Sour cream versus crème fraîche!
Every time I hear the words “crème fraîche” I think of that one Southpark episode when Randy is obsessed with The Food Network.
Both sour cream and crème fraîche:
- Are cultured milk products.
- Add richness to dishes.
- Have a bit of a tang.
Sour cream:
- Is made by adding lactic acid culture to cream and sometimes milk.
- Must have a fat content of at least 18% as per the FDA.
- Is less stable under heat – best to add at the end (as with chili).
- Has more of an acid-y flavor.
Crème fraîche:
- Is traditionally made in France from unpasteurized cream or raw milk.
- Our milk/cream must be pasteurized, so it’s made by combining fermenting agents with bacteria.
- Typically has a fat content of 28%.
- Is more stable with heat, and can be used in soups and sauces.
- Is more rich than sour cream.
- Has a milder flavor.
In short, sour cream is not meant to be cooked with, while crème fraîche is. Crème fraîche has a higher fat content, and less of a bite to the flavor, allowing it to be used in more dishes than sour cream.
We used sour cream on our salmon burgers the other night. I actually prefer it to the creme fraiche.