Some days I feel like Looney Tunes’ Marvin the Martian. Marvin has been preparing to destroy Earth
for a long time. And when his devices
fail, he complains, “Where’s the kaboom?” Like Marvin, I've been wondering, "Where's the kaboom?"
I just somehow imagined that our collapse would move a little faster. I’ve been looking for the kaboom, and all we get are little pops here and there. Because I believed fresh dairy products would be hard to come by in a collapse, I prepared to be able to make sour cream from shelf-stable Media Crema. I thought Media Crema would be easier to obtain than fresh cream. Wrong again, at least at this point in time.
The other night we had baked potatoes for dinner. I haven’t been buying as much sour cream lately due not only to the increasing prices, but also due to the fact that sometimes we haven’t gone through it quickly enough and it spoils. I didn’t want to waste money. And I knew I could use Media Crema in a pinch.
But I only have a dozen cans of Media Crema. I haven’t seen it in my grocery stores in months. Will I ever be able to buy it again? And even if it does make its way to store shelves, will it be at all affordable? (I’m thinking I shouldn’t hold my breath on that one.)
While I was scrambling to conjure up an acceptable sour cream substitute (we don’t really care for using plain yogurt here on our baked potatoes, but it works well for breads and cakes), I recalled coming across a recipe for making homemade sour cream from whipping cream. I went and found that recipe, but darn, I needed a full day for the cream to culture. So it wasn’t going to work for dinner. I had to use the Media Crema.
However, I may not be able to replace the Media Crema easily, and though the heavy whipping cream needed to make sour cream at home is hit-or-miss at grocery stores right now, at least it isn’t totally unobtainable. I thought I should try making my own sour cream and seeing whether it really works.
Most of the recipes were basically the same, with some offering a pro-tip here and there for success.
Reviews: All the family got involved in the taste-testing. I included two controls (Daisy Light sour cream and Simple Truth organic sour cream) with the four different sour cream test recipes. All were rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best. Like with the test conducted last year on different ways of improving powdered milk, individuals all had different preferences. Some recipes will be better for savory dishes than for sweet desserts. Those involved in meal prep thought all the options would work well in baking and cooking, though some will be better for desserts than others.
For reference, among our very unscientific taste testers, the Simple Truth organic sour cream rated 3.5 and Daisy light sour cream rated 2.3.
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except for the salt. Beat until soft peaks form, about 1-2 minutes. (Remember, just soft peaks. If you beat until stiff peaks form, you’ll get something closer to butter.) Fold in salt. Refrigerate for at least one hour in an airtight container. Stir before serving.
Reviews: 3.0. It got a little fluffy. The flavor wasn’t quite there for serving on baked potatoes. The advantage, of course, is that you can have it ready to use within an hour.
Add cream and lemon juice to a ½ pint canning jar. Replace lid and shake well to combine. Remove lid and secure a paper napkin, coffee filter, or cheesecloth over the jar to keep contaminants out while allowing the mixture to breathe. Set jar on counter or in the oven with a light on to thicken for several hours or overnight. It will take longer to thicken at lower temperatures. 80-85°F is ideal.
Reviews—lemon juice. 2.3. A bit blah on flavor.
Reviews—citric acid. 3.4. Buttercup and I thought this one was perfect. On top of that, citric acid is cheap and shelf stable.
Both of these were about normal consistency after incubating for a day, but two days later in the refrigerator, they were really thick. I think they could be cut with a little milk or a little milk stirred in later without any issue.
Combine the cream and buttermilk in a pint jar, shaking well. Cover with a coffee filter or paper napkin and let sit on the counter to incubate 24 hours. Refrigerate after incubation period. Stir before using.
Reviews. 2.9. I thought it was blah; most everyone else gave it average marks. It was on the thinner side.
The clear winner? The Two-Ingredient Sour Cream using citric acid. If you can afford to wait a day for it to culture, this is definitely the best. If you have to have sour cream on the table within an hour, the 60-Minute Sour Cream is a good option, but most of us preferred the Two-Ingredient (citric acid or lemon juice) to the 60-Minute recipe.
Pro-tips:
As with all dairy products, you should begin with sterile equipment so that you aren’t incubating undesirable bacteria. (No, I never sterilize my stuff. But it is always clean.)
Use heavy whipping cream if at all possible. The fat content gives the texture and creaminess we so appreciate. Low-fat options won’t be as thick and creamy.
Do not use ultra-pasteurized heavy whipping cream. (That’s what some recipes recommend. Others say if ultra-pasteurized is all you have, it will work. It’s all I had. It worked.)
For the recipes that incubate the sour cream, allow the cream to come to room temperature before beginning.
Another way of incubating is to put a quart of hot tap water in a 2-quart pan, and then place the jar of budding sour cream in the pan, and put the pan in the oven and turn the oven light on. Your sour cream should be ready in 8-12 hours.
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