Sour cream is essential for thickening soups and preparing salads in different recipes. Also, you can use it in baking recipes.
If you’ve tried making your food with sour cream, you can’t avoid it. It gives your food the best flavor.
While the cream is an ingredient for almost all food recipes, it’s never easy to handle it. When you heat it incorrectly, the cream produces an irritating outcome.
We find that majority of people prefer sour cream when cold. Some wouldn’t taste the cream when hot. It’s better when cold, but it’s best when warm in most recipes.
But, can you microwave sour cream?
The good news is that, yes, you can microwave sour cream. But you need to be careful in the process. It requires varying degrees of heat depending on the sour cream you are microwaving. Remember, the sour cream contains bacteria which ferments it, and the bacteria is what makes the heating process a bit complicated.
In this article, I will guide you on easy-to-follow steps to how to microwave sour cream. Before we delve deep into that, let’s first understand sour cream, the different types of sour cream and what to consider before microwaving sour cream.
What is sour cream, and how to prepare
Sour cream is a milk product obtained by fermenting regular cream with different kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacteria consume the sugar solution in the cream and release lactic acid, making the cream more acidic. The result is a sour taste, hence referred to as sour cream.
The essential ingredients you need when making sour cream include; whole milk, cream and lemon juice.
But, you can use butter instead of milk and cream, and the results would still be good. Sour cream is healthy for human consumption but best when taken in moderation.
It’s one of the easiest recipes to prepare. You need to;
- Put the cream in a jug.
- Pour the lemon juice and gently stir
- Add milk and again gently stir to make it combine
- Transfer the mixture to a container, cover well, and keep it at room temperature for at least one day.
- Stir again to mix well, then refrigerate for use.
Different types of sour cream
For you to refer to your content as sour cream, it must contain at least 18% of milk content. In addition to that, there are different kinds of sour cream. They include;
● Full fat sour cream
● Low-fat sour cream
● Fat-free sour cream
● Non-dairy sour cream
What to consider before microwaving sour cream?
Even though you can microwave sour cream, there are different factors that you need to consider before microwaving. It could mess up everything you’re preparing when you handle the cream with a slight heating mistake. Some of the considerations that you need to know include;
- If you’re heating low or reduced-fat sour cream, you should reduce the heating period to around 10 seconds for the first round of heating.
- We all understand that dairy products need to be refrigerated. When you heat the sour cream after use, remember to put back the remaining for refrigeration.
- You should keep any leftover food containing sour cream under a temperature below 40 degrees. When left unrefrigerated for too long, the bacteria can develop into harmful bacteria, which can cause food poisoning.
- When you want to microwave leftover food which contains sour cream, it’s advisable that you first scoop the sour cream off your plate and microwave the food, then add the sour cream to your hot food. It helps to avoid messing with your food.
- When heating sour cream, you should adjust the power setting of your microwave to low or medium before you put in your sour cream. It helps to avoid exposure to extreme conditions.
- If you concentrate more on the visual appearance of your cream, it’s advisable to avoid boiling the cream in other food. Definitely, it will be sweet by the physical look will be unappetizing.
A Guide to Microwaving Sour Cream
Whether you’re heating your sour cream separately or mixing it with your food, it’s essential to note the type of sour cream you’re microwaving.
I have classified the different kinds of sour cream to avoid misunderstanding. Every sort of sour cream always reacts differently to heating.
However, the main point is gently microwaving sour cream despite the type.
Step 1 – Transfer the sour cream into a safe microwave container
When heating sour cream in the microwave, don’t dare heat it from the original container of the cream. Transfer the cream to a safe microwave heating glass or ceramic container. Although the rule applies to most kitchen foods, not only the sour cream, most of us tend to make mistakes when in the kitchen. The process is only allowed for containers with microwave-safe signs on them. As far as sour cream is concerned, I haven’t seen any safe package for microwaving.
The main reason behind this is that when you microwave the sour cream using the original container, the container will release the plastic chemicals used to make the container. Hence, making it unsafe for human consumption when contaminated.
Step 2 – Put the sour cream in the microwave
For a successful heating process, you need to monitor the whole heating process. When you overheat, the sour cream will curdle or separate. I recommend you spend more time around your microwave to warm it in small portions.
Divide the sour cream into small portions( tablespoons) for more accessible and successful heating. Put each tablespoon in a microwave-safe container and cover on top to avoid sprinkling. Place it in the microwave.
However, if you have mixed the sour cream in your food, you can reheat them. But, keep in mind that the product is not heated stable; the possibility is that your result will be a moist mess. The best remedy for such a situation is to remove the cream from your food and then add it after heating it.
Step 3 – Regulate your microwave power setting
After putting your cream in the microwave, put on the power to start warming. Set on high heat and warm it for at least 15 seconds. The process occurs for every tablespoon of sour cream you are heating. The time and power regulation help warm your cream to the correct standard and avoid the separation or curdling of your sour cream.
If you need to heat five tablespoons of sour cream, you’ll spend 75 seconds in the microwave. Does that sound like a lot of time? The results will be equal to the task. However, you need to check between the time intervals.
Step 4- Keep stirring your sour cream gently
During the 15 seconds heating time, keep stirring your sour cream after every 5 seconds with preferably a wooden spoon. It helps distribute the heat evenly in the whole portion you’re heating. In addition, the moving process should be done gently all around the container. It turns out to be the most efficient method to heat sour cream without it curdling. The process works best for fat content sour cream.
However, the stirring may not work best for the non-fat sour milk. If you need to microwave the non-fat sour cream, it should be strictly under a shallow temperature. It will heat slowly and reduce the chances of curdling. But it’s not a guarantee anyway. Stirring at this moment may not help, but you may risk the chances of curdling or separating. Instead, leave it at peace in low temperatures to heat well to your desired standard.
Step 5 – Repeat until you get your desired results
After heating your portion for 15 seconds, check the outcome results; repeat the same process if they’re not up to your desired results. You need to be careful not to expose your sour cream to excess heating at such a moment. The 15 seconds are the standard measure, but you can repeat the heating for your desire. Moreover, the sour cream doesnt need to be extremely hot but rather be warm.
Your sour cream will be ready for serving. Even when you’re heating when mixed with food, the process will be the same. But the best I would recommend is the separate microwaving, then mixing later when eating.
Conclusion
It’s acceptable to microwave sour cream but gently is a magical word that you need to keep in mind. Depending on how your microwave operates, you need to control time and the temperature intensity when heating your cream.
You can reduce the chances of your sour cream curding or separating by preferring the fat content cream. In addition, I would like you to concentrate on one type of cream to improve your best taste in sour cream.
With the steps and guide rules that I have provided for you in this article, you can be able to microwave your sour cream and obtain the best results. Consequently, you will understand the mistakes to avoid to prevent your sour cream from going bad. In addition, you’ll keep off from all potential problems with your sour cream.
