How to use vegetable scraps

Nothing is thrown away in the kitchen, this is a saying that our grandmothers taught us and for some years it has remained only a popular saying. The situation has now changed and what used to be just a sort of proverb has become a necessity. Use vegetable scraps is a way to minimize waste in the kitchen, save money and be good for the planet. What we call vegetable scraps can become, with a few tricks and a little imagination, precious new ingredients to create dishes that are good for you and have a unique flavour. For recycle vegetable waste you will have allies who will always come in handy:

• creativity: this can’t be missing, only curious minds can obtain new dishes, awareness and greater sensitivity;
• spices: perfect for giving new flavors to parts that are not too noble;
• herbs: they will give aroma and taste, enhancing even the ingredients with a more delicate flavor;
• steam cooking: necessary to keep even the toughest parts;
• seasonality: respecting the seasonality of vegetables will help you extract the maximum taste even from waste.

Kitchen tools to reuse vegetable scraps

The one of use vegetable scraps it should become a habit and although no special skills are needed, over time you will realize that some kitchen tool in addition, it will save you time and allow you to recycle waste in a much shorter time. Most of these are tools that any kitchen has as standard, however a few small investments can certainly come in handy. Among the tools you will need to make the best use of vegetable scraps are:

• oven: useful for drying, it will allow you to create powders and chips with vegetable scraps;
• extractor or centrifuge: from the most coriaceous parts you can extract the juice that you will need for numerous preparations;
• immersion blender: necessary to create creams or grains;
• steamer: very useful for cooking vegetables without losing their properties and nutritional benefits, but also for tenderizing the toughest parts;
• pressure cooker: very convenient for cooking the toughest and most leathery parts of vegetables faster, but not only.

What can be done with vegetable scraps?

What can be done with the vegetable scraps it is truly amazing. Once you understand the mechanisms and techniques, you will realize both how many precious scraps you threw away before, but above all how good those parts are which, who knows why, you had never considered.

How to use asparagus scraps

Il stalk of asparagus it is often hard, fibrous and leathery, but it can be recycled for numerous preparations. Wash the stems well and put them in cold water, boil them and you will have obtained a precious broth perfect for enriching creams, soups and for preparing a risotto with an intense flavour. By removing the outer part of the asparagus stem with a potato peeler, you will obtain a more tender pulp. Blend it and put it in the oven at 100 °C until it is crunchy. Add it to the salt and in a few gestures you will have obtained a aromatic salt with asparagus perfect for dressing salads, eggs and vegetable or meat-based second courses.

How to use broccoli scraps

I stems of broccoli they are very hard, it is true, but that doesn’t mean they should be thrown away. By eliminating the outermost part, with what remains of the stem you can prepare delicious broccoli creams perfect as first courses, but also excellent as a side dish. The heart of the broccoli stems, cut into sticks, can become perfect in pinzimonio seasoned with oil, salt and lemon juice.

How to use artichoke leaves and stems

With the outermost leaves of the artichokes you can make detox infusions and decoctions which will protect the liver from stressful periods in terms of nutrition. Just boil them in water for ten minutes and your purifying herbal tea is ready to be drunk. With the stems of the artichokes, once the outermost part has been removed with the potato peeler, you can make a home made gardener perfect for aperitifs and sweet and sour side dishes.

How to use carrot scraps

The carrot peel, once washed and dried well, it can be fried or dried in the oven. You will get fabulous chips perfect for decorating your dishes but also tasty as a snack or for an aperitif. Carrot leaves have a very mild flavor. Wash them and quickly blanch them in boiling water. Drain them, squeeze them and chop them finely. You will get a perfect filling for the ravioli.

How to use broad bean and pea pods

Broad beans and peas have a very high yield, but i pods they must not be thrown in the trash because they are precious ingredients from every point of view. If they are very fresh legumes, you can blanch the pods and add them to the salads when they are soft. You can also boil them for 10 minutes and then fry them or bake them in the oven. Alternatively, centrifuge them and use the extract to make delicious ones spring soups.

How to use pumpkin peel

It will seem impossible to you but even the pumpkin peel can become a new ingredient. Boil it and when it is soft it will become perfect for creams and velvetybut also how filled with ravioli and fresh pasta.

How to recycle vegetable waste

It will happen that you don’t use all the vegetables for a given recipe. Those scraps and slightly withered vegetables shouldn’t be thrown away. Chop them and leave them in a colander with a weight on top so that they lose most of their vegetation water. Then pass them in a pan with plenty of salt and pepper, until they are well browned and free from water. Let it cool and place some of this mixture in the containers to make ice. Place them in the freezer and if necessary you will have the become vegetali useful for flavouring soups, sauces and many other dishes.

How to reuse kitchen waste

There are many ways to reuse waste in the kitchen, but first of all it must be clear that we must try to throw away as little raw material as possible. Any vegetable, meat or fish waste is a precious element that can become a broth for flavouring, a stock to give flavor to sauces and gravies. With this awareness you will certainly produce less waste and eat much better.