Chicken Stock and Dashi Storage Time and Flavor Degradation?

[Chemicalkinetics]

Hi all,

I make various versions of chicken stock and Japanese dashi. I often read that they can be stored in freezers for up to 2-3 weeks. But exactly what could happen after this? I sometime stored them for more than a month and sometime up to 3 months, and I didn't notice a huge difference in taste. (I put them in separate containers and froze them). Maybe my taste is just not as refine to distinguish the taste difference. Can you elaborate your experience in term of long term storage of stocks and dashi? Thanks.

[cowboyardee]

I've kept chicken stock frozen much longer than that without noticing any change. Seems to store just fine as far as my palate can tell.

I've never frozen dashi that I can remember, but I have noticed (could even be the power of suggestion - hard to say for certain) that fresh dashi doesn't seem to taste quite as good after sitting around even for just an hour or so as it does as soon as the bonito is strained out. OTOH, if you freeze it for a week with good results, I can't think of any reason that it would be a problem to freeze it for a month or more.

I suspect a lot of the advice about how long you can freeze various things for is really just an arbitrary timeline that the author of said advice gives because he or she doesn't know what would happen over a longer period.

[Chemicalkinetics]

Good points.

Maybe it is just dashi then. I will have to try again.

[ipsedixit]

I've kept stock frozen in the freezer (in ziploc bags) for years. Couldn't tell the difference.

[hannaone]

I keep jugs of Korean stocks in the freezer for months also and don't notice any issues unless a seal cracks.

[Chemicalkinetics]

Thanks for your reply. One following up question: When you said "unless a seal cracks", what seal are we talking about? Did you do a vacuum seal or just a lid tight seal? I definitely agree a vacuum seal will preserve the stock much longer, but I only use a regular tight fit lid -- no vacuum. Thanks.

[hannaone]

Lids.
Sometimes the expansion from freezing forces a gap when I fill the container a little too full.

I keep thinking about the vacuum sealers but never get around to trying it for stocks.

[hotoynoodle]

i keep ziploc bags of home-made stocks and broths in the freezer for many months. no issues with deterioration. just be sure to leave some headspace so it has room to expand while freezing. when in doubt, ladle in less. :)