Freezing Chowder?

[Bean208]

I made, for the first time, clam chowder!!! Now for some this may be old hat, but for some reason in my mind I had always thought this was one I couldn't do. Found a great recipe on line and it turned out great with just a few minor tweaks! We will be having left overs again later in the week but will still have a lot left. Can I freeze chowder??

 

[VeraBlue]

Sure, you can freeze it...but it won't be the same. The liquid in all the individual ingredients will freeze (the vegetables, the clams, etc) changing the composition and structure of each item a bit. When you defrost it, you'll notice that the vegetables may seem spongier, wetter.

I don't doubt that many people will tell you it will be fine...but I feel frozen soup (actually, almost anything you can make and then freeze) is never the same as it originally was.

 

[Maverick2272]

Freezing is the alternative to throwing it out. I much prefer to keep mine in a sealed container in the fridge and re-heat. Freezing will keep it, but as Vera said it changes the texture and taste some.

 

[Katie H]

I agree with Vera, but freezing is better than throwing it out as Maverick said. However, you might have to add a little thickener to it when you serve it. Freezing it will cause it to get a bit thinner.

Freeze away and enjoy, regardless. You did a good job.

 

[Maverick2272]

Yes, absolutely, good job should have said that first!

 

[Bilby]

While not a chowder, I did freeze a prawn bisque, which I think from memory had more cream in than your recipe. The bisque separated in the freezer and while it reconstituted when heated, the flavour was not the same but it wasn't too different. It was still drinkable/eatable. (It wasn't the best recipe in the first place so ....)

 

[BreezyCooking]

What kind of clam chowder did you make? Cream-based "New England", tomato-based "Manhattan", or clam-broth-based "Rhode Island"?

Both "Manhattan" & "Rhode Island" freeze & reheat more than fine with little, if any, discernable difference in taste or texture. Cream (or milk) based "New England" may separate a bit - especially if reheated too fast/hot.

If I'm making a big pot of cream-based chowder & plan on freezing some, I only add the cream to the portion I'm going to serve immediately & then just freeze the base. I add the cream to the base when I eventually thaw & reheat it, thus avoiding the curdling problem.