How to make sour cream

[Helsbells]

Does anyone know how to make sour cream?

[Graye]

As I understand it, it should be hard/impossible to make real sour cream if you start with normal pasteurised cream because it will tend to curdle and spoil rather than turn sour due to lack of bacteria. But I've made it lots of time with shop bought cream using about a teaspoonful of vinegar or lemon juice to a small pot of double cream. Just make sure you add slowly and stir really well to stop the curdling. Or just use mascarpone, it tastes the same.

[Ellendra]

Somewhere I have directions for making creme fraiche (sp?), which was described as a sort of mild sour cream, would that work?

[Millymollymandy]

Or just use mascarpone, it tastes the same.

Is mascapone sour? I've never ever bought or tasted this in my life but as people use it for cheesecake I always thought it was like cream cheese.

[Graye]

I think it's about the same, I've used mascarpone lots of times when the recipe calls for sour cream. Sour cream in the commercial sense isn't the same as "off" cream. It actually has a really nice flavour. I remember when I lived in Sweden as a student that it was regularly used on breakfast cereal with a sprinkling of sugar - delicious!

[Green Aura]

I use creme fraiche as well - the Spar doesn't have sour cream very often. Or you could use well-whisked plain yoghurt.

[Elizabeth]

It's just cream with lemon juice!

If you want to cook with it don't use single cream.

I wouldn't advise ever using vinegar with cream It'll curdle!!!

[Berti]

mascarpone = cream cheese
sour cream = meant to be used in cold dishes
creme fraiche = meant to be used in hot dishes

the difference between sour cream and creme fraiche is not huge.....the one is stabilized and the other is not.
when you use sour cream in hot dishes there is a bigger chance it will curdle, so add it OFF the heat.
berti

[Elizabeth]

Sour cream as a pasta sauce or on your yummy veggies to make them even more yummy is great.

Especially leeks.

Just use the slightly thicker cream.

[LBR]

I googled "how to make sour cream". There were several entries. Here's one:

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/recipe_sourcream.htm

[Millymollymandy]

mascarpone = cream cheese
sour cream = meant to be used in cold dishes
creme fraiche = meant to be used in hot dishes

the difference between sour cream and creme fraiche is not huge.....the one is stabilized and the other is not.
when you use sour cream in hot dishes there is a bigger chance it will curdle, so add it OFF the heat.
berti

I actually disagree about the creme fraiche and the sour cream. I used to make stroganoff with sour cream and it cooks really well and doesn't curdle. Creme fraiche is not good when heated - serve it on a baked potato and it melts immediately turning to something runny like melted butter. I hate the fact that in France you can't get sour cream and miss it dreadfully as I love it on baked spuds with chives. I went to a Tex Mex restaurant here and ordered fajitas and they served them with creme fraiche instead of sour cream - and all that happened was that I had liquid buttery stuff running out my tortilla pancake.

There is also a big difference in taste between sour cream and creme fraiche.

[Graye]

I actually disagree about the creme fraiche and the sour cream. I used to make stroganoff with sour cream and it cooks really well and doesn't curdle. Creme fraiche is not good when heated - serve it on a baked potato and it melts immediately turning to something runny like melted butter. I hate the fact that in France you can't get sour cream and miss it dreadfully as I love it on baked spuds with chives. I went to a Tex Mex restaurant here and ordered fajitas and they served them with creme fraiche instead of sour cream - and all that happened was that I had liquid buttery stuff running out my tortilla pancake.

There is also a big difference in taste between sour cream and creme fraiche.

I have to agree. I've just spent an hour mooching around our local supermarket this afternoon looking for sour cream - no chance! I've come back with a pot of pastuerised cream which will do if I put some vinegar or lemon in it but it still isn't as nice as the "proper" sour cream available in UK supermarkets. Lots of websites say it's not possible to make sour cream from pasteurised cream because of the bacteria content but I always think it's reasonably acceptable. On the other hand, I've learned to like Creme Anglaise which is supposedly custard - but isn't quite right either! Creme fraiche isn't the right sort of thing at all, it always seems to me to be just a thick yoghurt. I also think Mascarpone is too tangy to be compared too well with cream cheese, something I always find a bit heavy and cloying. It really does make a good substitute for sour cream though.

[Berti]

I just thought I have mixed up the two. My brain has been a mess lately. sorry.

berti

[Millymollymandy]

I actually disagree about the creme fraiche and the sour cream. I used to make stroganoff with sour cream and it cooks really well and doesn't curdle. Creme fraiche is not good when heated - serve it on a baked potato and it melts immediately turning to something runny like melted butter. I hate the fact that in France you can't get sour cream and miss it dreadfully as I love it on baked spuds with chives. I went to a Tex Mex restaurant here and ordered fajitas and they served them with creme fraiche instead of sour cream - and all that happened was that I had liquid buttery stuff running out my tortilla pancake.

There is also a big difference in taste between sour cream and creme fraiche.

I have to agree. I've just spent an hour mooching around our local supermarket this afternoon looking for sour cream - no chance! I've come back with a pot of pastuerised cream which will do if I put some vinegar or lemon in it but it still isn't as nice as the "proper" sour cream available in UK supermarkets. Lots of websites say it's not possible to make sour cream from pasteurised cream because of the bacteria content but I always think it's reasonably acceptable. On the other hand, I've learned to like Creme Anglaise which is supposedly custard - but isn't quite right either! Creme fraiche isn't the right sort of thing at all, it always seems to me to be just a thick yoghurt. I also think Mascarpone is too tangy to be compared too well with cream cheese, something I always find a bit heavy and cloying. It really does make a good substitute for sour cream though.

It was me that wrote that quoted bit not LBR!

I'm going to buy some mascarpone to try it.

And Berti, not to worry!

[Graye]

It was me that wrote that quoted bit not LBR!.

Strange, I think the "quote machine" has had a funny turn. I've just had to do the bit above with all sorts of cut and paste and I bet it doesn't work even now. Anyway, enjoy the mascarpone! It's made in more or less the same way as sour cream (they use ascetic acid) so hopefully you'll find the taste you want.