Many of us are guilty of throwing out food waste without giving it much thought. Billions of pounds are wasted in the UK for this reason with a staggering 9.5 million tonnes of food binned every year, according to Business Waste.
One food blogger is on a mission to change that. Carleigh Bodrug has shared an unconventional tactic to get more mileage out of our scraps – and it may just elevate your home cooking, too.
In a post to her Instagram page, @plantyou, Bodrug shared her unique onion and garlic peel powder recipe and it is surprisingly easy.
“Stop throwing out those garlic and onion peels,” she told her five million followers, before promising to transform them into ‘magic’ as part of her Scrappy Cooking series – where she shares clever ways to use up normally unwanted food scraps.
First, Carleigh rinsed the peels in a vinegar-water solution. These were then placed on a baking tray and heated at the lowest temperature for several hours.
She didn’t reveal the exact length of time the peels should be in the oven, instead advising followers to watch them closely until they become crispy and dry. “Then blend them up and you have your own onion garlic seasoning,” she said.
Bodrug zoomed in on her powder, which she then poured into an empty seasoning jar ready to use in the kitchen.Onion powder is an excellent substitute for fresh onions in a wide range of recipes from all over the world, as it does not require peeling or chopping, unlike its fresh counterpart.
Combining onion seasoning with garlic adds even more flavour, or you can keep the two types of peel separate.
Followers were quick to comment on Bodrug’s post, with many keen to try out the trick for themselves. One person wrote: “What a great idea! I save my veggie scraps in a bag in the freezer. Just keep adding to it, then when it’s full I make broth. So flavourful.”
Another added: “I have a bag of onion skins going right now to do this.” A third suggested: “I tried this and it tasted like air add some salt to it and other bits of the actual onion/garlic so you can taste the flavour.”
