What is the difference between sour cream and thickened cream

Keeping savoury uses aside, whipping cream is a widely used sweet topping for a variety of cakes and other bakery items. Ingredients like gelatin, vegetable enzymes and rennin are added to sour cream to make it thicker, while whipping cream does not contain any added thickeners. In brief, the main difference between sour cream and whipping cream is that the butterfat concentration of sour cream is lower than the butterfat concentration of whipping cream. Further, whipping cream is richer in flavour compared to sour cream.

Therefore, choosing between these two cream-based products depends on how you plan to use them. Stradley, Linda. View all posts. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Sour cream , which has a fat content of around 20 percent, is made by mixing cream with a lactic acid culture; the bacteria thickens and sours it. It may also contain stabilizers, like gelatin or rennin, which aid in the thickening.

Creme fraiche — clocking in at 30 percent fat — is traditionally made with just unpasteurized cream, which naturally contains the bacteria needed to thicken it. However, in the United States, our cream must be pasteurized — so creme fraiche is made by mixing cream with fermenting agents that contain the necessary bacteria.

You can actually make your own creme fraiche at home: mix together heavy cream and buttermilk, and let it hang out at room temperature until it reaches its desired thickness around 8 to 24 hours. New recipes everyday Kitchen Stories. The right way to use different types of cream. Best alternatives for double cream. Recipes with double cream. Best alternatives to sour cream. How to make homemade sour cream. How to whip cream min. How to infuse whipped cream min.

Here's a round-up of all things to remember:. Profile of Celeste Contributor. Profile of Devan Grimsrud Kitchen Stories. Story continues after video Thickened cream is a whipping cream containing a thickener with a minimum fat content of 35 per cent. Clotted cream is high in fat and heat-treated, so it almost resembles soft butter.

Popular in the UK, it's used to accompany scones and other desserts. Sour cream is cream with lactic acid added, to give it that sour taste. Use it in Mexican-style cooking or have it as a potato topping.