Homemade Vegetable Stock (Slow Cooker)

Where possible, I just give the vegetables a wash to remove any dirt, and I also remove any dead or wilted parts. The flavour in vegetables is often close to the skin.
I remove any tough outer layers of onion, but leave the softer brown skin attached as there is flavour in that too. This will give you a browner stock, so if you want a very clear vegetable stock you can remove the onion skin.
I add garlic to vegetable stock as I tend to use it in soups and dishes where I want the flavour of garlic to come through. If you don't want a strong garlic flavour you can cut down the amount or leave it out entirely.
Don't use cruciferous vegetables from the brassica family in stock, like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower or sprouts as they have far too bitter a flavour, that will ruin the stock.
I also avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes, they don't have a strong flavour and make the stock cloudy and gummy.
I don't add any salt to vegetable stock, as there are times when I will want to reduce the stock to make a sauce or jus. If the stock contains salt, the saltiness will only intensify when reduced, becoming too salty.
Once cooked discard the vegetables as they have been cooking for 6 hours so there is very little flavour left in them.
For a more intense flavour you can boiling the stock down to reduce the amount of water diluting the stock.
Store the stock in any size of container. I usually store stock in 450ml/1/2 pint bags. However, you could also store stock in ice cube trays if you use really small amounts.

Homemade Vegetable Stock (Slow Cooker)

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes