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Freeze vegetable scraps like celery trimmings, onion and carrot skins, or things that are going a bit off.
When you have enough…. Stock.
Also keep the carcass from breaking down whole chickens. (Chicken stock.)
You can get jumbo ice cube molds and freeze it in half-cup blocks.
Cooks know thyself! If you're not the kind of cook who makes stock, having a bunch of chicken wing tips in the freezer will not make you the kind of cook who makes stock. It'll just make you into the kind of cook who stores your leftovers before you toss them.
it definitely took a conscious effort for me to build it as a habit. but I would suggest it's definitely worth it, if you're buying store bought stocks or broths. it's part of my weekend food routine. (Including going out the greenhouse garden and pulling in the stuff that's come ready. I spend maybe 2 hours on the garden, it's aeroponics and the stuff is being forced, so I'm constantly shifting things through a grow cycle. And another hour tidying up all the produce... including stuffing carrots in a freezer and pulling now-sweetened carrots out.)
for anyone whose like... "I don't have TIME"... I feel you. One option instead of keeping an eye on a simmering pot is to use a slow cooker. I find carrot/celery/onion to be a solid base to work on, but I also like adding garlic, ginger, apple peels (adds pectin, and a nice sweet flavor,). I also like adding in mushrooms that need to be used up (or left over stems,)
Also a pressure cooker works really well for making stock.
I'm going to have to try that one of these days. How long do you keep it under pressure, and do you let it sit under 'keep warm' after?
https://www.seriouseats.com/pressure-cooker-chicken-stock-recipe
tl;dr: 45min on high, let natural release, skim off fat. When it's done I just strain it and then let it cool and then freeze it.
already heard about the stock option (and forgot about it), but i wondered: how do you handle sand or other dirt attached to the trimmings?
i've tried to filter with a coffee filter, but its really tedious and takes ages until all stock is filtered.
the double freezing option is very cool. do you concentrate the stock, or add just as little water as possible when cooking the stock?
You have to clean the veggies before you make your soup.
So... the vast majority of my vegetables, I grow aeroponically in a greenhouse out back... there's no sand to speak of.
That said... you should wash your fruits and veggies.
Plain running water, rubbing or scrubbing with a clean brush. no need for soap or 'produce wash". if you have a salad spinner.... that'll simplify washing and drying salad greens.
For soft fruits, just hand wash them gently under flowing water and trim away bruised sections. For things that are more firm, you can get a little rougher, including going up to a scrubby brush.
store bought, whole mushrooms... absolutely need to be washed in water. That "grit" or "sand" is sterilized manure. foraged mushrooms... well I'm not brave enough for that. in any case, as long as you're not literally soaking them, mushrooms don't absorb water. They just have a TON of water in them naturally. (i wasn't a big mushroom fan. mostly because my mom would cook them horribly. bleck. Anyhow. what my GF does is a quick, thorough wash in a bowl of cold water to get the shit out/off and then goes to a towel to pat dry and then lets them airdry a bit before use.
(the manure is safe to consume. it won't kill you. won't even make your stomache upset, but, uh, it tastes awful in soups and stocks, and it's unpleasant and gritty. Also. it's still literally shit.) (pre sliced is already cleaned and ready to rock.)