# advice on thickening clam chowder..



## eastshores (Oct 23, 2008)

I took the day off from work, and decided that I would make a meal for tonight, and settled on clam chowder. I rendered down about 6 slices of bacon, and then added some canola oil and then flour to make a roux, but for some reason is was getting very foamy. Maybe the heat was already up too high. In any event, I ended up aborting my roux attempt and just chopped the bacon and then combined that back with scallions, potatoes, and small onions I had prepped. I basically sweat those, and when they looked good, I added clam stock.

Now I am cooking this all day on a very low simmer, and the majority of the stock is milk. In order to thicken it since my roux failed up front, is there any reason to create an actual roux, with say butter and flour to thicken it, or could I simply add a corn starch slurry?

I realize that dishes that desire the flavor a roux imparts (like gumbo) cannot go without the roux, but with something like clam chowder, it's more of a textural concern for me, since the aromatics and the clams are the flavors I want to concentrate. I am however interested in your opinions, it's not too late for me to change this!


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## eastshores (Oct 23, 2008)

Well you guys suck for instant advice! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/bounce.gif

I am pleased to say that it has thickened quite nicely, even though there wasn't much of a roux, I guess the low and slow heat is helping out. It could be thicker, so I keep stirring to make sure nothing sticks and burns, and I guess I'll see where it ends up.


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## abefroman (Mar 12, 2005)

LOL.

I was going to say, either use the corn starch, but I don't like using a whole lot of that of that, so a little flour would also work.


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

The potatoes are supposed to do the thickening.

If you are making Manhattan clam chowder, you deserve whatever is happening to you! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif

Mike


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## eastshores (Oct 23, 2008)

Thanks MikeLM.. and yes.. the potatoes are working their starchy magic... I had anticipated it.. when I chose a half gallon of milk. I think I'm ok.. if not.. I'm still ok! It's tasty stuff.. that's why I got bread! I think I need to go harvest my own clams again! You newenglanders got nothing on us Florida crackers!


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## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

Hi eastshores, 

  

   I remember when my wife and I made the drive to northern Maine (our last trip before the kids came).  We stopped at nearly every shop that was open to try their clam chowder.  While no two bowls were quite the same...none were very thick.  At least not in the way that the bowls of clam chowder that I've gotten in Northern Illinois.

    dan


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## deltadude (Dec 20, 2008)

I have a convoluted way of making clam chowder, for whatever reason I never can seem to get the right about of thickening from my roux, and always run into a danger of over cooking the potatoes and other ingredients.  So I quit worrying about it, I start with my basic roux, and when the potatoes and celery and other stuff (clams are not added till end) are tender and soft ( I strain out the everything) leaving just the liquid in the pot.  Now I can take my time and get the mixture to the right consistency, using several methods.  I then add back the ingredients and cook until they are the texture for chowder, and I can easily control the brew getting extra thick by adding more clam stock.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Been making this a bunch recently.....
Saute lardons, shallots, minced celery if around, alittle oil 
pull bacon out
add flour then 1/2 and 1/2....or if really wanting a clogger 40%
thyme, black pepper, salt, bay leaf/leaves
tato batons
chopped fresh clams....no beach and I'm not sure I'd eat clams from Missouri anyway.

*started using low fat milk and mashing some of the potatoes...not as rich as with  1/2 and 1/2 or cream but still tasty.

Takes all of 30 minutes start to finish.


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## gunnar (Apr 3, 2008)

I was doing Earthday stuff all morning, remember kids, "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished".

Anyway, When I make Clam Chowder I always use fresh shredded potatoes, adjust for size.  If I feel it's not thick enough at that point I usually will add a little cornstarch slurry.


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## mikelm (Dec 23, 2000)

*"I'm not sure I'd eat clams from Missouri anyway."
*
I think clams from the Ol' Muddy would scare the he1l out of me
As a kid, I've eaten a lot of catfish out of the Quivre River at Troy... but clams - no way.

Are there really any clams in Missouri?

Mike /img/vbsmilies/smilies/confused.gif


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## titomike (May 20, 2009)

If you need to thicken a roux based soup or sauce on the fly the classic method is a 'beurre manie'...flour and butter rubbed together (an uncooked roux) this prevents lumps.

Otherwise for 16lt I usually cook off the roux separately add the milk component and blitz smooth then add this thick, not cooked out bechamel back in the main pot I've been working at the same time...just speeds things up when your under the hammer!/img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

_none were very thick. At least not in the way that the bowls of clam chowder that I've gotten in Northern Illinois.
_
Dan, in the ten long years I lived up that way I never had a bowl of clam chowder I would call edible. No matter where it was served they seem to think a chowder is supposed to be library paste with bits of clam and potato suspended in it. More often than not there would be too much potato and the clams would be rubbery as well.

Interestingly, along the East Coast you can trace where you are by how the chowder is made.

In New England, with the exception of Rhode Island, the chowder is dairy based. Rhode Island makes a clear chowder, using only water. New York, of course, makes a tomato-based chowder. The mid-Atlantic (i.e., Jersey, Delaware and Maryland) can be either dairy or clear. If clear, seafood stock is often used. Dairy of choice in New Jersey is cream, rather than milk. Virginia/N. Carolina/S. Carolina chowder is almost always clear. Georgia is mixed, but in my experience they prefer it clear on the islands, but trend towards dairy on the mainland. I've never eaten it in Florida, so don't know their preference.

In no case, however, is the true gelt thick and pasty as it is in the Midwest.


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## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

KYHeirloomer said:


> _none were very thick. At least not in the way that the bowls of clam chowder that I've gotten in Northern Illinois.
> _
> *Dan, in the ten long years I lived up that way I never had a bowl of clam chowder I would call edible.* No matter where it was served they seem to think a chowder is supposed to be library paste with bits of clam and potato suspended in it. More often than not there would be too much potato and the clams would be rubbery as well.
> .
> ...


 /img/vbsmilies/smilies/lookaround.gif That was my point. I don't get too concerned with too much thickener in my clam chowder. If you're using milk, instead of cream, maybe just a little flour to get the mouthfeel of cream. Milk or cream, onions, potatoes and either salt pork or bacon...then whatever variation.

But that's what my preferences. To me, the Northern MidWest Chowder is a whole different animal.

dan


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Cornstarch is used  in a schlock house not a class operation. It's roux and potato


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## gunnar (Apr 3, 2008)

Ed Buchanan said:


> Cornstarch is used in a schlock house not a class operation. It's roux and potato


In my case, its not schlock, it's a gluten intolerant wife. No roux for me. I try to get by on potato alone.


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## capecodder (Aug 25, 2001)

Cornstarch is used in a schlock house not a class operation. It's roux and potato----------Maybe in Florida, but def not in places that know about chowder. It should not be THICK (except with ingredients). It should be, first of all, briny and brothy, and them cream and milky. It should be slurpable, not gummable. Finding a suitable thin,milky chowder is becoming impossible even on Cape Cod. Clam (and fish) chowder is not a white sauce/veloute with clams and onioms and potatoes. It is SOUP.


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## gypsy2727 (Mar 9, 2010)

Thank-you Cape Codder ,
                                        I could not have put it better ...my fathers side landed on the East Coast ...Nova Scotia and that is exactly the defintion of the real Clam Chowder! Lord Tunder ,ya got it right by!

Gypsy


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

Potato starch slurry is in a number of ways better than cornstarch, because it thickens on contact and doesn't get that weird gummy thing cornstarch often does. It's an excellent substitute for arrowroot, and a heck of a lot cheaper. But I wouldn't put a huge amount of any thickener in chowder: I like a little viscosity, rather than just the mouthfeel of milk and water, but not thick, gloppy paste. For what it's worth, Legal Seafoods, which has won various prizes for its fish and clam chowders, does make it quite thick. I wish they wouldn't, but there you go.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

If you are on gluten free use instant mashed potato in a pinch it works well. As the classical way is potato thickened only. Purpose of roux in a lot of creamed soups and dishes is substitute for  reduced Heavy Cream roux simulates the same thing when mixed with milk  at a fraction of cost.


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## emery 1 (Sep 26, 2011)

Thank you for this great idea on thicking clam chowder.  Been making it for 50 years and always have trouble getting the right thickness.

I tried your method and it was perfect, and so easy.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Emery


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## pnettle89 (Oct 16, 2011)

The mashed potato alone, which should be part of the recipe is supposed to thicken the chowdah properly.  Thickening beyond that is only conforming to those outside of Boston as to how a chowdah should be.  Unfortunately, large canning companies thickened the true consistency of chowdah to what people in Kansas to be the real deal; it is nothing but wallpaper paste with a few rubber bands.  This has altered the way people THINK chowdah should be made to be thick.  It is not however and proper cooking technique with the low heat and mashing the potato in the pot is how it really should be done.  If you dip a fork in the chowdah it should not stick like glue.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Ayep.

BDL


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## bobbleheadbob (Apr 30, 2010)

Some white bread or Baguette crust removed and heated in some milk or cream works well.

Remember, you paid for the ingredients so you can make it as thick or as thin as you want.

Rules are made to be broken


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## simonbaker (Mar 3, 2011)

Dissolve  a little arrowroot in the clam juice, add slowly to the warm soup.


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## markigomez (Aug 18, 2011)

i would not use corn starch its for more clear thickening, and would use an uncooked flour an water mix if your looking for thickness but the potatoes should do the job


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## robert 1944 (Oct 18, 2011)

for what its worth a method for enhanced chowda thickening taught to me by an old chowder cook from maine the smooth cut edges of potato pieces retard the infusion of potato starches into the chowda when cutting the potato the knife blade should only penitrate 1/4 way though potato then by twisting the blade snap apiece of potato off larger piece leaving arough surface on potato piece this rough surface allows starch to infuse chowder much more rapidly and eliminates the need for corn starch etc. if you try this it will be readily apparent how much better this works give it a try let me know what you think----bob


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

I have worked in many French kitchens over the last 50 or so years ,a lot of them will not permit a box of cornstarch or a microwave oven in the kitchen.  Cornstarch only in the pastry shop was permitted.


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## cakes (Aug 18, 2011)

Clam chowder is what I had decided on for dinner tonight, before reading this thread. I use my father's recipe, so there is no attempt at authenticity. It does not call for a roux, it is thickened by the potato. I have also added my own twist by adding a can of cream corn. That also adds to the thickness but it is essentially a brothy briney soup. I don't appreciate a creamy clam chowder, I add a little bit of 2% milk to mine.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

If you're planning on holding the soup for any length of time, arrowroot won't hold up. It lasts a few hours if you're lucky. By and large arrowroot is used as a thickener when there's a lot of alcohol or acid -- i.e., when corn starch won't work well; and or when gloss and clarity are very important. But arrowroot is very delicate. Not only will it fail over time, but it can't take boiling.

Corn starch is used as a thickener when clarity and gloss are important and something sturdier than arrowroot is important. Unfortunately, while corn starch will hold up better than arrowroot, it's also fairly fragile over time or high heat.

To my mind, neither is appropriate for the _Boston clam chowder_ we're talking about.

Either use a blond roux, the potato trick, if your chowder is mostly cream you can do a straight reduction. When I make a Boston style clam chowder I start by cooking bacon lardons, setting them aside and leaving the fat in the pan. I sweat onions and leek in the fat, then add a little flour and cook until the raw is off the flour and I have a loose blonde roux. I mash or rice some cooked potato and add that to the roux, then add clam juice, milk and cream, season with salt and white pepper, and bring to a boil only as long as takes for the roux to thicken as much as it's going to -- about two or three minutes. I reduce the heat to a bare simmer, add the cooked, diced potatoes, clams, the reserved bacon lardons, (sometimes some finely chopped sorrel or tarragon), and allow the flavors to marry -- about twenty minutes.

Serve with crackers; saltines, hardtack, or oyster crackers are all good. A good hot sauce, though surely not traditional, goes better than you might think.

The potatoes do most of the thickening, the roux holds the potato/milk binding and keeps things smooth; so portion and proportion the thickeners appropriately. You don't want your chowder too thick, a light nappe is right. If you like a very thick and sturdy soup, crush some crackers and stir them in.

BDL


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Your  dad was right it should be thickened with potato.


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## durangojo (Jul 30, 2007)

okay, just another way to skin this cat! new england clam chowder is on our menu and is a huge seller so i make big pots weekly..here's mine....cook diced peppered applewood smoked bacon and the diced onions together..when baccon is cooked but still soft and the onions are browned i add flour to make sort of a lazy man's roux right in the pan. then sherry, clam juice, potatoes(baby red skins) and cream...bring to a boil, then med  heat to cook the potatoes and reduce the cream. add more sherry, seasonings(thyme, salt,cracked black pepper), when potatoes are tender and the cream has reduced and thickened, i add the clam meat and just heat til clams are warmed through...check the seasonings...usually i add a bit more salt...we serve it with oyster crackers on top.....

joey


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## sarahg (Dec 29, 2010)

Hi there,

Traditionally, New England Clam chowders are made by first rendering salt pork or bacon (over medium low heat) and then sweating very small diced onions and celery in that mixture, or some other white mirepoix combo.  You may at this point add some more fat if you are going to make the roux in the Singer method, meaning as part of the overall process, like I do.  At this point add flour and stir to combine to create a blond or white roux.  It's important to have the right amount of fat in the pan in order to successfully make this type of soup.  As an aside, I think you experienced all of that foam from cooking your bacon at too high of a tempurature.  Also, it should be small dice, as the mirepoix.

Now at the same time as you are rendering and sweating all of your base ingredients, in a covered pot, steam your clams in stock or water until just opened, if doing it this way.  Otherwise, just add your fresh clams when you are ready to simmer--or canned clams when you are closer to being done.   

Now at this point, it's just a matter of fully incorporating your stock (clam stock from the steamed clams, chicken stock or fish), simmering, skimming if necessary and adding various flavoring ingredients at the proper intervals.  After the stock has been fully incporporated and no lumps are present, many add small-dice russet or baking potatoes at this point.  This also helps to thicken and give a great clam chowder texture.  Once potatoes are tender, the chowder may be finished with an amount of creams that's about 25% or so of your total stock volume.  Chowders generally require roughly an hour of simmering time in order to properly thicken and to develop the right flavors.

As an additional aside, if the chower is going to be cooled and then refrigerated immediately after preparing, it's best to finish it with cream once you reheat because of the high perishability of cream.  In a restaurant, chowders are generally finished in batches, in part because of this. 

So that's roughly it.  I hope that helps.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Everyone has their favorite way. As log as it comes out good and customer enjoys, thats thew main thing.


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## markigomez (Aug 18, 2011)

no cornstarch in the kitchen?


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

When you work in a real upscale French kitchen most of the Ex. Chefs will not permit certain ingredients.. A slurry of flour is also not allowed. Your sauces had to be either reduced or roux or puree based, Years ago this is the way it was . Today all kinds of thickeners are used for the sake of speed and profit. Corn starch was only allowed to be used by the Pattisierre.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

You should also mention that if you use stock from real clams it should be double strained thru cheesecloth so as no sand gets into final chowder., in addition clams should be scrubbed first.

 Also ask one of your Senior instructors re. use of only poatato as a thickener as years ago this is the way it was done. Also when held at to high a temp in soup bain marie the soup will break.


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## susieb (Mar 22, 2012)

It took years to get all the facts of her secret recipe from my aunt on Cape Cod, MA     This is how it goes:   Make your Clam Chowder according to your own recipe.  Yes, raw potatoes will help thicken the chowder but the key is to leave the lid OFF and simmer slowly for 2 -3 hours "Don't let it boil" and stir every 20 minutes.    p.s. Light cream works better than milk and make sure you cut the potatoes big enough, they will shrink.   p.p.s  no bacon!  

ENJOY New England Clam Chowder.


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## curtispnw (Feb 16, 2012)

True about cornstarch, only for fruit sauces or Asian sauces (teriyaki), I use a butter roux, with just a little bacon fat, adds great flavor to chowder, I make it seperate and add to boiling clam stock, cook my bacon, onions, celery seperate, strain off fat and add to chowder, also add potatoes shortly after roux and simmer for some time so the roux cooks all the way in. Reheat chowder and half and half right before service. After making thousands of gallons of chowder this is the way I get best results, any other way adds to much liquid to roux during cooking process and can affect thickening and may make the chowder break. Being from the West coast, I have met many East coasters (New England, Boston) who know all about seafood, always makes me smile.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

I have seen pea soup and clam chowder with instant potato added to help thcken. One good thing is when you use this  method  the soup will not seperate in the steamtable.

Other then this tip I agree with Chef Curtis on his method. If you do not have bacon fat back will do.

Cornstarch is hash house style in my opinion.


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## john meyer (Jan 19, 2012)

if you would like, I have a very nice crab chowder that can easily adapt to your clam for next time, you can email me direct if you like and I will forward it to you, the one big key for you would be to cut potatoes smaller and a larger amount of them, I stay away from flurries simply because of flavor, butter roux, in my view, is much more in depth. Once the roux is made, take and ladle in the cream and thicken it that way, you can always add more roux and repeat.  Email back if you would like me to forward a very simple Chowder to you. 

Thanks for your post, would of answered sooner but we were setting up our own Kitchen. 

John R. Meyer


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Thickening a chowder affects flavor. Adding starch tends to cloud the flavor of the clams. If you do it with potato, you can get shift the flavor balance even more.

Reduction is appealing, but tricky with dairy, and tends to drive off some of the clam flavor as well.

Preferences also vary regionally; there is no one true chowder.

With those things in mind, it seems to me that a recipe for chowder really has to be carefully constructed from the start with a specific end point in mind. If you didn't get there when you're done, you probably can't fix it at that point and preserve the best qualities of the chowder.

My preferences.

pervasive clam flavor

dairy richness

generous amount of clams

lighter on the vegetables

fairly dense

light salt--many chowders are overly salted--I find that lemon juice and hot sauce can bring up the flavors without the high salt.

There are some contradictory requirements. Dairy and density work against clam flavor for example.

The recipe I've been using for a dozen years or so at this point and remains my favorite works with a 51 oz can of clams. If I lived on a coast and had better access to fresh clams at reasonable prices, I'd do something different, I'm pretty sure.

The vegetables are simmered in the clam broth with a little wine, herbs and seasonings. This flavors melds the flavors well and is a quick enough cooking to preserve the character of the ingredients.

Meanwhile, I cook roux. When the vegetables are done, I mix in the roux. It becomes quite thick, like cookie dough almost. Now add the dairy-half and half is my preference to the desired thickness, Add the clams and heat until hot. No additional simmering or boiling.  Correct with lemon juice and hot sauce to taste. Worcestershire is good too, but is usually sufficient from the earlier seasonings that includes it.

no bacon or salt pork. detracts from the clams and flavor balance. Sure, i've had some good chowders with it, but I tend to prefer clam chowder without it. For a corn chowder, give me bacon. My sisters did a drive up the west coast sampling chowders all the way. When I served them mine, they ranked it in the top 3 of what they had eaten. The first question they asked was if I used bacon or salt pork so it figured heavily in what they had eaten along the way.

The comment above about simmering a clam chowder for 2 hours just scares me. Dairy nor clam liquor/juice will take that abuse and keep good flavor and texture. And please, don't have the clams or vegies in there for that time!


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## chef oliver (Dec 28, 2011)

For any chowder I use everytime raw potatoes...you cook them and then blend inside soup...potato starch is little gluey, exact thing waht you need here...but you can use flour or make roux, as well...but everytime pour icy cold liquid (stock, water, milk..)..it prevents flour to goes lumpy.....pure corn starch or potato starch is good for fast cuisine, but do not use too much, because it absorbs flavour, what is never apropriate...


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Many places used canned clams these are tough and salty. The clams should be dded last if canned are used the juice from the clams cn be used right away. If you boil the clams they get tougher.


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## loves to cook54 (Sep 5, 2012)

try to cook it without the cover on top cause the cover makes mosture. try to make a rue using the broth from soup and flour or cornstarsh, I would probably use cornstarsh. That's my opion, I'm sure it will be ok, also wait till the next day after it's been refrig. overnight, it sometimes thickens. If i'm wrong please let me know. take care it will be fine.


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## eastshores (Oct 23, 2008)

Welcome to cheftalk lovestocook54!

This thread has been inactive for about 5 months. In general we should try to reply to the threads that have been posted more recently.

I read back through this and realized I was trying to make what I understood to be clam chowder because I mostly had only ever eaten it out of a can. It does not need to be very thick but if I were to cook it today I would pre cook the diced potatoes, reserve most but use the rest with a little milk or clam stock and use my immersion blender to create a potato slurry. I think I'd prefer a chowder with enough thickness that it just barely coats a spoon with a light film and small pieces of celery/potato/onion. The celery and onion should be minced so that they meld into the sauce of the chowder. Clams added last and just brought up to temp. Kill the heat and serve with some crusty bread.

I've matured a lot in two years in terms of my culinary knowledge, thanks in part to many of the great folks that participate on this forum.


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## mikebham (Jan 2, 2012)

Last time I made clam chowder, I thickened it with potatoes. It was wonderful. Works on oyster stew too.


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## ruthieren (Sep 15, 2011)

I cook the raw potatoes in the milk and mash them up a bit toward the end. This helps a little. I also whisk in a little masa (I add corn to mine, so the corn flavor is already there).At the end, I dump in a ton of grated cheese and simmer slowly until it's nice and creamy. With all those things going toward the thickening, I've never had a problem. IMO, clam chowder is one of those things that needs to cook long and slow. I'd never use a roux, but that's me. As long as you already started with a roux, you could try whisking in some gold ol' Wondra. If it was good enough for our mothers and grandmothers, well, we can use it too.


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## savoryfrosting (Oct 2, 2012)

The ingredients speak for themselves.

Get the best that you can find.

This is a very simple dish.....therefore, all the ingredients must be sublimely perfect.

Do not let your soup, milk based, keep on a boil.

Yuck....flour and thickening agents other than the small chopped very good quality potatoes.

That is the clue here.

I do appreciate a bit of corn in the chowder.

You could make your own creamed corn and add...that would provide a lot more thickening.

Add a tiny bit of good quality bacon first....onions....

That gets the Party started!

Remember...the best clams, cream. Only the best.

Some fresh snipped chives on top at the end makes everyone happy!


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## danvis65 (Nov 16, 2010)

eastshores,

   I prefer a classic Blonde Roux myself. However, if you want to know a 'quick fix' which works surprisingly well that keeps on track with your flavor profile try adjusting the consistency with Potato Pearls (instant mashed potatoes). Baby Reds are in the potato category called 'Waxy' vs. 'Starchy' which are your Russets. You will get more thickening power with a starchy potato vs. waxy potato. However the baby reds are fine and will hold together better especially if you are making bulk which requires added stirring through the cooling process and then the re-heat process. added tip: if you want a bit more of a heart-healthy dish i would suggest making a Clam 'Veloute' and towards the end of the cooking process just 'cream' it with some heavy cream. It is also less expensive as you use much less dairy product.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

I use both types of potatos in chowders to capilalized on the benefits of each.


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## chowderboy (Sep 4, 2016)

no real clam chowder made in new england is thickened with roux or flour, only from potatoes added and from condensed milk after removed from heat. chowder made with royx / flour is a bad habit petpetuated by lazy chefs who end up covering up bad ingredients with artificially thickened chowder, is an abomination,,,, shame on you !!


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

This is a fallacy known as no true scotsman.

You're welcome to have potatoes as your preference.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

Interestingly, my dearly beloved DownEast Gram, God rest her soul, would agree with that. But she also doesn't consider too much south or West of, say, Bangor to be truly New England. In New England, as the rest of us define it, there are at least 4 or 6 versions of true New England clam chowder.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

thanks for clarifying Chowderboy, for several of us do not and have not had the opportunity to live/cook in the eastern USA.....some of us in the south and Midwest use roux as a base....lazy is a harsh term to throw around. 

I hope you enjoy Cheftalk. As a new member please note that these threads were started by a strong community of professional chefs as well as home cooks, who show each other respect.


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## cheftd (Apr 24, 2015)

The potatoes Thicken it.


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## chefchester (Dec 4, 2015)

I would suggest using a tight roux I was always taught it should be the consistency of wet sand usually 1# of butter to 1.5 cups flour to 1 gallon of milk and 1 quart heavy cream


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

chowderboy said:


> no real clam chowder made in new england is thickened with roux or flour, only from potatoes added and from condensed milk after removed from heat. chowder made with royx / flour is a bad habit petpetuated by lazy chefs who end up covering up bad ingredients with artificially thickened chowder, is an abomination,,,, shame on you !!


I don't agree. I agree that chowders thickened with a full-on roux until they're like soft pudding are pretty unpleasant. But the practice of "singeing" the onions and salt pork in the base is very old, and in many instances was done with the finely-pounded bits of common cracker or sea biscuit found in the bottom of the barrel.

(Posted using Tapatalk, so tech bits may not work....)


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## louisianagal (Sep 4, 2016)

ChrisLehrer said:


> Potato starch slurry is in a number of ways better than cornstarch, because it thickens on contact and doesn't get that weird gummy thing cornstarch often does. It's an excellent substitute for arrowroot, and a heck of a lot cheaper. But I wouldn't put a huge amount of any thickener in chowder: I like a little viscosity, rather than just the mouthfeel of milk and water, but not thick, gloppy paste. For what it's worth, Legal Seafoods, which has won various prizes for its fish and clam chowders, does make it quite thick. I wish they wouldn't, but there you go.


I am new here and I do not claim to be an expert in clam chowder. However, I am married to a Massachusetts boy and, according to him, make a most fabulous chowdah! As a Southern girl, I am used to making rouxs. However, in the past few years, I switched from the blond roux to potato starch as the thickener. It knocked my homemade chowder out of the park. It thickens but has a very nice, silky mouthfeel. I don't add much because I don't go for a super-thick chowder.


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## cfood047 (Jul 18, 2016)

After you render bacon remove bacon add vegetables and 2 tablespoons of butter.  Then add 2 tablespoons of flour . cook stirring to combine for 1 minute.  make sure your liquids are heated (separate your clams from the liquid before heating.. Slowly add the heated liquid the mixture should thicken.. then add the the clams and always more butter.  season to taste with salt and pepper.  Don't use canola oil


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## eastshores (Oct 23, 2008)

I am happy this thread has had as much life as it has. It's a controversial topic I guess. Chowderboy seems to have created an account just to criticize and that's fine albeit not very respectful.

It's been 6 years since I first asked about this. I am now a firm proponent of using starch that is built in, so in this case a potato slurry would be ideal because it doesn't take away from the flavor we are trying to deliver.. which includes potato, celery, onion, and bacon in addition to the clams. To me this is similar to using the starch laden water to finish a pasta sauce.

I also believe that New England doesn't have a right or a lock down on chowder. It can and will be modified and those modifications are either good or bad, to be determined by the people consuming the end product. This is how we grow and evolve with food. The notion that a roux would be considered lazy.. when it is a foundation of mother sauces and the basis for french/creole sauces in the USA is ridiculous.

Still I am reverent and respectful of what New Englanders consider tradition and I love hearing stories of how grandma did it. I think we should hold that tradition up high.. but they can 86 their arrogance over chowder /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


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## jay lancaster (Aug 26, 2016)

Reading this old thread is making me hungry for chowder...I may go grab a cup off the line (it's on my line all day, every day).  

Although...it IS a water based chowder and nothing like what you folks are discussing.


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