For best quality, use sour cream within three or four days after purchase. Canned imitation sour cream and packaged mixes will keep much longer on the shelf. Once opened, some of these products also need to be kept under refrigeration.
The uses for sour cream are varied. It adds a tangy, gourmet flavor to appetizers, soups, sandwiches, salads, meat dishes, vegetables, baked foods, candies and desserts. Use it in baking and cooking, or enjoy it as it comes from the carton.
Because of its milk fat content, sour cream adds richness to baked products. In fact, dairy sour cream can replace some of the fat and milk in recipes such as pancakes and biscuits. It also gives distinctive flavor to cakes and cookies.
When cooking with dairy sour cream, remember not to overheat or boil it. If sour cream is cooked at too high a temperature or held over heat too long, even at a low temperature, it will break down, giving a thin, curdled product. When this happens, the appearance will be less appealing, although the flavor will still be satisfactory. If possible, add sour cream at the end of the cooking time. Then, just heat the mixture through, but do not boil.
When sour cream is added to canned condensed soups, or if flour is added to the sour cream in a sauce recipe, the sour cream will not separate or curdle.
Sour cream is a perfect ingredient for dips, spreads, salad dressings, frostings, and desserts. It gives tangy flavor to main dishes, such as stroganoff, and it can be incorporated into vegetable or meat sauces. Or, use sour cream alone as a garnish for soup or a a delicious baked potato topper.
Try this simple recipe for some rave reviews from your family:
Swiss Apple Salad
Ingredients
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4 medium unpeeled apples, diced
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1 cup diced Swiss cheese
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½ cup diced celery
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1 cup dairy sour cream
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Dash salt
Method
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Combine apples, cheese, celery, sour cream and salt.
- Chill thoroughly and serve.
