I like to keep my grocery shopping simple and buy as few items as possible. And because I don’t buy food packaged in plastic, I can’t buy many items. (Today’s news on the health risks of plastic food packaging comes to you from the New York Times…) However, where I live, I can buy organic, pastured milk, half-and-half and whipping cream in returnable glass bottles.
But what if you need a tub of sour cream or crème fraîche? I’ve seen those only in plastic. With a couple of ingredients you can make these and other staples yourself.
1. Buttermilk
- Combine 1/2 cup buttermilk with 4 cups whole milk
- Let sit covered on the counter for 24 hours until thickened
- Transfer to the refrigerator
I’ve started my list with buttermilk because, although you may not drink buttermilk (I pour it on my homemade granola), you will need it to make other recipes in this list.
Like needing money to make money, you need buttermilk to make more buttermilk. So you will either have to buy a small carton of cultured buttermilk, order a starter from a store such as Cultures for Health or, if you know someone who has a culture going, ask for a couple of tablespoons and follow the 1:8 ratio above.
I bought a carton of buttermilk at Whole Foods about nine months ago and I’ve been backslopping it (an actual term) every two to three weeks to keep it going (I’ve named my culture Betty). Here is a detailed cultured buttermilk post.
2. Crème fraîche
- Combine 1/4 cup cultured buttermilk with 1 cup heavy cream
- Let sit for 24 hours in a warm spot; it will have the consistency of sour cream
- Transfer to the refrigerator to thicken
3. Sour cream
- Combine 1 tbsp cultured buttermilk with 1 cup half & half
- Let sit for 24 hours in warm spot
- Transfer to the refrigerator
4. Ricotta
- Combine 2 cups cultured buttermilk with 1/2 gallon (8 cups) whole milk.
- Heat mixture slowly until it reaches between 190 to 200 degrees—the temperature it hits just before it boils. It will curdle at this point. Turn off the heat.
- Wait 20 minutes for the curds to sink to the bottom of the pot.
- Over a bowl, place a sieve lined with a thin towel. Transfer the curdled milk to the sieve.
- Let the ricotta strain for about half an hour, depending on how wet you want it. Transfer it to a glass container and store in the fridge for up to a week.
Read my full post on DIY ricotta here.
5. Yogurt
You’ll need 1/2 cup of yogurt with live cultures and 4 cups whole milk.
- Pour milk into a heavy pot.
- Slowly heat milk to 180 degrees over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to avoid scalding it.
- Wait for milk to cool to 110 degrees.
- Stir yogurt into milk.
- Put in a warm place overnight.
- Strain if desired.
I broke my thermometer and don’t plan on replacing it. You don’t actually need one. When milk reaches 180 degrees, it will begin bubble around the edges. At 110 degrees, the milk will be warm, not hot.
Read my detailed yogurt post here.
That’s it! I would say the first three recipes (buttermilk, crème fraîche and sour cream) require less work to make than buy. All five taste fantastic. Store-bought simply cannot compare.
Happy culturing!