Vegetable stock

Vegetable Stock (Using Scraps)

A simple, no-salt, no-nonsense stock that turns your compost bin into liquid gold.

Ingredients

• Parsley stems

• Onion (whole + skins)

• Celery ends + leaves

• Carrot peels + nubs

• Leek greens (washed well)

• Garlic cloves (optional)

• Mushroom stems (optional but fantastic)

• Peppercorns (optional)

• Cold water, enough to fully cover the veggies by 1–2 inches

Instructions

1. Load the pot:
   Toss all your vegetable scraps into a large stockpot. Don’t pack it tight, the water needs room to move.

2. Cover with cold water:
   Add enough to rise 1–2 inches above the vegetables.

3. Zero salt.
   Always keep stock neutral so you control seasoning later.

4. Simmer gently:
   Bring to a light simmer (never a full rolling boil, that clouds the stock and beats up the veggies).
   Cook for 1–1½ hours.

5. Strain:
   Pour through a fine mesh strainer. Press lightly, don’t squeeze, squeezing clouds the stock.

6. Cool completely:
   Speed this up with an ice bath if needed.

7. Store or freeze:

   • Refrigerate up to 5 days

   • Freeze up to 3 months

   • Freeze in ice cube trays for quick 1–2 tbsp hits of flavor

Great For

• Soups and stews

• Risotto

• Braising liquid

• Sauces and gravies

• Cooking grains (rice, couscous, quinoa, farro)

• Deglazing pans

• Poaching chicken or veggies

• Boosting instant ramen

• Replacing water in almost anything savory for extra flavor

Turn your veggie scraps into liquid gold. This is the simplest, cleanest vegetable stock you can make, no salt, no fancy ingredients, just pure flavor from the stuff most people throw away.

In this video, I show you how to take parsley stems, onion scraps (yes, skins too), celery ends, carrot peels, and leek tops and turn them into a rich, aromatic stock perfect for soups, stews, sauces, risotto… basically anything that deserves better than water.

This is zero-waste cooking with max payoff. A gentle simmer for 1–1½ hours, a quick strain, and boom, you’ve got homemade stock that blows store-bought out of the water. Freeze it, stash it, and use it whenever you want to level up your cooking.

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Ingredients used:
Parsley stems, onion + skins, celery, carrots, leeks, garlic (optional), mushroom stems (optional).
Cook time: 1–1½ hrs
Seasoning: ZERO salt — always season later.