Do you make your own vegetable stock, or do you buy it?

[Anonymous]

Looking for advice -- foodie vegetarians are coming for Thanksgiving and I want to make it worth the trip (<-- note that they are traveling, so I can't just tell them to bring whatever they want to eat).

Moosewood's recipe for veggie stock, which is basically simmering scraps and peelings, seems like it would turn out pretty bland.

[Anonymous]

Vegetarian household here. We make our own. We keep a bag of scraps in the freezer and make broth with it (+salt) when the bag is full. I think it depends on what scraps you're using. I've made the mistake of adding things in the past that add either neutral or bad flavor (bell peppers). I suggest only using scraps from onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, and tomatoes. You can also add some herbs if you have them - thyme and bay leaves have worked well for me.

Be sure to make sure you take the sticker off any outer onion layers you save lol. I made a batch once not realizing I unintentionally boiled a sticker in there and then I couldn't figure out why it tasted horrible.

[Anonymous]

buy it

[Anonymous]

365 brand

[Anonymous]

I buy it but I would love a great recipe.

[Anonymous]

Vegetarian foodie here. This stuff is as good as anything you're going to make on your first try. I buy it at MOM's, but I think they sell it everywhere:

https://www.betterthanbouillon.com/products/organic-seasoned-vegetable-base/

[Anonymous]

I make my own when I have more time to cook, but I also keep a jar of Better than Bouillon vegetable base in my fridge at all times. It makes great tasting stock.

[Anonymous]

I used to make it, but better than bouillon has also converted me lol.

If you make it, it's super easy to do as a pp said, just keep all the peels and extra junk in the freezer, and when you have a full bag you can start a stock. If you havent been doing this, I don't think its worth starting it from scratch.

But seriously, BtB is a life saver.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to make it, but better than bouillon has also converted me lol.

If you make it, it's super easy to do as a pp said, just keep all the peels and extra junk in the freezer, and when you have a full bag you can start a stock. If you havent been doing this, I don't think its worth starting it from scratch.

But seriously, BtB is a life saver.

Same. We keep a bag of veggie scraps in the freezer, but use BtB in between.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vegetarian foodie here. This stuff is as good as anything you're going to make on your first try. I buy it at MOM's, but I think they sell it everywhere:

https://www.betterthanbouillon.com/products/organic-seasoned-vegetable-base/

+1. I use this all the time. It's foolproof.

[Anonymous]

Costco vegan stock in the cartons or better than boullion vegetable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vegetarian foodie here. This stuff is as good as anything you're going to make on your first try. I buy it at MOM's, but I think they sell it everywhere:

https://www.betterthanbouillon.com/products/organic-seasoned-vegetable-base/

Just be careful here if there are any allergies. Better than Bouillon contains soy and yeast extract. And some other weird ingredients. We have those allergies in our extended family, so I make my own.

I keep a freezer bag for trimmings, herb stems (basil, thyme, parsely), and corn cobs, but if I don't have one handy, I use whole vegetable and/or pre-trim veggies in the fridge and pantry (cut tops, bottoms, and leaves off celery, peel and cut ends off onions, cut the tops off carrots (including carrot greens if you have them) plus a head of garlic outer layers peeled, wash and cut in half horizontally, and a handful of mushrooms, salt, peppercorns, bay leaf, a few cloves.
Just be sure to wash everything well first since onions occasionally get a little mildew inside the first layers and celery and leeks are dirt traps. Avoid brassicas. Fill instant pot to fill line and pressure cook for 45 minutes.

If your guests are not vegan and tolerate dairy, you can also use parmesan rind (get rid of any wax first). It makes a lovely rich stock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vegetarian foodie here. This stuff is as good as anything you're going to make on your first try. I buy it at MOM's, but I think they sell it everywhere:

https://www.betterthanbouillon.com/products/organic-seasoned-vegetable-base/

Just be careful here if there are any allergies. Better than Bouillon contains soy and yeast extract. And some other weird ingredients. We have those allergies in our extended family, so I make my own.

I keep a freezer bag for trimmings, herb stems (basil, thyme, parsely), and corn cobs, but if I don't have one handy, I use whole vegetable and/or pre-trim veggies in the fridge and pantry (cut tops, bottoms, and leaves off celery, peel and cut ends off onions, cut the tops off carrots (including carrot greens if you have them) plus a head of garlic outer layers peeled, wash and cut in half horizontally, and a handful of mushrooms, salt, peppercorns, bay leaf, a few cloves.
Just be sure to wash everything well first since onions occasionally get a little mildew inside the first layers and celery and leeks are dirt traps. Avoid brassicas. Fill instant pot to fill line and pressure cook for 45 minutes.

If your guests are not vegan and tolerate dairy, you can also use parmesan rind (get rid of any wax first). It makes a lovely rich stock.

I love making veggie stock and have found I get the best favors by adding a bunch of well roasted mushrooms and onions for richer flavor. I also adore Parmesan rind, but be aware that the vast majority of rind contains animal rennet - some vegetarians don’t care but some do. I’m not a cheese expert, but large chunks of Parmesan (as opposed to grated) seems to be the only type of cheese I can never find a vegetarian version of. I’m not sure why.

[Anonymous]

Every time I follow the directions on BTB, it tastes like watery nothing. What is your recipe using btb? How much btb do you use?

[Anonymous]

Buy powder or paste. Buying stock with water added in the factory is wasteful and unhelpful.