Potatoes show up in so many meals that it’s easy to end up with a pile of potato peels by the end of the week. Most of us scrape them into the trash without thinking twice, but those peels can still be useful.

Potato skins have been used in all sorts of ways over the years, from cooking and composting to a few old-fashioned household tricks. Some ideas are practical, while others are simply fun ways to use what would otherwise become food waste.

Before you toss your next batch of peels, try a few of these ideas. Just remember to start with clean potatoes and skip any potatoes with green, rotten, or visibly diseased skin.

1. Add Them to Compost

Potato peels can break down well in a healthy compost pile. Cut thicker pieces into smaller pieces if you want them to break down sooner, and mix them into the pile rather than leaving a pile of peels sitting on top.

It’s also a good idea to avoid adding peels from potatoes that are green or diseased. If you’re dealing with a large amount of scraps, mixing them with other kitchen and yard materials helps keep the compost balanced.

2. Make a Simple Scrap Broth

Potato peels can add a mild earthy flavor to homemade vegetable broth. Simmer clean peels in water with onion ends, carrot peels, celery tops, and other vegetable scraps for about 20 to 30 minutes, then strain out the solids.

The finished broth can be used in soups, sauces, gravies, or rice. It won’t taste exactly like a traditional vegetable stock, but it’s an easy way to get another use out of scraps before they hit the compost bin.

3. Bake Them Into Crispy Snacks

Clean potato peels can turn into a surprisingly good snack. Toss them with a little oil and seasoning, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake until they’re browned and crisp.

Salt and pepper are enough, but you can also try garlic powder, paprika, grated Parmesan, or another seasoning you already have in the pantry. Keep an eye on them near the end because thin peels can go from crisp to burnt pretty quickly.

4. Use Unsalted Potato Water for Plants

If you’ve boiled potato peels in plain water, let the water cool completely and you can use it to water some garden or house plants. The water may contain small amounts of nutrients and starch left behind during cooking.

The big rule here is to use unsalted water. Water left over from potatoes cooked with salt, butter, broth, or other ingredients isn’t a good choice for your plants.

5. Use Them to Help Loosen Cast Iron Residue

Potato peels have been used as an old-fashioned way to help loosen food residue from cast iron and carbon-steel cookware. One method is to simmer clean peels with water in the pan for a short time, then let the pan cool enough to handle and clean it normally.

This isn’t a replacement for proper cast iron care, but it can be useful when you’re dealing with stuck-on bits. After cleaning and drying the pan, apply a thin layer of cooking oil if the cookware needs reseasoning.

6. Try a Potato Peel Hair Rinse

Potato peel water has been used as a traditional hair rinse, particularly by people seeking a darker appearance for gray or white strands. There isn’t strong evidence that it can permanently cover gray hair, so it’s better to think of this as an old home remedy rather than a reliable hair-color treatment.

If you want to try it, simmer clean peels in water, let the liquid cool, and strain it before applying it to your hair. Test a small area first, especially if you have sensitive skin or a scalp that reacts easily to new products.

7. Freeze Them for Later

You don’t have to use potato peels the same day you make them. If you’ve accumulated a small amount and don’t have an immediate use for them, put the clean peels in a freezer bag or container and freeze them.

Once you’ve collected enough, you can use them for broth, cooking, or another recipe. This is also handy if you don’t compost and don’t want a small amount of scraps taking up space in the trash every time you cook potatoes.

8. Make Potato Peel Croutons

Crispy potato peels can add a nice crunch to soups and salads. Bake or fry clean peels until they’re crisp, season them, and break them into smaller pieces before sprinkling them over your meal.

They aren’t exactly the same as bread croutons, but they can add some extra texture to a bowl of soup or a salad. It’s a simple way to use the peels from potatoes you’re already preparing for dinner.

9. Use Them in Fermentation Experiments

Potatoes and potato scraps have been used in traditional fermentation and distilling recipes, but making alcohol at home comes with legal and safety issues that vary by location. Distillation in particular can be dangerous if the equipment and process aren’t handled correctly.

For most home cooks, there’s little reason to turn potato peels into alcohol. If you’re interested in fermentation, stick with established food fermentation methods and recipes that don’t involve distilling spirits.

10. Make a Homemade Thickener

Potatoes contain starch, and that starch can be separated and used as a cooking thickener. Making useful potato starch from peels at home takes more work than simply buying a bag, but it can be an interesting kitchen experiment if you have plenty of scraps.

The peels need to be thoroughly cleaned, processed, rinsed, and dried before the starch can be collected. Because the process can be time-consuming, this is one of those projects that’s best saved for a day when you have extra kitchen time.

11. Try Potato Peel Water on Tarnished Silver

Potato cooking water has been used as a home remedy for mild tarnish on silver items. The starch in the water may help loosen some surface residue, although it won’t replace a proper silver polish for heavier tarnish.

If you try this method, test it on a small, less noticeable area first. Valuable, antique, or delicate silver pieces are best handled with a cleaning method appropriate to the specific item.

12. Make a Rustic Potato Peel Soup

Potato peels can become part of the meal instead of being discarded. Sauté onion and garlic, add thoroughly cleaned peels and enough broth to cover them, then simmer until everything is tender.

Blend the mixture until smooth and finish it with cream, milk, herbs, or cracked black pepper if you like. The result is a simple soup that uses a part of the potato that would usually end up in the trash.

13. Add Them to Other Potato Recipes

Sometimes the easiest way to use potato peels is to leave them on the potato in the first place. Roasted potatoes, smashed potatoes, potato wedges, and many other recipes work well with the skins left intact.

A good scrub is usually all that’s needed before cooking, provided the potatoes are in good condition. You get the texture of the skin, keep more of the potato intact, and end up with fewer scraps to deal with after dinner.

Potato peels may seem like one of those scraps that isn’t worth saving, but they can have a second use in the kitchen, garden, or compost pile. You don’t have to save every peel, either. Pick the ideas that fit your routine and send the rest where they belong.