How to add creaminess to cooked corn chowder; mine is too thick?

How to add creaminess to cooked corn chowder; mine is too thick? - Crop chef pouring bolognese on spaghetti

First time making corn chowder; used recipe with little olive oil,vegetable broth, milk, 20oz frozen corn, Greek yogurt, red potatoes, onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, little cayenne pepper & rosemary. It cooked in slow cooker over 8 hrs and the potatoes (diced small) were barely soft. It looked to me like it was going to be too liquidity, so I keep adding some floor mixed with milk in two hr intervals until I thought it was thickening. Now it's over thickened. (Didn't have a good taster either; I've been adding all kinds of spices trying to get it more flavorful.).



Best Answer

I don't know if you'll be able to salvage this soup, but I will tell you how you can try. The reason your soup tastes unpleasant is that you added a raw flour slurry. Adding raw flour gives a raw flour flavor which is unpleasant as you've found. In small quantities you may not notice it, but if you add a lot it can ruin a dish. If it is very strong now it may still be too strong after you thin the soup out.

The only way to thin the soup is to dilute the soup with fresh milk and/or stock. What I would try is to remove half the liquid (strain out the solids and put them back in) and replace it with fresh liquid and add some herbs and spices to replace those flavors. The reasons for removing half the liquid as opposed to adding more to the whole soup are 1) to keep it in balance with the solid ingredients and 2) to minimize waste: if it doesn't work you're either throwing out double or if you decide to eat it you have twice the unpalatable soup to eat. Bring it up to temperature and try it, it may need more seasoning. Try some white pepper, it's good in chowder and may help to disguise any remaining raw flour flavor. That's as far as I would personally go, if you end up with something edible I'd stop before you go overboard and make it worse.

There are 2 main ways of thickening a soup, one is to use a slurry as you did. Slurries are quick and convenient, if you want to use a slurry use cornstarch (corn flour) or potato starch instead, they will thicken without adding flavor. The second method is to make a roux, which is equal amounts by weight of flour and butter cooked in a pan. The benefit of a roux is it cooks the rawness out of the flour and adds flavor. The longer you cook it the darker it gets, the more flavor it adds but it reduces its thickening power. For my milk based chowders I make a light roux, cooking it just a minute or two as I like the depth of flavor it gives. However, there's nothing wrong with a cornstarch slurry if that's what you have the time and inclination to do, a roux is just extra credit. If time is a factor you can make a roux ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator.

Another problem you ran into was that in a slow cooker it can take a long time to see the results after adding thickener, this is because slow cooker temperatures are low and flour/cornstarch don't fully thicken until the temperature reaches 203°F/95°C, although they start to thicken at a lower temperature. You have to know how much thickener to add, or you add it and then wait a long time to see the result. You could also use a lower temperature thickening agent like tapioca starch or arrowroot and see the result sooner.




Pictures about "How to add creaminess to cooked corn chowder; mine is too thick?"

How to add creaminess to cooked corn chowder; mine is too thick? - A Close-up Photo of Delicious Yellow Corn on the Cobs
How to add creaminess to cooked corn chowder; mine is too thick? - Top view of pizza with tomato and olive on thick dough served on wooden board with stripes
How to add creaminess to cooked corn chowder; mine is too thick? - Cut pizza with olive and corn on thick dough served on table with flour



What makes corn chowder thick?

HOW CAN YOU MAKE CORN CHOWDER THICKER?
  • Puree more of the soup in the blender, or alternatively, mash some with a potato masher.
  • Before adding in the half and half, whisk a tablespoon or so of cornstarch into the half and half, then add to the soup as directed.


How do you use cornstarch to thicken corn chowder?

Adding a few tablespoons of cornstarch to your soup is an easy fix. Just add the cornstarch to a small bowl with a couple tablespoons of water and mix until it becomes a thick sauce-like consistency. What is this? Then, just stir this mixture into your chowder a little at a time until you get the desired thickness.

What do you season corn chowder?

No one will resist that bacon topping! Chicken Broth, Milk & Cream: These are the base of the corn stock. We simmer the shucked cobbs in this combination for a deeply delicious chowder base. Cayenne Pepper: this simple seasoning is all you need plus salt and black pepper of course.

How long does corn chowder last in the fridge?

Tips & Notes: Store leftover corn chowder in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat corn chowder on the stove or in the microwave. To freeze, skip adding the half and half during the final step, add it in when you are reheating the soup.



Creamy Corn Chowder




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