The Flavor-Bomb Ingredient You Can Make From Onion Peels

If you frequently cook from scratch, you probably use a lot of onions. Spanning across continents and cultures, these pungent alliums serve as a versatile flavor base for millions of recipes. Of course, once you've finally decided on a recipe, and you've finished slicing and dicing all of your onions, you're left with a mountain of peels. While your first instinct might be to compost or dispose of these peels, trust us, you shouldn't throw away onion peels. These papery skins are packed full of delicious oniony flavor, so rather than discarding them, you can instead make a quick and easy, two-ingredient onion salt seasoning.

To make onion salt at home using onion peels, first ensure that your peels are thoroughly washed. Rinsing the peels with warm water in the sink, and dry them well using a clean cloth or paper towel. If there are any dirty peels or dark spots remaining after rinsing, discard them before continuing. Once your peels are properly cleaned, spread them evenly onto a baking sheet, and place them in a dehydrator or a low-temp oven for a few hours (such as 150 degrees Fahrenheit for three hours), or until completely dried and crispy to the touch. Once dried, pour the onion peels into a food processor, adding one teaspoon of salt for every few onion peels, and pulverize into a fine powder. Store it in an air-tight container. It's a similar method to Priyanka Naik's clever way of using onion peels in the kitchen, just with the addition of salt to bring out as much oniony flavor as possible.

Similar to the more common garlic salt, onion salt is the perfect seasoning for just about anything in the kitchen. In general, you can use onion salt as a one-to-one substitute for regular table salt in savory dishes, adding a delicious burst of savory, umami flavor to whatever you're making. You can use it to pre-season meats before cooking, whether it's a homemade steak, a marinated chicken drumstick, or a grilled salmon fillet. Or, if you've already cooked your protein, homemade onion salt is an incredible topping to finish a dish. You can sprinkle a pinch of onion salt onto any cooked protein, adding a beautiful allium aroma. 

This same logic applies to any vegetables cooked at home, too. No matter the method of preparation, onion salt's light allium flavor compliments any vegetable you throw at it, from steamed broccoli to oven-roasted carrots, sautéed asparagus, and rustic mashed potatoes. It's also one of the best ways to season frozen sweet potato fries to perfection, taking a simple fried vegetable to a whole new level. You can also add a pinch of onion salt to your homemade salad dressings, and, if you're feeling extra zero-waste in the kitchen, you can add onion salt to a homemade salad dressing made with the scraps on your cutting board. Since the flavor of onion salt is so versatile, it pairs wonderfully with any type of salad or dressing you put it in.