is a cost-effective alternative. Instead of buying pre-packaged stocks, you can use ingredients that would otherwise go to waste, saving you money in the long run.
Related Article: Is Homesteading Worth It? Cost, Savings, and Earnings Study
Reduce Food Waste
Food waste is a significant issue, but by making vegetable stock from kitchen scraps, you can contribute to its reduction. Recycling food waste like vegetable peels, stems, and other scraps that might typically end up in the trash or compost helps reduce food waste and make the most of your ingredients.
If you’re growing food, preventing food waste feels amazing after all your hard work!
Uses for Homemade Vegetable Stock
Soup Base
Homemade vegetable stock forms an excellent base for soups. Its rich flavor enhances the taste of your soups, making them more delicious and satisfying. Whether you’re making a classic vegetable soup or experimenting with new flavors, using homemade stock will elevate your creations.
Boil Grains in it to Add Flavor
Infusing your grains with homemade vegetable stock adds a depth of flavor that plain water cannot match. When cooking rice, pasta, millet, couscous, quinoa, or other grains, substitute some or all of the water with vegetable stock. This simple step will enhance the taste of your dishes and give them a delightful aroma.
Use it to Cook Vegetables
Steaming, boiling, or blanching vegetables in vegetable stock imparts a savory taste to them. Instead of using plain water, try cooking your vegetables in homemade vegetable stock. This technique adds an extra layer of flavor and makes even simple veggies more enticing.
Make it a Base for Casserole, Pot Pie, and Pasta Recipes
Homemade vegetable stock serves as a flavorful base for various dishes like casseroles, pot pies, and pasta recipes. It provides a well-rounded taste that complements other ingredients. By incorporating homemade stock into your recipes, you’ll enhance the overall flavor and create memorable meals.
Add it to Savory Sauces
When preparing savory sauces such as gravies or pan sauces, incorporating homemade vegetable stock adds richness and depth. The stock’s flavors blend harmoniously with other ingredients, resulting in a more complex and delicious sauce. Next time you’re making a sauce, consider adding some homemade vegetable stock to elevate the taste.
Make Reheated Leftovers Taste Better
When reheating leftovers like pastas, stir-fries, or casseroles, adding a splash of homemade vegetable stock can revitalize the dish. It prevents dryness and infuses the flavors, making your leftovers taste freshly made.
What Vegetables Are Best for Vegetable Stock?
While you can use a variety of vegetables to make vegetable stock, certain ones work particularly well. Here are some vegetables commonly used in vegetable stock:
- Onions (including skins)
- Carrots (including peels and ends)
- Celery (including leaves)
- Garlic (including skins)
- Leeks (including green parts)
- Mushrooms (fresh or dried)
- Preserved herbs like parsley, thyme, rosemary, etc. (including stems)
These vegetables and herbs impart a robust flavor to the stock, resulting in a delicious base for your recipes.
What Vegetable Scraps Should NOT Be Used for Stock?
While many vegetable scraps are suitable for making stock, there are a few exceptions. It’s best to avoid using the following scraps as they can give an unpleasant taste to your stock:
- Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage
- Brussels sprouts
- Artichokes
- Asparagus (unless using a large quantity)
- Beetroot (in excess)
- Potato peels (in excess)
These vegetables can make the stock bitter, overpower its flavor, or become too mushy to strain.
Equipment You’ll Need for Homemade Vegetable Stock
- 1 chopping knife
- 2 Large pots with lids
- 1 fine-mesh strainer/colandar
- 1 Cheesecloth
- 1 tea infuser (if including herbs to flavor your stock)
- Airtight glass storage jugs (for easily accessible refrigerator storage)
Pro Tip: If you’re freezing your vegetable stock, freeze it in large silicone muffin trays. Once frozen, easily pop sections of stock out of the tray and store them in a reusable freezer bag or freezer-safe storage container. You’ll have pre-portioned servings of vegetable stock readily accessible!
How to Save Kitchen Scraps for Vegetable Stock
Saving kitchen scraps for vegetable stock is easy. Here’s a simple method to collect and store them:
- Keep a designated container in your kitchen, such as a ziplock bag or a lidded container.
- Whenever you prepare vegetables, save the scraps that are suitable for stock, such as onion peels, carrot ends, and celery leaves.
- Rinse the scraps and remove any dirt or debris.
- Place the scraps in the container and store it in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Continuously add more scraps to the container until you have enough to make a batch of vegetable stock.
Once you’ve accumulated enough scraps (generally 2 cups of scraps per 1 quart of stock), you can follow a vegetable stock recipe to transform them into a flavorful stock.
Related Article: How to Make Turkey Soup With a Leftover Turkey Carcass
How to Make Homemade Vegetable Stock
Homemade Vegetable Stock (From Vegetable Scraps)
Equipment
- 1 chopping knife
- 2 Large pots (one pot should have a lid)
- 1 fine-mesh sieve or colander
- 1 Cheesecloth
- 1 Airtight storage containers (use ice cube trays if freezing)
- 1 tea infuser (if including herbs to flavor your stock)
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped vegetable scraps
- 4 cups water
- herbs and spices (optional) to taste
- salt (optional) to taste
Instructions
- Collect a variety of vegetable scraps such as onion peels, carrot ends, celery leaves, and other suitable vegetable trimmings. Make sure to use clean scraps that are fresh or were refrigerated or frozen, avoiding any that have started to spoil.
- Give the vegetable scraps a quick rinse under cold water to remove any dirt or debris. If your scraps are frozen, this also thaws them up a bit.
- Chop the vegetable scraps into smaller pieces. This can help release more flavor during the cooking process.
- Transfer the vegetable scraps to a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Pour enough water into the pot to fully submerge the vegetable scraps. The amount of water needed will depend on the quantity of scraps you have, but a general guideline is to use about 4 cups of water for every 2 cups of vegetable scraps.
- For added flavor, you can include herbs and spices such as bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme, or parsley stems. Tie them together in a cheesecloth or use a tea infuser for easy removal later.
- Place the pot on the stove over high heat and bring the water to a boil.
- Once the water reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and let the vegetable scraps simmer gently. Cover the pot partially with a lid, allowing some steam to escape.
- Allow the vegetable scraps to simmer for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. This will extract the flavors from the scraps and infuse them into the stock.
- Taste the stock and add salt if desired. Be mindful not to oversalt, as you can adjust the seasoning later when using the stock in recipes.
- Set a fine-mesh sieve or colander lined with cheesecloth over a large bowl or another pot.
- Carefully pour the stock through the sieve, straining out the vegetable scraps and herbs. Press down on the scraps to extract any remaining liquid.
- Once you've strained the stock, discard the used vegetable scraps and herbs. They have served their purpose in flavoring the stock.
- Allow the vegetable stock to cool completely before storing it. Transfer the stock to airtight containers or ice cube trays for freezing. In the refrigerator, it can be stored in sealed containers for 3 to 4 days.
Related Article: Homemade Chicken Bouillon Powder: Make Your Soup Stock Last For Months
Ready to Use Up Those Vegetable Scraps?
Making homemade vegetable stock from kitchen scraps is a fantastic way to maximize flavor, reduce food waste, and exercise control over the ingredients in your cooking. With the versatility of vegetable stock, you can elevate a wide range of dishes and add a delicious depth of flavor.
Start saving those kitchen scraps and enjoy the benefits of homemade vegetable stock in your culinary adventures!
FAQs
Can I freeze homemade vegetable stock?
Absolutely! Vegetable stock freezes well and can be stored in freezer-safe containers or ice cube trays for convenient portioning. It will retain its flavor for several months in the freezer.
How long can I keep homemade vegetable stock in the refrigerator?
Homemade vegetable stock can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. Make sure to store it in a tightly sealed container to maintain freshness.
Can I use vegetable scraps that have started to spoil?
It’s best to avoid using vegetable scraps that have started to spoil, as they may negatively affect the taste and quality of the stock. Use fresh and clean scraps for the best results.
Can I mix different types of vegetable scraps in one batch of vegetable stock?
Yes, you can mix different types of vegetable scraps to create a more diverse flavor profile in your vegetable stock. Experiment with various combinations to find your preferred taste.