How to Freeze Corn on the Cob
A great solution to having that fresh corn flavor in this soup in the middle of winter is freezing fresh corn! To do that, just remove the husks and silk from the corn. Then place it in an air tight container (vacuum sealing is even better) and store it in your freezer for up to three months. This Corn Chowder recipe is the perfect soup for transitioning from summer into cooler fall weather. Made with fresh corn, potatoes, bacon, and a deep and rich creamy base, this is the perfect soup to fill you up. You will notice in the recipe card below that we suggest starting off by adding the stock very slowly. If you pour it in all at once after adding the flour, you aren’t going to end up with the creamy base you are looking for. Start by adding just a little at a time and add it more quickly as you go. The whole process should take less than a minute. This soup recipe is based off of our New England Clam Chowder. If you want more guidance in how to make the roux, you can watch the process in a video in that post. When you use frozen corn, you are adding the corn in at the end. It still tastes delicious and makes for a great chowder, but you are missing that sweet corn taste throughout the soup. That being said, if it is the middle of winter and fresh corn is cost prohibitive, make this with frozen corn! You will still love it.
Cutting Corn off the Cob
To cut fresh corn off the cob, I like to use the bundt pan trick. This works especially well if there is still some stalk left to your corn. Place the stock in the hole in the middle of a bundt pan, and using a sharp knife, cut down the sides of the corn. The corn kernels will fall into the bundt pan. Don’t worry about cutting it perfectly, just slice down each side until all the corn is off the cob.
What Potatoes to Use
In this corn chowder soup recipe we call for Yukon Gold potatoes. I think that their buttery soft texture lends itself perfectly to this recipe. That being said, if you wanted to try a different potato, I would go with red. They would also work great in this soup.
Making it Vegetarian
If you would like to make this creamy corn chowder recipe vegetarian, you can leave out the bacon. You can skip step one and instead melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Then proceed with the recipe by adding the onion and garlic to the butter and sautéing them in that. Because of the cream base in this soup, it is not my favorite to freeze. If you chose to freeze it, store it in an airtight container with room for expansion. Freeze for up to three months and when you are ready to eat, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. It should be thawed completely before you reheat it.
Reheating Left Overs
When you are reheating left overs, you want to reheat just the portion you plan on eating. Leftovers should only be reheated once, so pull out what you plan on eating. Reheat your leftover soup in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir frequently. I do not recommend microwaving left overs as it is easy for the cream base to separate. If you want to microwave, make sure to cook on half power and stir once or twice during reheating.
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If you loved this corn chowder with bacon, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
