Making your own vegetable stock

[The amazing flavours of Will]

Hi,

since we started getting our vegetable box delivered each week I began saving the ends of vegetables (leeks, carrots, onion skins, broccoli ends et cetera) and putting them into a freezer bag. When the bag is full I simmer and then reduce the whole lot as a stock and put it in a tupperware container.

The problem is that the stock invariably ends up quite bitter. I'm not placing potatos, stalks or garlic into the stock so what am I doing wrong? Does anybody else make stock from vegetable peelings like this and have you got any tips to share?

Many thanks,

Will

[miladyinsanity]

Are you taking all the veggies out of the stock once you turn off the heat?

[Sunny Simmons Steincamp]

I've found (purely through experimenting) that carrot tops make my stock bitter -- I just have to cut off the grassy-looking part and they're fine. Any veggies with seeds seem to do the same for me: pepper seeds, tomato seeds, etc. I've also found that if I want to add fresh herbs, it's best to do so at the very end of the stock-cooking time. Not only do they seem to take on a bitter edge after long cooking, but the best way to cook fresh herbs, in my opinion, is not to cook them at all... their fresh taste is best when added at the very end!

I've also heard it said that celery leaves will make a stock bitter, but I use them all the time and never have noticed a problem...

Good luck!

[ludja]

I haven't made a vegetable stock that focuses on peelings so I can't answer your primary question perhaps. I've heard many times that using cruciferous vegetables will add an overpowering, bitter? note. So, usually veg stock recipes recommend not using broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, etc. I think I'd avoid bell peppers in the base stock recipe as well.

I also avoid adding too many carrots as that makes the stock too sweet for my taste.

The only vegetables that I use the "top" of are leeks, celery, fennel (if I want to add an anise flavor note). Other typically "discarded" parts of vegetables I'll use are corn cobs, if making a corn stock and parsley stems. I've not noticed any problem with using celery leaves although maybe there is a point where too many would add an unbalanced note. I don't use carrot peels alone because I think they can have a bitter flavor depending on the age, etc of the carrot. Perhaps this is not noticeable if one uses the whole carrot, but I haven't thought of just using the peels and I wouldn't use the "grassy-tasting" top as mentioned above.

When I have all the ingredients and want to make a very good, full-flavored vegetable stock I use this recipe from Annie Somerville in Field of Greens: click

The ingredients are:

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 leek top, washed and coarsely chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed in their skin

1 teaspoon salt

2 carrots, coarsely chopped

1 potato, sliced

1/4 pound mushrooms, sliced

2 celery ribs, sliced

6 fresh parsley sprigs, chopped

6 fresh thyme sprigs

2 fresh oregano sprigs

3 fresh sage leaves (I don't always add these)

2 dried bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon peppercorns

9 cups cold water

Simmering an hour is long enough to extract the flavors and I do remove the vegetables as she recommend by straining and pressing the vegetables against the sieve.

I use this recipe as a basic template; the potate adds some nice body. I'll sometimes make a variant that includes tomato and/or fennel tops and/or the outer layers of the bulb. Some other spice flavorings to think of depending on the stocks eventual use are star anise or lemongrass.

Annie Somerville has two other great vegetable stocks in the book: a mushroom stock and a corn stock. I've also made many of the recipes in the chapter on soups and have been happy with all of them.

By the way, welcome to eGullet, Will!

[The amazing flavours of Will]

Well thanks for the wealth of information - I shall certainly be using the recipe you posted for me Ludja when I want to make a special stock.

It looks as though the problems could be the carrot peelings, broccole stems and myriad vegetable seeds I tip in.

As for turning the heat off - I don't actually do that. I simmer the whole lot for 90 mins, strain and reduce until the flavour is sufficiently concentrated.

I'm hoping to get the art down because I like the idea of 'something for nothing' which comes from using the discarded vegetable bits. The only vegetables I like to add whole are shitake mushrooms - they seem to really 'beef' up the flavour (literally, in fact).

Once again - your replies are really appreciated guys :-)

[Rebecca263]

In our home we use many cruciferous vegetables for the stock,including cabbage, cauliflower, kale and chard, and we never have had a bitter stock. We NEVER use seeds, though, even in tomatoes.

We always scrub potatoes and other root vegetables before peeling them, too. Dirt makes bitter stock, even though it tastes sweet when you're a toddler! Also, we throw the onion skins in, and at least one whole carrot, chopped finely, into almost stock that we make. It's an old wives' tale in that we believe in, those items make for a sweeter stock. Don't you love scrappy stock??? We do too!

[Chris Hennes]

Can you reduce a vegetable stock way down the way you do a meat stock? I know you won't get an actual glacé texture without the gelatin, but does the flavor suffer on the reduction? I'm thinking in terms of storage space.

[BadRabbit]

Can you reduce a vegetable stock way down the way you do a meat stock? I know you won't get an actual glacé texture without the gelatin, but does the flavor suffer on the reduction? I'm thinking in terms of storage space.

In my experience, nearly all vegetable stocks have a slight bitter note (though not necessarily an unpleasant one) that is concentrated when you reduce it too far. I'm sure that by being extra careful with ingredients you can avoid this but most home cooks are just cooking scraps.

[Dave the Cook]

More Than Gourmet has a product they call Roasted Vegetable Demi-Glace and another called Veggie Stock Gold. Both come in highly-reduced form. I haven't tried these particular items, but their veal and duck, which are sold the same way, are very high quality. You might want to track down a sample (if you go the Amazon route, it seems you have to buy six) and see if you like it.

[heidih]

I never thought to reduce vegetable stock because I imagined the delicate flavors would suffer with heat enough to reduce. Now roasted vegetable stock sounds like a worthy experiment.