Sour cream vs cream: what's the difference
Sour cream is made from cream, so the two are close relatives. Cream is the fatty part of milk, separated with a separator or by letting it settle. Sour cream is the same cream, fermented with lactic acid bacteria.
| 🥣 Sour cream | 🥛 Cream | |
|---|---|---|
| Raw material | Cream | Whole milk |
| How it's made | Cream is fermented with lactic acid bacteria | Fat is separated with a centrifugal separator at 40–45 °C; in the past, by letting milk settle and skimming off the top layer |
| Taste and texture | Thick, tangy | Liquid, mildly sweet and creamy; high-fat cream quickly whips into a thick foam |
| Fat content | Usually 10–30%, occasionally up to 58% | Pasteurized: 10, 15, 20 and 35%; sterilized: 10–38% |
| Uses | With soups, pancakes and dumplings, in salads, baking and desserts | In coffee, sauces, cream soups and confectionery; the raw material for sour cream, butter and ice cream |
| Origin | A traditional food of Slavic cuisines, also popular in the Baltics, Hungary, Romania, Moldova and Finland | Produced wherever there is dairy farming |
Which to choose
For tang and body in soups, with pancakes and in dressings, use sour cream. For whipped cream desserts, coffee and delicate sauces, use cream of the right fat content: the richer it is, the more easily it whips.
Sources
Themes
🥛Types of milkFrom cow to reindeer: composition, benefits, value🧀Cheeses of the worldParmesan, feta, bryndza, sulguni and more🥣Fermented milk productsKefir, yogurt, kumis, matsoni, skyr🌍Dairy traditionsRegions, peoples and their dairy products🐄Dairy animalsWhich animals are milked and how their milk differs🚚The journey of milkFrom pasture to shop — step by step❤️Milk and healthCalcium, lactose, allergy, benefits and risks👷JobsWho works with milk🗺️Map of traditionsWorld regions, peoples and their products on a map⚖️ComparisonsKefir or yogurt, sour cream or cream, and more🍳RecipesCottage cheese, yogurt, ghee, paneer, butter — at home📜History of milkFrom domestication to Tetra Pak🫒OlivesVarieties, oil, table olives, regions and traditions