I always use unpeeled onions when I’m making stock, because the skins add a golden colour - so you could just lob in the skins. It would be a particularly good thing to do if you were making vegetable stock. There really isn’t any need to buy salty stock cubes/powder, making stock is very little effort

Joanna

Every dye needs a mordent, which is what makes the dye stick and not just wash out. Does anyone know what the mordent for onion skins is?

I usually save the skins for stock as well, or use unpeeled onions like Joanna. Ditto for garlic heads.

This site gives a really easy way to dye stuff with onion skins - apparently the best mordant is a mix of alum and cream of tartar:

http://www.yummyscience.co.uk/ys_pages/ys_onions.html

I keep 4 “soup to be” containers in my freezer. One is for vegetables and their cooking liquid, left over from dinner and the rinse water used to rinse out “empty” ketchup containers. Various leftover pastas are put in this container, as well. The 2nd is for peelings (onion skins, potato peelings, celery leaves and bits, carrot peelings, etc. for vegetable stock. The contents of the peeling container is boiled, cooled and put through a food mill. I usually use this for a creamed soup base. I also brown hamburger, then rinse it with hot water, and drain. The drained water (minus fat) becomes broth, and go into the “beef soup” container along with beef bones and trimmings. Last, I save chicken/turkey skin, bones, trimmings, and save for a poultry based soup. That teaspoon or tablespoon of gravy that’s too “little” to save also goes into this pot. I may add the saved vegetables to any one of the stocks to make soup.

Onion skin are great as an infusion (tea) for when you get a cold or sore throat.

I use onion skin as cats playstuff-I give him an old blanket and put some peels on it-Michi love crushing them!