Key Takeaways:
- Utilize Kitchen Scraps: Vegetable peels, meat bones, and other kitchen scraps can be transformed into flavorful, nutrient-rich stock, reducing food waste.
- Simple Preparation Process: Collect scraps in freezer bags, boil with water, and simmer for several hours to create stock.
- Rich Nutritional Benefits: Homemade stock, especially jelly-like stock, is packed with nutrients like amino acids, minerals, and essential fatty acids.
- Storage Options: Stock can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days, canned for long-term storage, or frozen in containers or ice cube trays for convenience.
- Versatility in Recipes: Homemade stock enhances soups, gravies, sauces, and main dishes with a robust flavor that store-bought options can’t match.
- Economical and Sustainable: Making stock from scraps is a frugal, environmentally friendly way to make the most of your ingredients.
Vegetable or meat stock is best made from kitchen scraps. Stock made from vegetable and meat scraps is a hearty, flavorful base for soups, gravy, sauces, and main dishes. Make up a large batch and freeze or can it for future use.
Waste Not—want Not. How many times did I hear that from my Mom? I realize now that it was often a challenge for her with 10 hungry, growing children. She was a wizard when it came to creating enough for everyone. Meals were often simple but always enough to go around. Mom’s daily lessons of making do with what I have and not being wasteful taught me gratitude for all I have—even if it isn’t a lot.
What Are Kitchen Scraps?
When I met Fred, I was delighted that he was as frugal as I was. Frugal Fred taught me the value of kitchen scraps—potato and carrot peels, celery leaves, onion skins, meat scraps, meat bones, and the carcass of a roasted chicken.
These can be transformed into the most delicious meat or vegetable stock. The vegetable scraps I use for stock are potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions. (the dark outer skin of the onion is a natural darkening agent in the broth. Other vegetables could be used sparingly. Experiment with different vegetables to see which ones you like.
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How Do I Get Enough Kitchen Scraps To Make A Batch Of Stock?
The hardest part is remembering to save your kitchen scraps. Even if you only have a few scraps, save them in a gallon ziplock bag in the freezer. Keep adding to the bag until it is full. Keep a bag for pork, one for poultry, and one for beef in the freezer. A gallon bag of scraps is enough for a batch of vegetable or meat stock.
How To Make Vegetable or Meat Stock - Step by Step
- Once you have a full-gallon bag of vegetables and meat saved up, you have enough for a batch of stock. If you are vegetarian, make your stock with vegetables. The process is the same.
- Add a gallon of vegetable and meat scraps (either pork, beef, or poultry) to a large kettle. You will need a 10-quart kettle. If you haven’t saved the meat and vegetable scraps, make the stock from a rotisserie chicken carcass, 2 carrots, 4 celery stalks, and 1 onion.
- Add enough water to cover the scraps with about 3-4 inches of water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 hours. Add water as needed to keep the scraps covered.
- After 4 – 5 hours of simmering the vegetable will be falling apart and the meat should be separated from the bones.
- Use a small-perforated large colander to strain the stock into a second kettle. You will have about a gallon of stock.
- If you like a mostly-clear, broth-like stock, stop here. Discard the boiled vegetables and meat. If you made vegetable stock it is ready to use, freeze, or can.
- Let the meat stock cool. Once chilled, the fat will be in a layer on the top. Remove the fat and either can, freeze or use the stock.
My Chilled Stock Is The Consistency of Jelly. Once chilled, the meat stock may be a “jelly” consistency. This is excellent. Jelly stock is rich in the nutrients that come from bones. These nutrients include minerals that help strengthen bones and maintain healthy joints. It is also rich in other vitamins, essential fatty acids, and amino acids.
For A Thicker Vegetable or Meat Stock
- After straining the liquid off and removing the bones; return the vegetables and meat back to the kettle and mash them with a potato masher until they are mushy and broken up.
- Add about 2 quarts of water to the kettle and simmer for another hour.
- Strain the stock again and discard the vegetables, meat, and bones. Add the liquid from the first straining to the stock. Chill and discard the fat.
How is Vegetable or Meat Stock Stored?
Stock can be kept in the fridge for 3 or 4 days only. I pressure can my stock in quart jars at 10psi for 25 minutes—process for 20 minutes for pint jars. Ball makes a great guide on canning and preserving.
Stock can also be frozen in plastic freezer containers or ice cube trays. I like freezing some stock in ice cube trays. The cubes make it so convenient when a recipe asks for a cup or less of stock or broth.
You will love, love, love your best-ever homemade stock. The purchased broth doesn’t even come close to the hearty flavor of homemade vegetable or meat stock. For some recipes that use homemade stock check out my Beef Barley Soup and my Oven Roasted Pork Roast.
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FAQ:
Q: What scraps can I use to make vegetable or meat stock?
A: Common scraps include potato and carrot peels, celery leaves, onion skins, meat bones, and chicken carcasses. Avoid strong-flavored vegetables like broccoli or cabbage unless you prefer those flavors.
Q: How do I store kitchen scraps until I have enough for a batch of stock?
A: Save scraps in gallon-sized ziplock bags in the freezer. Keep separate bags for pork, beef, or poultry scraps if desired.
Q: How long should I simmer the stock?
A: Simmer the stock for 4-5 hours, adding water as needed to keep the ingredients covered.
Q: What should I do if my meat stock becomes jelly-like after cooling?
A: This is a good sign! Jelly-like stock indicates it’s rich in nutrients, especially from the bones. Simply reheat it to use in recipes.
Q: How should I store the finished stock?
A: Refrigerate for 3-4 days, pressure-can for longer storage, or freeze in containers or ice cube trays for easy portioning.
Q: Why is homemade stock better than store-bought?
A: Homemade stock offers a deeper, more robust flavor and contains more nutrients, especially when made with quality kitchen scraps and bones.
How to Make Vegetable or Meat Stock at Home
Equipment
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- Freezer containers (optional)
- Pressure Canner and canning jars (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 gallon mixed vegetable scraps and peelings
- 1 gallon meat scraps beef, pork, or poultry
Instructions
- Save your vegetable scraps, meat scraps, and meat bones. Put the scraps in different gallon bags in the freezer until you have a bag full of vegetables and a bag full of meat. Separating your meat scraps into different bags lets you make different meat stocks. If you want to make stock and haven't saved the scraps, Use a rotisserie chicken carcass, and fresh carrots, celery, and onions instead
- Once you have a full gallon bag of vegetables and meat saved up, you have enough for a batch of stock. If you are vegetarian make your stock with just vegetables. The process is the same.
- Add a gallon of vegetable scraps and a gallon of meat scraps, (either pork, beef, or poultry) to a large kettle. You will need a 10-quart kettle.
- Add enough water to cover the scraps with about 3 -4 inches of water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 4 - 5 hours. Add water as needed to keep the scraps covered.
- After 4 - 5 hours of simmering the vegetable will be falling apart and the meat should be separated from the bones.
- Use a large-perforated colander to strain the stock into a second kettle. You will have about a gallon of stock.
- If you like a mostly-clear, broth-like stock, stop here. Discard the boiled vegetables and meat. If you made vegetable stock it is ready to use, freeze, or can.
- Let the meat stock cool. Once chilled, the fat will be in a layer on the top. Remove the fat and either can, freeze or use the stock.
- Once chilled the meat stock may be a "jelly" consistency. This is excellent. Jelly stock means it is rich in the nutrients that come from bones. These nutrients include minerals that help strengthen your bone and maintain healthy joints. It is also rich in other vitamins, essential fatty acids, and amino acids.
For A Heartier Vegetable or Meat Stock
- After straining the liquid off and removing the bones; place the vegetables and meat back into their kettle and mash them with a potato masher until they are mushy and broken up.
- Add about 2 quarts of water to the kettle and simmer for another hour.
- Strain the stock again and discard the vegetables, meat, and bones. Add the liquid to the stock from the first straining. Chill and discard the fat.
Storing your Stock
- Stock can be kept in the fridge for 3 or 4 days only. I pressure my stock in quart jars at 10psi for 25 minutes—process for 20 minutes for pint jars. Ball makes a great guide on canning and preserving. Click here to purchase the guide. For all your Pressure Canning needs, check my store page.
- Stock can also be frozen in plastic freezer containers or ice cube trays. I like freezing some stock in ice cube trays. The cubes make it so convenient when a recipe asks for a cup or less of stock or broth.
Awesome. Very useful post. How long is the stock good for once you can it?
The stock is good for at least a year once it is canned.