Sour cream is undeniably one of the favorite and widespread dairy products together with cottage cheese, cream, and cream cheese. It is widely engaged both in eating it pure and as a part of various dishes and recipes. Remember the thick cream topping on the cakes, dips, and desserts – sour cream is a universal ingredient indeed!
No wonder that many people want to know whether it is safe to freeze sour cream. Below, you can check out a precise guideline that will tell you how to do it right and whether to do it at all.
Related: Can You Freeze Milk | The Ultimate Guideline
Detailed Instruction On Freezing Sour Cream
Lots of people use sour cream in their kitchens but do we know what it is made of and the way it is produced?
Sour cream is a dairy product but, despite many people believe it consists of milk, it is produced of cream after adding some lactic-acid culture to it. Thanks to this method, it gets that savory creamy taste and thick, smooth texture.
Can sour cream be frozen?
Yes, it can only when appropriate conditions and requirements will be followed. Moreover, it is essential to remember that, after being frozen and defrosted again, sour cream will change its texture so you won’t be able to use it in dips or custards.
Nevertheless, it will perfectly fit soups, casseroles, and cakes.
So, if you have ever asked yourself “can sour cream be frozen for later use?” and wondered how to do it, follow these easy steps.
- As dairy products tend to split after defrosting, use a kitchen whisk to stir sour cream thoroughly and spread the liquid (if there is any) throughout the container.
- Feel free to freeze your sour cream in a box it was bought in. On the other hand, if you want, you can remove it to an airtight container or even a bag for freezing. If you choose the plastic freezing bag, squeeze the air out before putting sour cream into it!
- Ensure you have put the date on the container with the sour cream and put it to the freezer. Normally, fresh sour cream can remain frozen for up to half a year.
Related: Does Buttermilk Go Bad?
Does sour cream freeze well?
Yes, there won’t be any problems with freezing it, on the other hand, you shall remember that after you defrost it, its texture will change and your sour cream will become somewhat exfoliated.
Whenever you need to defrost your frozen sour cream, just take the required amount from the freezer and leave it in the fridge for several hours. If it’s deeply frozen, however, you may need more time, approximately a day or two until it becomes the right consistency.
Related: Can You Freeze Yogurt?
Magical Hints to Know When Freezing Sour Cream
To freeze like a pro, ensure that you take into account the following issues:
- Before freezing sour cream, check its expiration date. It must be fresh or relatively fresh when going to the freezer. If you opened it more than two weeks ago, better not to freeze it.
- Even when being frozen, sour cream still keeps on getting old and deteriorated. So make sure you will use it soon.
- For more convenient use, freeze sour cream in small portions. Like that, you won’t have to cut off pieces from one big frozen clump.
- Is it ok to freeze sour cream for the second time? Re-freezing is not allowed for sour cream because it will lead to its spoiling. That’s why you’d better keep it frozen in small separate portions.
- Defrosted sour cream is better for use in baking or cooking as it’s not good for dips and toppings due to the texture change.
- When freezing sour cream, ensure that there is no air left in the bag because it will speed up the spoiling of the product.
Are There Any Dairy Products That Can Go to the Freezer, too?
Sour cream is not the only dairy product that is allowed to be frozen and used afterward. To avoid throwing away too much extra food, prudent housewives can freeze the rest of these products for further use.
So, what else can you freeze at home?
Can you freeze cream cheese?
Yes, it can be frozen well. Moreover, for freezing cream cheese, you don’t need to take any special actions. Just wrap its box with a plastic wrap and put it to the freezer! Remember, however, that it must be used within two months.
If you decided to freeze cream, it will be a bit tricky. The actions will depend on the kind of cream you are planning to freeze.
- If it’s pure unsweetened or sweet cream, just put it into the hard box leaving about 1 cm between the surface of the cream and the lid.
- Close the lid and cover the box with two plastic bags.
- Send it to freeze
Can you freeze whipped cream?
Take a firm box and the lid put a sheet of baking paper and place whipped cream on it.
Close the lid and place the box into the special bag for freezing.
Can you freeze cottage cheese?
Yes, and it’s very easy just as freezing other dairy products.
For freezing cottage cheese,
- simply put it into the airtight box or use its own box if it wasn’t opened.
- Mark the container with the date you froze it as when frozen it can last for a maximum of half a year.
- Put it to the freezer. And that’s all.
These ways of freezing sour cream and other dairy products will help you to preserve the food and keep its taste and flavor longer. Frozen sour cream and the related dairy products can last long enough (sometimes up to half a year) so that you will be able to use them in your culinary masterpieces and enjoy delicious dishes and desserts.
Remember though that sour cream tends to change its texture after being defrosted, so be ready to use it for hot dishes like soups or casseroles mostly rather than for dips and toppings.
Enjoy!
Read next: Can You Freeze Butter?
