Homemade Sour Cream

A few months ago, I got the idea to make my own organic sour cream.  Then I found it at a very affordable price at Meijer and Whole Foods, so never put these recipes into action, but that I would still share my research.  If anyone tries any of these recipes, let me know.  :-)

I do really like the How to make it in a pinch part, if you happen to have cottage cheese in the refrigerator. 

Overnight Method to Make Sour Cream

If you'd prefer to have a little more control over the sour cream, here is a way to make it overnight.


What You'll Need
2 cups light cream (like half and half)
3 tablespoons buttermilk
Canning jar

What to Do
Sterilize a canning jar in boiling water.  Pour the cream and buttermilk into the hot jar. 
Cover the jar tightly and shake to combine the ingredients.
Keep at room temperature until it reaches the desired thickness.


-A higher percentage of butterfat in the cream will produce a thicker sour cream.David Fankhauser, PhD: Sour Cream


Stir before serving.Cooks.com: Homemade Sour Cream


Store in the refrigerator up to three weeks.


-Throw the sour cream away if mold begins to form on the top.

How to make it fast, if in a pinch
Blender Method to Make Sour Cream



Another way to make sour cream is using a blender.
What You'll Need
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons skim milk
Blender


What to Do
Pour the cottage cheese, milk and lemon juice into a blender.
Mix on medium-high speed until smooth.
Refrigerate before serving.


Variations

If you want to impart a little extra flavor to your sour cream to accompany a specific recipe, consider the following varying ingredients that you can combine with the sour cream.

Flavor the sour cream by adding items like fresh garlic, cracked pepper, chopped bell peppers or pimento before mixing in a blender.


Combine sour cream with mayonnaise and cider vinegar to create a tangy salad dressing or dip.


Add port, red wine, tomato paste and canned chipotle chilies to make spicy sour cream.

Other methods....
Ingredients

Method 1
1 cup cream
1 tablespoon cultured buttermilk
Recipe can be increased at the ratio of 1 tablespoon buttermilk to 1 cup of cream.


Method 2
1 cup cream
1 1/2 cups pasteurized whole milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
Instructions
Method 1
In a double boiler bring the fresh cream up to 180 degrees. Cool to room temp in a cold water bath. Add the buttermilk, cover, and let sit at room temp. for 24-48 hours. Stir and refrigerate. The batch will keep approximately 3-4 weeks, refrigerated


Method 2
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl over warm water. Raise the temperature of the mixture to (68 degrees to 70 degrees F) and let it stand for 12 to 24 hours or until it is sufficiently sour and thick enough to cling firmly to a spoon. Keep in the refrigerator until you want to use it. For a richer heavier sour cream combine 2 cups of pasteurized heavy cream with 5 tablespoons of cultured buttermilk and incubate as before. For better texture refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.


Tips and Hints on Using Sour Cream
Sour cream is commonly used for dips, dressings, and sauces or simply "plain" as a condiment.

Never boil sour cream because it will curdle immediately. To add sour creme to a hot liquid, remove the liquid from the heat source (or turn the heat to very low) and add the cream while stirring gently.


Avoid using sour cream in dishes with a lot of salt, as the salt may cause curdling. Also dishes made with sour cream do not freeze well

Baking With Sour Cream
Cakes using acidic ingredients such as sour cream may development a metallic flavor if baked and stored in an aluminum pan. To prevent this reaction from taking place, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper before adding the batter to the pan.

Yet another method...
Sour cream cannot be made at home with pasteurized cream; the lack of bacteria in the cream will cause the cream to spoil instead of sour. If you have access to unpasteurized heavy cream, you can add 1 Tbsp of vinegar to 2 cups of cream and let the mixture stand out at room temperature for several hours until curdled.



If you can’t get unpasteurized cream, you can still make a version of crème fraîche, which is also a soured cream. The taste is generally milder than that of sour cream, but it may be an acceptable substitute for you in recipes that call for sour cream. You can make crème fraîche by adding 1 cup of buttermilk to 2 cups of heavy cream and leaving it out in a warm place (80° to 90°F, or 26° to 32°C, is ideal) for as few as eight hours and as many as 24 hours. One of the benefits of crème fraîche is that it can be whipped.