How to Make Delicious Home-Made Sour Cream!
Sourdough cream, the silky, tangy secret behind creamy dips and hearty baked potatoes. But what if you didn’t need the store, and instead made it on your own? Better still, it’s not just easy; it’s almost magic. Using only two ingredients, you will unlock the power of an incredible superpower in your kitchen! Let’s dive in.
What You’ll Need
Here’s the short and sweet list:
- 1 cup heavy cream. Regular heavy cream does the trick. Avoid the ultra-pasteurized one, because otherwise, it will be like growing flowers in sand.
- 1–2 tablespoons buttermilk: This is your starter. Think of it as fairy dust that gets the magic underway.
Step 1: Unite and Dominate
- Get a clean jar. Really clean—no sneaky crumbs hiding in the corners. Pour in the heavy cream.
- Add the buttermilk.
- Now stir. Stir like you’re mixing a potion in a fairytale. (But no cauldrons, please.)
- Make sure to mix the cream well.
This stage is all about your creamy masterpiece setting the stage for you.
Step 2: Time to Wait
- Drape a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth over the jar. Not too tight, however. Your sour cream-in-the-making needs to breathe.
- Put it in a warm spot—70°F is the best way to place it. A bright and cozy corner will do the trick too.
- Now, let it alone, for a day or two, 24–48 hours.
This is like baking bread without the drama of kneading it.
Every so often, you may feel the desire to open the lid. Please, say no to the temptation! The beasts are up to getting their assiduous work done. Do not beguile the narration, as you would do in the case of a suspense story.
Step 3: Check the Similarity
- Check it in a day or two. Is the mixture thickening?
- Tilt the jar slightly. Is it still like loose yogurt that seems to hold together?
- Feeling like nothing is happening? It’s cool. Let it stay for another day. Sour cream is not something that can wait for a certain period of time—it rather comes when it’s ready.
Step 4: Allow it to sit in a cool place
- Let it cool for some time and the final tip is: the cream looks thicker which may be the only reason to keep the sour cream in the fridge.
- So now we have every single flavor that this combination offers. In the chill space for a few hours, it gets a pretty amount of sourness (tang) and texture.
- There could be times when a bit of the liquid comes to the surface but don’t mind. Just mixing it up again will fix it and you are done.
That’s merely it!
SWEET AND SOUR CREAM: Just by yourself do you think—might you be able to try making a healthy and refreshing sour cream now?
Tools of the Trade: Thick cream will come to your rescue. Still, do not prefer cream pasteurized at the highest level; it will perform less.
No Bugs: The jar is sterilized by the brand. There is a lot of dirt there. Don’t stress; it will eventually develop as a living organism that operates with you; it’s like a normal process.
Gradual Improvement: When you take the taste test the yogurt, you may want to add a pinch of salt or squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice to spice up the process.
For an extra fancy touch, add freshly chopped dill and chives as desired. Why Not Buy It From the Store? They all taste the same on that very one.
Homemade? It tastes so much fresher and creamier, and it’s completely free of preservatives. And in addition, it, quite simply, is pretty cool. You know exactly what goes into the product because you possess the technical prowess to reconfigure the food.
And quite frankly, it’s fun as well. Kind of like “a science project” that you get to eat.
Questions Answered
1. How long will homemade sour cream last?
It will last for nearly a week (after you have placed it in the fridge.) But believe me, it won’t last a day when you try how yummy it is.
2. Can I use ultra-pasteurized cream?
Absolutely. But it is hard to work with because it’s like painting a greasy surface. Plain and simple, you will have far better success with heavy cream.
3. Buttermilk? What if I don’t have that?
Well, try either non-dairy yogurt or one teaspoon of lemon juice is enough misted in milk. The flavor isn’t identical, but it’s still delightful.
Final Thoughts
Homemade sour cream isn’t so much the end product as the process used to get there. First, it’s quite a treat just to experience the process of making it up from the dull, ordinary ingredients into the resultant smooth and creamy stuff, so to speak.
So, really, there is no reason for you not to venture into the thing; second, the one sold at a supermarket wouldn’t be that fun, to begin with once you have learned to prepare it. The same delight a miniature glass of something carbonated from that old soda machine brings you, right through your petite kitchen window.
