While sour cream and crème fraîche are both used to add richness and tangy flavor, are they really just the same thing? And is it worth paying the premium for crème fraîche?
How They’re Made: Sour cream is made by adding lactic acid culture to cream and sometimes milk to thicken and sour it. In France, crème fraîche was traditionally made from unpasteurized cream that naturally contained the right bacteria to thicken it. Since our cream is pasteurized here, crème fraîche is now made by adding fermenting agents with the necessary bacteria to cream. → It’s cheap and easy to make your own crème fraîche: DIY Crème Fraîche
The Differences Between Sour Cream & Crème Fraîche: Sour cream has a fat content of about 20% and may include ingredients like gelatin, rennin, and vegetable enzymes to stabilize it and make it thicker. Crème fraîche has a fat content of about 30% and does not contain any added thickeners. Crème fraîche is thicker, has a richer flavor, and is less tangy than sour cream.
Which One Should I Use? Choosing between the two all depends on how you plan to use it. Because sour cream has less fat but more protein, simmering or boiling it will result in curdling, so use crème fraîche in sauces or soups instead (unless you just stir sour cream into something once it’s cooked and off the heat). If using in a salad or as a topping, they’re pretty much interchangeable and the choice is yours — some people like the tanginess of sour cream, while others like the richness of crème fraîche. Since crème fraîche is a specialty grocery item and costs more than sour cream, think about what you’re making so you make the right choice at the market!
Sure, you can buy it in the store, but where’s the fun in that?! Especially when it’s just as easy–and most certainly cheaper–to make it at home.
DIY Crème Fraîche
- 2 cu heavy cream * You want to start this process when your cream is still fresh. Do not use cream that has been in your refrigerator for a week. Use the freshest cream you can purchase. Pasteurized cream is fine, but not ultra-pasteurized.
- 2 Tbs buttermilk (or 1/2 c sour cream)
- Stir the buttermilk into heavy cream in a non-reactive container (like glass or stainless steel) that has a lid.
- Cover securely and shake 15 seconds.
- Leave the container partially covered, and let it sit at room temperature until it’s as thick as you like it–about 8 – 24 hours. Stir once or twice during that time. NOTE: Cream will thicken faster if the room is warm. If it turns out that it’s too thin, try to keep it in a warm place and continue fermenting it. Hint: Preheat oven at 200 degrees F. Then turn oven off and place the jar with the cream in the oven.
- Stir the contents and refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving,
- Keeps for up to two weeks.
How does this work? Bacteria in the milk convert sugars (lactose) into lactic acid. The acid lowers the pH of the liquid and prevents the formation of any illness-causing microbes. At the same time, the liquid thickens and develops the pleasant tart flavor we love. Cooks love chemistry!
Source: Kitchn & What;s Cooking in America
