I am always amazed at the number of people who buy stock at the grocery store. I’m sure we have Rachael Ray to thank for the huge variety now available. And she’s right; it definitely takes something plain, like rice, and jazzes it up. But the stock available in the grocery store is often full of weird ingredients, not to mention salt. Not healthful. But a lot of people are intimidated by making their own. As a self-professed kitchen experimenter, I am here to tell you it is one of the easiest things you can make. And it freezes well.

I generally like to make veggie stock, simply because it doesn’t matter if I am cooking beef, chicken, pork, or staying vegetarian. It goes with, and enhances everything. Veggie stock does take a bit of pre-planning. I keep a gallon size zip top bag in my freezer that I add vegetable trimmings and scraps to. So, while I am prepping peppers, let’s say, for tonight’s dinner, rather than throwing out the ribs and weird small pieces that don’t work for the recipe, I throw them in my freezer bag. Mushroom stumps, carrot peelings, celery tops, onion roots, and stems from fresh herbs will all work. Basically any part of a vegetable that you are not using for a recipe can be saved in the freezer for stock.

Once the bag is full (and I am out of my current freezer stock), I simply take it out and thaw it overnight in the fridge. Then in the morning, I dump the contents into my biggest pot and cover it with water. If I have a Parmesan cheese rind (which, being Italian, I usually do) hanging around, that goes in to pot as well. If you prefer to keep your stock vegan, skip the cheese rind, but I would suggest adding in some mushrooms if your stock bag doesn’t already have some. Both the cheese rind and the mushrooms will give your stock that nice umami flavor.

Back to the pot of veggie scraps and water… Put it on the stove, season with some salt and pepper and bring the water to a boil. As soon as it boils, reduce it to simmer and cover with a tight fitting lid. At this point, walk away for a couple hours (two to four will usually do). To be clear, don’t actually leave your house with the stove on, but go and do your laundry or play with your kids.

When you come back, take the stock off the stove and portion out how you desire. I like to place mine in one cup mason jars, which then go in the freezer. When a recipe calls for stock, I can just pull out as many mason jars as I need. Bingo, you now have your own flavorful (and low sodium) stock.

To flavor rice or other grains, be sure to thaw the stock all the way. This can either be done in the fridge overnight or in the microwave right before use. If you are using the stock as the liquid in a slow cooker, just thaw it enough to dump it in and let your slow cooker do the work. I don’t have an Instant Pot, so I’m not sure if the stock can go in that frozen. It may depend on the recipe. Let me know in the comments if you try it out!