Homemade Vegetable Stock Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What should you not put in vegetable stock? ›

Vegetable stock likely comes unseasoned, while broth usually contains salt and other seasonings. Vegetable stock is made with untrimmed, sometimes whole vegetables, while broth is made from trimmed, roughly chopped vegetables.

Woody herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, tarragon, and marjoram release tons of flavor as they slowly simmer in stock. Give them a rinse and toss in a big handful of sprigs per quart of store-bought stock.

Being free of meat, homemade Vegetable Stock will last at least 5 days in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer.

Vegetables will not have much left to give after being used for stock, you can still eat them but they may not be flavorful or nutritious. Unless you're making a stew you're going to be cooking the stock, then removing the vegetables, then cooking the stock more with other ingredients.

In an 8 quart pot, sauté onions, mushrooms, and celery in a little olive oil for 15 minutes or until lightly carmelized. Add carrots, leeks, garlic, tomato, apple, parsley, bay leaves, basil, peppercorns, salt, dulse flakes and water.

The flavor of homemade vegetable stock is unbeatable.

You can add what you want, leave out what you don't want, and the longer you let it all cook, the more concentrated the flavor you'll get. YOU are in control here.

But if you keep an eye on sodium levels, both broth and stock can be healthy. Taub-Dix notes that stock is often considered healthier than broth since it tends to be slightly higher in protein and other nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, than broth.

As a result, stock is usually a healthier product, delivering a richer mouth feel and deeper flavor than broth. Stock is a versatile culinary tool that can deliver taste to any number of dishes. Darker in color and more concentrated in flavor than broth, it's ideal for use in soups, rice, sauces and more.

Surprisingly, not all scraps are created equal, and some aren't the best fit for stock. Specifically, scraps from cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower have a strong flavor that can turn bitter when simmered in stock, so skip those when saving in the freezer.

Can you simmer vegetable stock too long? ›

The stock should not simmer for more than 45 minutes. In that time the vegetables have given all their flavor to the water. Simmering them longer will only turn the vegetables into mush.

Throw In Extra Aromatics

An onion sliced in half, plus a few chunks of carrots and celery can go a long way in flavoring store-bought stocks. For added smokiness, char aromatics like your onions before adding them to the pot. Garlic, sliced ginger, and lemongrass can also be simmered in the stock for extra flavor.

Let cool completely before transferring broth to a sealed container. If using within a few days, store in refrigerator. Otherwise, store in freezer for up to 6-8 months.

I stick with these ingredients for my recipe: onions, carrots, celery, leeks, garlic, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and sometimes mushrooms. I've seen folks save all of their veggie scraps in a bag/container in the freezer and then they make stock out of that.

Vegetable broth contains iron that helps to stimulate the formation of red blood cells, helping to avoid anemia, increase energy levels, and avoid tiredness. Homemade broth helps to manage body metabolism, optimizing nutrient absorption, and resulting in a lighter feeling.

Cruciferous veggies: Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, or kale – these can make your broth become bitter. Green bell peppers (and possibly other colors of peppers, as well): these can make your broth become bitter. Especially avoid using the inside white pith of the pepper.

MISTAKE #1: TOO HOT IN HERE

The hotter you cook the stock, the faster you convert collagen into gelatin. Cooking low and slow gives you good conversion while preventing fat, minerals and other gunk from emulsifying into your stock. Boiled stock will be cloudy, greasy and have a lower yield.

Too much mirepoix in a meat, poultry or fish stock will make it taste either too sweet or bitter and out of balance. For herbs and spices, prolonged cooking results in loss of flavor; add herbs towards the end of the cooking process to give it a fresh flavor boost. Avoid adding salt if reducing the stock later.

NEVER BOIL STOCK

Allowing the water to boil will dissolve the impurities you're supposed to be skimming back into the stock, muddying its clarity and flavor. Not only that, but the energetic movement of the water will actually break minute pieces of your ingredients off and cast them adrift, further clouding things.