Do you scrub your vegetable stock scraps?

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BAPyessir6

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I usually don't, then just discard the last inch of the liquid where the debris have settled. It tastes fine to me, usually very carroty as that's the vegetable I use most; pretty dark stock color too from so much carrot and onion peels.

I've gotten a few chef friends mad at me though, as they say it makes a horribly inferior product and I'm serving them dirty water. Should I scrub all of my veg before I peel them (to save the scraps for stock?) Thoughts?
 
You are just using a shortcut that a professional chef would not. My career/reputation is not worth the risk of any dirt making it to a customer, ever. Same rules apply to "soft spots" and wilted veg. trim in that I can't risk anyone getting sick or finding sand.

If you are just doing it at home that is a different situation which I still don't do to my friends. If you are only cooking for yourself, it's fine to continue your method.

If you cook for others, please take the time to clean anything you cook from any dirt even if you like the earthy taste... LOL
 
BAPyessir6 said:
I've gotten a few chef friends mad at me though, as they say it makes a horribly inferior product and I'm serving them dirty water. Should I scrub all of my veg before I peel them (to save the scraps for stock?) Thoughts?
Click to expand...

If it were me, I'd do what I want to do, and get new friends. ;) :ROFLMAO:

CD
 
SGM Chef said:
You are just using a shortcut that a professional chef would not. My career/reputation is not worth the risk of any dirt making it to a customer, ever. Same rules apply to "soft spots" and wilted veg. trim in that I can't risk anyone getting sick or finding sand.

If you are just doing it at home that is a different situation which I still don't do to my friends. If you are only cooking for yourself, it's fine to continue your method.

If you cook for others, please take the time to clean anything you cook from any dirt even if you like the earthy taste... LOL
Click to expand...

I give my veggies a good rinse, but I'm not going to "scrub" something I plan to boil for a significant amount of time, and then strain. When I do make my own stock, I use meat trimmings and veggie scraps. That's been done for centuries. It is what it is.

CD
 
It's still food and the ingredients need to be clean and peeled as needed. Stock isn't a lower level product that doesn't deserve proper attention. It's the foundation for a lot of dishes. Those dishes will suffer if made with inferior ingredients. If you have an inch or so of debris in the bottom of the pot, you're doing it wrong.
 
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If I were going to use the stock for canning, I would scrub first. I make straight up veggie stock from carrot peels, onion skins and bits (I always carefully cut off the roots of onions, but just the dirty part with the little "hairs".), parsley stems, peels and dry bits from other veggies that aren't brassicas or starchy. If there is visible dirt at the bottom, I'll filter it. I agree with CD, that I don't think something that will be boiled for a long time is something to worry too much about any germs on the surface, when it will be stored in the fridge or freezer. It's a different story if, it will be canned and treated as shelf stable.

Sure, I use stuff in stock that I wouldn't eat. I generally don't eat onion skins or parsley stems. I don't intentionally eat dry or wilty celery, but it can go into my veggie stock. I don't generally eat chicken bones either.
 
But do your onion skins and parsley stems still have dirt on them? The dry/wilty celery does it still have the dirt on them?

No, things that go into my freezer for future stock is clean. My compost gets the gritty stuff. If I peeled a bunch of potatoes or carrots before washing them, those skins go into the compost. (or, on the farm, to the chickens {but not the potato skins})
 
dragnlaw said:
But do your onion skins and parsley stems still have dirt on them? The dry/wilty celery does it still have the dirt on them?

No, things that go into my freezer for future stock is clean. My compost gets the gritty stuff. If I peeled a bunch of potatoes or carrots before washing them, those skins go into the compost. (or, on the farm, to the chickens {but not the potato skins})
Click to expand...

I think people may be interpreting the OP's question differently. "Do you scrub your vegetable stock scraps?" To me, scrubbing means a lot more than just getting the loose dirt off.

Like I said, I do rinse my veggies, if they need it. Celery almost always needs some rinsing. The onions I get at the store are clean enough for me.

CD
 
dragnlaw said:
But do your onion skins and parsley stems still have dirt on them? The dry/wilty celery does it still have the dirt on them?

No, things that go into my freezer for future stock is clean. My compost gets the gritty stuff. If I peeled a bunch of potatoes or carrots before washing them, those skins go into the compost. (or, on the farm, to the chickens {but not the potato skins})
Click to expand...
I do rinse or scrub when there is visible dirt on that stuff. I don't put the veggie scraps in the freezer. I leave them out and let them air dry. When I have about a cup of them, I make some veggie stock. I don't usually include veggies when I make meat stock. I make my chicken stock out of chicken bones and gristle and water. Then, when it's time to use it, I add in some veggie stock. I also usually use veggie stock to dilute BTB. It bumps up the flavour.
 
I wash and/or scrub my veggies, as appropriate, before i peel them. I wouldn't even think about scrubbimg peels after the fact.
 
Now I am curious. Since people wash celery, which I do with the outer ribs and with any that look dirty, do you wash the individual layers of an onion? Do you wash the onion before peeling it? How many layers in on a cabbage get washed? Oh, and does anyone wash basil?
 
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taxlady said:
Now I am curious. Since people wash celery, which I do with the outer ribs and with any that look dirty, do you wash the individual layers of an onion? Do you wash the onion before peeling it? How many layers in on a cabbage get washed? Oh, and does anyone wash basil?
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I sometimes rinse my sliced or diced onions, but not for cleanliness. If my onions are on the bitter side, rinsing well tones down the bitterness.

I have never heard of washing/rinsing basil. I grow my own in pots, so the leaves are well above any dirt.

CD
 
This thread reminded me of a little story in How to Cook a Wolf by M.F.K. Fisher about an eccentric and very frugal old woman that used to salvage the bones from her dinner guests plates and add them to the stock pot.

I suppose that good stock is like sausage, we all enjoy it but none of us should see it being made. 🤭😉
 
I do wash my herbs from the garden, all of them, thyme, parsley, basil, chives, etc. When it rains really hard it splashes the soil up and onto them.

and I've know several female dogs that lift their legs.
 
Andy M. said:
Are your dogs the only two in the neighborhood?
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The only ones that can get into my backyard. I've been told some coyotes can make it over a six-foot fence, but if that happens, I have bigger things to worry about than where it pees.

BTW, I just have my mom's little dog now. Teddy (AKA: PsychoPoodle) died a couple years ago. Cancer took him at only age ten.

CD
 
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