Caramelized, candied or minced, onions are an essential ingredient in many recipes. When onions are prepared, the skins usually end up in the garbage can. And that's a shame! You may not know it, but onion skins are just as nutritious as the bulb itself. And, as we'll see, there are many ways to use it, not just in cooking!
So how do you recycle onion skins?
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5 ways to recycle onion skins and peels
Bye bye waste, hello zero waste! Discover 5 ways to reuse onion skins and peels.
🌾 Anti-gasp breadcrumbs or flour
Onion skin can be used to add a tasty, colorful touch to your breadcrumbs, or to partially replace flour in certain recipes, such as homemade bread.
Dry your peelings for a few minutes in the oven, then blend them to a powder. Once sieved, simply add to breadcrumbs or flour, to make breadcrumbs or dough for bread, pie or pizza, for example.
Store the remaining powder in an airtight jar for future use.
🍵 A detox herbal tea
Onion peels have diuretic and purifying properties, ideal for a natural detox. Onion peel tea has a number of benefits: it helps eliminate toxins, prevents water retention, burns fat and helps regulate appetite.
To prepare a detox infusion, place the peels (organic) in a cup of boiling water and leave to infuse for 15 minutes. Strain the infusion, preferably in the evening, to benefit from its relaxing and purifying effects before going to bed.
🌶️ A zero-waste spice
How about turning your onion skins into a condiment to spice up your dishes? It's free, easy and delicious!
- Keep your peelings until you have a sufficient quantity.
- Rinse well with water, then dry with a cloth.
- On a baking tray lined with baking parchment, arrange your peelings and add salt and herbs if desired (parsley, thyme, rosemary).
- Bake for 30 minutes at 100°C.
- Blend to a powder.
Store the powder in a glass container. The result is a homemade spice that's ideal for seasoning meats, vegetables and other dishes.
You can do the same with your garlic peelings!
🧅 A vegetable colorant
Did you know? Onion skins are an excellent natural colorant! They can be used to color your dishes in the kitchen, as well as your textiles. Yellow onion skins produce an ochre-orange tint tending towards brown, while red onion skins produce shades ranging from russet to khaki green.
How do I dye my clothes using onion skins?
Vegetable dyeing requires very little equipment: a saucepan, natural fabrics (cotton or linen), onion skins, and salt or white vinegar for mordanting.
- Mordant your fabric to fix the dye over time. Dilute salt or white vinegar in water. Soak your fabric in this bath before dyeing.
- Place your peelings in a pan of water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour: the longer the cooking time, the darker the dye.
- Strain the liquid to remove any lumps.
- Immerse your fabric in the filtered liquid for about 30 minutes.
- Rinse with cold water and allow the fabric to dry. Your dye is ready!
🌱 A natural fertilizer
Composting onion peelings is a great way to create natural fertilizer.
Onion peels are rich in nitrogen, calcium, potassium and phosphorus. Add onion peelings to compost to enrich it with organic matter. With a little patience, they can be transformed into an organic amendment to stimulate plant growth!
As they decompose very quickly, you can also place them directly at the foot of plants, provided they are sheltered from the wind.
Be careful, however, not to add them to the vermicompost: onions are vermifugous.
👉 To make the most of your waste, think about composting! Discover our range of compact, designer apartment composters.
