sour cream

n.

1. Cream that has soured naturally by the action of lactic-acid bacteria, used in baking certain breads and cakes.
2. A smooth, thick, artificially soured cream, widely used as an ingredient in soups, salads, and various meat dishes.

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A cream with a sour flavor. Sour cream is made from pasteurized cream that is fermented using a 
bacterial culture. One can refer to "cultured sour cream" or "soured cream." It has a thick, smooth and even texture.

Buying

Check the use-by date on the package.

Preparing

Sour cream can be made at home by adding 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of buttermilk to 2 cups (500 ml) of fresh cream that is left to sour for at least 24 hr at room temperature, without being touched. It can then be stored in the fridge for 3 days.

Serving Ideas

Sour cream is widely used in German, English, Russian and Polish cuisine; it is used to flavor soups, dips, sauces, stuffed cabbage, goulash, breads and cakes. Smitane sauce, a classic Russian accompaniment to game, and eastern Europe borscht are typical uses. In the United States, baked potato is often served with sour cream. It can be replaced by plain yogurt in most recipes.

Storing

In the fridge: 2-3 weeks.

Cooking

When adding sour cream to hot foods, incorporate it at the end of cooking and heat gently without boiling; otherwise, it may curdle.

Nutritional Information

Sour cream is made up of 63.5% saturated fatty acids. The fat in cultured soured cream with 18% fat is made up of 62.7% saturated fatty acids.

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Commercial sour cream contains from 18 to 20 percent fat, and has been treated with a lactic acid culture to add its characteristic tang. Sour cream often contains additional ingredients such as gelatin, rennin and vegetable enzymes. Light sour cream contains about 40 percent less fat than regular sour cream because it's made from half-and-half. There's also a nonfat sour cream, which is thickened with stabilizers. Refrigerate sour cream in its carton for up to a week after the date stamped on the bottom of the container. If any mold forms on the cream's surface, discard it immediately. See also soy sour cream.

Quantity	Energy (calories)	Carbs (grams)	Protein (grams)	Cholesterol (milligrams)	Weight (grams)	Fat (grams)	Saturated Fat (grams)
1 cup	495	10	7	102	230	48	30
1 tbsp	25	1	0	5	12	3	1.6

Sour cream is cream that has been fermented by the bacteria Streptococcus lactis and Leuconostoc citrovorum. The flavor of cream is a characteristic green/fatty odor profile with a volatile and non-volatile acid and fatty character. See Starter Cultures.

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For a list of words related to sour cream, see:

• Dairy Foods

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