Trying to make my own veggie broth from scraps turned into a 4-hour kitchen mess

I saw a tip online about saving vegetable peels to make free broth, so I started a bag in my freezer. After a month, I had a full gallon bag of onion skins, carrot ends, and celery leaves. I figured it would be simple: dump it in a pot, cover with water, and simmer. The problem was getting it to taste like anything but weak, bitter tea. I kept adding more scraps, then salt, then a bay leaf I found. I must have stood over that pot for four hours, tasting and adjusting, letting it reduce way down. It finally got some flavor, but I ended up with only two cups of broth from that huge bag. Has anyone else cracked the code on making scrap broth that doesn't take half a day and a ton of energy?

4 comments

4 Comments

kevinallen2mo ago

Roasting them first? That is a BONKERS amount of extra work. You have to spread a bunch of wet, weird peels on a pan? My oven would smell like onion skins for a week. The whole point of scrap broth is to be easy, not to turn your kitchen into a fancy restaurant for carrot tops.

finleyrivera2mo ago

My friend roasted his scraps first and it actually worked, lol.

kim_hall802mo ago

Wait, he roasted them? Like in the oven? That seems like a crazy extra step. What did he even put them on, a baking sheet? I need to know the exact temperature and time, because that sounds wild. My scraps just go straight into the pot.

tessalane4d ago

Roasting them first might seem like a lot, but it actually concentrates the flavor in a way that plain boiling never does. That caramelization adds a real depth, especially with onion and carrot scraps. You don't need a high temp either, like 375 for 15-20 minutes is plenty, just spread them in a single layer. The smell is more like a good soup base than anything weird, in my experience. It's an extra step but the broth comes out noticeably richer, so for someone who wants a more complex stock, it's worth the effort. Your mileage may vary but I've had good results with it.