How to use orange peels

As we are all trying to reduce waste in our kitchens it’s great to get more ideas for using what we would normally throw away. We usually discard orange peels, but they have some great uses, and they can add extra life to plenty of recipes. Here’s a roundup of how you can use leftover orange peels in your kitchen.

Candied orange peels

Probably the best-known method of using up orange peels is to turn them into delicious, candied treats. It’s very easy to do and they will keep for months in your pantry so you can add them to your baked goods and cakes, but you can also experiment with throwing them into savory dishes and salads. Simply take the peel of your oranges, remove as much of the pith as possible, place them in a pot of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes. Remove and drain. Fill the pot with fresh water and stir in one quarter of the volume of sugar to dissolve. Bring to the boil again, reduce and simmer for another 15 minutes. Carefully remove the candied orange peels form the water and allow to dry on a wire rack.

Orange olive oil

This is easy to make and when you add to salads or Asian-inspired dishes it adds a delicious citrus layer of flavor. Simply take leftover orange peels and scrape off enough of the pith as you can. Use the peel of two oranges for every one cup of olive oil. Place the oil and peel in a blender and blend. Leave at room temperature for an hour and then strain through a cheesecloth. You can also add herbs like rosemary at the infusion stage.

Mandarino

Traditionally made with the peel of mandarin oranges, you can use bigger oranges too. This is the same simple method used to make limoncello. You need to remove the orange peels from the fruit carefully with a vegetable peeler to avoid the pith which will make your drink bitter. Simmer the peels in water for about 15 minutes and drain, this will reduce the bitterness. Then you add the orange peels to high proof grain alcohol or vodka if you can’t get it. Leave to infuse for at least four days or up to a month. Use the peel of four oranges for every one bottle of alcohol. Once infused, strain the alcohol. Then, dilute the alcohol with a simple sugar syrup, to about one third.

Roasting tray

Keep your orange peels in a Ziploc bag in the freezer and simply reach for them any time you are roasting vegetables or making a roast chicken. Scatter a few orange peels over the veg and the chicken for a lovely citrus kick to liven up those heavy Sunday roast flavors.

Orange tea

Remove the zest from your leftover orange peels and mix with loose leaf black tea. This will give you a lovely citrusy tea that you can drink hot or use for iced tea.

Orange salt

You can add orange zest to salt which you can use for marinades and rubs, or for desserts or finishing cocktails.

Add to stock

Throwing a few orange peels, with the pith removed into a chicken stock pot livens it up, without overwhelming the rest of the flavors. Chicken and citrus go very well together so whatever you use the stock for will be brightened by the orange.