Scratch Cooking is not a new term. It is closely associated with cooking the way your grandparents’ once did.
They are arduous meals from scratch utilizing the very essence of what was readily available to provide long term nutrition benefits to the family. It was also a way to stretch the wallet. I love the way scratch meals create fond memories (yes, go ahead and queue that Ratatouille moment). You instantly knew that it was good for you and you instantly felt loved. That is scratch cooking.
While we are mostly familiar with this concept, one of the concepts that is incredibly exciting right now is utilizing SCRAPS to make a meal, extend it, garnish it, and really use every piece of the produce you buy. I call this Cooking from Scraps, and it is not a term that I coined, but it is a term that chefs around the globe are adopting now to use in their kitchens. It gives chefs a source of creativity and creates an alignment with the environment and the impact we make.
Scraps are important for food scarcity groups, but most importantly for the environmental impact of the economy. We waste less, and use more. That’s a concept to get behind, don’t you think? So next time you find yourself peeling those vegetable roots, the skins off some of the produce, and tossing away those ends of trimmings from veggies, think about ways that you can use it in your household. Turn it into compost if you have a garden, or donate the scraps to one if you don’t! Keep the shavings and the vegetable trimmings to make a vegetable stock for soup and sauce bases or to add to your favorite smoothie.
Of course, if you want to get really fancy, choose to make your own root chips from the shavings of root vegetables. This my friends, is the ultimate snack at home. Root vegetable chips are great way to utilize and satisfy salty snack cravings, as this recipe can be adapted continuously with a variety of spices that are already in your pantry. Root chips are fun to make and easy to create (even in hot months with an air fryer).
Root Chips From Scratch
Equipment
- air fryer (optional)
- Sheet Pan
- parchment paper
- mixing bowl
- Vegetable Peeler
Ingredients
- 2 each Sweet Potato
- 2 each Carrot
- 2 each Beet any variety
- 1 each Butternut Squash smaller variety
Instructions
- Peel the vegetables and toss peels into bowl.
- Season with oil and combine thoroughly.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and scatter the peels onto the pan.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven until crispy.
- Remove from oven and season with salt and pepper to taste, eat immediately.
