Freezing veggie scraps for stock

In all sincerity, this is my #1 kitchen hack. It’s resourceful, cheap, and the result is so flavorful and nourishing that you will never reach for that Better Than Bouillon again.

Here’s how:

Save all your (clean) vegetable scraps in a gallon ziploc bag in the freezer over time — we’re talking onion skins, garlic ends, carrot peelings, herb stems, mushroom stems, and anything that got neglected in the crisper.

When the bag is full, go to your local Mexican/Central American/Asian supermarket and buy a couple pounds of chicken backs (for flavor) and feet (for collagen). (You can skip this for vegetarian stock.)

Put those in a big pot with all the frozen scraps plus a few bay leaves, a handful of peppercorns, a couple teaspoons of salt, and plenty of water. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, and reduce to a low simmer. Simmer, covered, for 6 hours.

Strain twice: first through a colander (throw away the scraps), then again through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth, into a clean pot.

Simmer over medium-low heat until your stock is reduced by 3/4 or so; stop when the color concentrates to a toasty brown. Remove from the heat to cool.

If your stock has a lot of fat, you can chill it in the fridge overnight at this point and easily remove the fat cap in the morning. You’ll note that the broth has set firmer-than-jello — that’s concentrated collagen, baby! Warm the broth back up just enough for the collagen to melt for easy portioning; or you can skip all that and keep the fat in.

Either way, decant into small freezer-friendly containers or a stock cube tray for long term freezer storage. Ideally, portions should be 1/4 to 1/2 cup, for easy use. Throw them in sauces and braises to build texture and flavor; or reconstitute with water (1:4) for soups and stews that will suddenly taste like you spent hours on them.