Sour cream?

ghmerrill · #1 07/04/11, 04:56 AM

In my never ending (and often disgustingly disastrous) effort to rid our lives of the barely-qualifies-as-food that is available in most grocery stores, I have attempted sour cream. Not once, but twice....

Attempt 1) make kefir, pour said kefir into strainer lined with cheese cloth, allow to drain...walla! Thick kefir! NOT sour cream, not even close!

Attempt 2) carefully skim cream off goats milk until two cups are collected (that took forever! ) stir in 4 spoonfuls of store bought sour cream, allow to sit out over night, then refrigerate. Taste of butter mixed with sour cream.....just not quite right.... Pigs enjoyed it...

Wife suggests I look at the store bought sour cream, and see what it's made of. I laugh, silly woman. It's sour CREAM. Pull container out of fridge, read label..

not a speck of CREAM in store bought sour CREAM. UGH not only did I have to admit she was right, but I just fed the pigs two weeks worth of skimming cream from the 1/2 gallon of goats milk we get per day....

So, store bought sour cream has milk, whey, and a multitude of un-pronounceable ingredients.

Is there any hope? Can this be done at home?

Whisperwindkat · #2 07/04/11, 06:57 AM

Yes, it can. But it won't taste the same as store bought nor have the same consistency. I use 2 cups of cream, then add 3 tbls. of buttermilk. Put the cream in a quart canning jar, add the buttermilk, shake lightly to mix. Then let it sit on the counter at room temp until it thickens enough to your liking. However, keep in mind that it will not be as thick as store bought. It also liquifies when added to something hot like a baked potato. Blessings, Kat

linn · #3 07/04/11, 07:48 AM

I like the taste of cream cultured with live culture yogurt.

eclipchic · #4 07/04/11, 08:57 AM

I've bought a sour cream starter culture

bantams · #5 07/04/11, 05:09 PM

To achieve the same taste as store bought "sour cream", you need to use milk, not cream.

I use the creamier milk though - what would be about 1/4 cream. You can add a bit of extra cream if your milk is on the skimmier side.
To one gallon of warm milk, add 1/2 cup cultured buttermilk and a couple drops of rennet (or a tiny crumb of tablet rennet, dissolved). Stir and let set for 12 hours, then drain in cheese cloth for several hours. Then blend in a food processor, adding additional whey as needed to thin it out (or milk, or cream).

Are you only able to use goat milk? It still won't taste like "sour cream"...

Mountain Mick · #6 07/04/11, 05:48 PM

Hi,
Here's how I make mine

Homemade Sour Cream
2 cups cream our can use (half-and-half) if you like
4 tablespoons buttermilk

put cream with buttermilk in hot, clean glass jar with screw lid.

One of your canning jar will do just heat in boiling water works very well. Cover tightly and shake gently to thoroughly mix the buttermilk and the cream.

Let stand in a warm place where you would place bread to rise till thickened is can take from 24 to 48 hours.

Store, cover, in refrigerator, before using Stir. will last 2 to 3 weeks but use before the end of the third week,. If won't last trust me.

Here is an Overnight Method
Homemade Sour Cream
Overnight Method to Make Sour Cream
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.
Stir before serving.
Store in the refrigerator up to three weeks.
Throw the sour cream away if mould begins to form on the top.

ghmerrill · #7 07/07/11, 12:34 PM

Thanks everyone. I will try a couple more times, if it doesn't work, I guess buying one dairy product each month isn't too bad.