Food expert's money-saving hack for making stock cubes out of vegetable scraps

girl in the kitchen preparing a salad

Alessandro Vitale has encouraged his followers not to allow peelings to go to waste (stock image) (Image: Getty)

Want to put your leftovers to good use? expert and author of Low Waste Kitchen, Alessandro Vitale has the answer with his scraps stock cube .

The Italian, who is known on social media by his screen name, Spicy Moustache, moved to London aged 23 and later established Sustainable Urban Gardening due to his passions for food and the environment. On , meanwhile, where he boasts 2.3 million followers, he began a new video telling viewers: “Stop throwing your leftover vegetable scraps.”

“Use any vegetable’s peel, stork, leaves or leftovers,” he instructs, highlighting onions, leeks, peppers and turnips as examples. Using those ingredients, he continued: “Roughly chop them down and add to a pan with herbs, salt and spices and cook until most of the moisture evaporates.”

He also advises sautéing them with two teaspoons of olive oil to help release all of the flavours. Once cooled, Alessandro places the contents of his pan into a blender, mixing until he gets a “smooth texture”.

Taking small steps to reduce waste can lead to a positive environmental impact, save money, and spark creativity in the kitchen. By gradually adopting waste-reducing habits, youre not only contributing to a healthier planet but also discovering new ways to make the most of what you have. STOCK CUBES * 1kg Assorted leftover vegetables (carrot peels,celery, broccoli stems ,cauliflower leaves,soft veg ,onion, leeks, mushrooms, etc.) * 4 x cloves of garlic * 1 teaspoon of salt * 1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast * Herbs & spices * Salt & pepper * Olive oil Instructions * Gather your leftover vegetables and make sure they are clean and edible. * Chop the vegetables into smaller pieces * Sauté them with 2 tbsp of olive oil until * They release all the flavours and most of the water has evaporated * Let the veg cool for a bit * In a blender add the cooked vegetables , garlic,spices and herbs salt & black pepper. * Blend the mixture until it becomes a smooth puree. * Line a flat, shallow pan with parchment paper. Pour the vegetable puree onto the pan and smooth it out evenly. * Place the pan in the freezer and let it freeze until it’s solid. * Remove the frozen vegetable puree from the pan and cut it into cubes. * (Optional )Wrap each cube in parchment paper or place them in an airtight container. Store the wrapped cubes in the freezer . ONION & GARLIC PEEL POWDER onion peel garlic peel salt pepper paprika powder chilly powder BANANA PEEL SOAP: – 4-5 banana peels – 50g coconut cream – 500g organic soap base STEP BY STEP: – Roughly cut the banana peels and bake them at 170°C for about 20 minutes or until fully dry. – Blend the dried banana peels until you obtain a fine powder. – Cut the soap base and melt it in a double boiler. – Add the coconut cream and banana peel powder. – Mix by hand or with an immersion blender until fully incorporated. – Pour the mixture into a silicone mold, or you can reuse the container from your soap base. – Allow to solidify and store in a jar until needed.

Next, he suggests lining a flat, shallow pan with parchment paper and pour the mixture into the pan and smoothening it out evenly.”Place the pan in the freezer and let it freeze until it’s solid,” Alessandro advises next.

Once frozen, he removes the puree from the pan and cuts it into cubes. Closing, Alessandro suggests: “Wrap each cube in parchment paper or place them in an airtight container. Store the wrapped cubes in the freezer.”

Justifying his , he penned in an accompanying caption: “Taking small steps to reduce waste can lead to a positive environmental impact, save money, and spark creativity in the kitchen. By gradually adopting waste-reducing habits, you’re not only contributing to a healthier planet but also discovering new ways to make the most of what you have.”

Alessandro’s hack was met with affection in his clip’s comments section, with one of his followers declaring: “I want to marry a healthy person like you. How valuable and healthy you are.” A second praised: “I love your videos they are so inspiring and straightforward.”

A third confessed: “I realised how much onion skin I just threw out in my life. I’m storing them now and will make them into a powder as you did.” Whilst a fourth joked: “I’m thinking about dropping out of college, go live on a farm and lead a life like this life.”

Alessandro writes on his : “My mission now is to inspire others to reconnect with nature, to grow their own food, and to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle. To everyone who has joined me on this journey, your support means the world.”

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