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What is The Difference Between Sour Cream and Crème Fraîche? Easily Explained

Difference between sour cream and crème Fraiche: It all starts with cream

  • In the past, the freshly milked milk was simply left to stand for a few hours in order to obtain the cream from the milk. The cream has settled to the top and has been skimmed off.
  • Nowadays, the cream is thrown out of the milk industrially with a centrifuge. The cream is the basic ingredient for both sour cream and crème fraîche.

Schmand: How is it made?

  • In the end, sour cream is just sour cream. To start the acidification process, lactic acid bacteria are added to the cream.
  • The resulting lactic acid not only makes the cream sour but also changes its consistency. Depending on the fat content, the end product is given a different name.
  • Sour cream has a fat content of around 10 percent and is, therefore, thicker than cream, but still slightly runny. Schmand, on the other hand, has a fat content of 20 to 29 percent and is therefore already firm.
  • You can also find sour cream in many supermarkets. This is usually sour cream with a fat content at the upper limit of 29 percent.

Creme fraiche: what is it?

  • Creme fraiche is the French version of sour cream. In contrast to sour cream, however, crème fraîche contains at least 30 percent fat and up to 15 percent sugar.
  • During production, the cream is stored with the lactic acid bacteria in a tank at 20 to 40 degrees for one to two days. As with sour cream, the lactose is converted into lactic acid.
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Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

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