Homemade crème fraîche?

MrsDangermouse

MrsDangermouse

Guru
Joined
30 Nov 2012
Local time
6:34 AM
Messages
1,358
Location
Hampshire, UK
Ocado, the online supermarket I've used for years has recently changed from having a partnership with the supermarket Waitrose to Marks & Spencers. I've never really rated M&S food (though it seems most of the rest of the population disagrees with me) and would have much preferred them to stay with Waitrose. Most of the new products are fine (with a few exceptions) but since the change they no longer have any full fat crème fraîche :cry:I can get soured cream, or half fat crème fraîche but they aren't the same.

Of course I could make a trip to another supermarket and buy some, but that kind of defeats the object of online shopping. So...does anyone have a tried and tested recipe for making your own crème fraîche? I'm looking for proper thick crème fraîche, not runny soured cream by the way ;-)
 
I too am rather annoyed by the fact that Ocado has partnered with M&S. Also, I recently had notification that Christmas slots were now open, logged in today and discovered they were all booked. Don't know if they are going to release some more later...

I've not made creme fraiche but I gather its pretty easy. You add cultured buttermilk to double cream, heat to slightly warm and then leave 24 hrs. I suppose its a bit like making yoghurt. I'm wondering if kefir would be a good sub for buttermilk - Ocado sell Yeo Valley Kefir which is lovely (much nicer than plain yoghurt). As it happens I have both double cream & kefir in the fridge. I will have a go...
 
Ooh I'd be interested to know the result - trying to get hold of cultured buttermilk is a bad as getting crème fraîche from Ocado lol

I had the same thing with the Christmas slots too - though with a minimum order of £90 plus £9.99 delivery (even though I have a Smart Pass) I'm not sure I'll bother even if they do release more!
 
MrsDangermouse said:
Ooh I'd be interested to know the result - trying to get hold of cultured buttermilk is a bad as getting crème fraîche from Ocado lol

I had the same thing with the Christmas slots too - though with a minimum order of £90 plus £9.99 delivery (even though I have a Smart Pass) I'm not sure I'll bother even if they do release more!
Click to expand...

Blimey - £9.99 delivery even with a smart pass (I have one too)! That is a bit of a cheek.

I'll experiment with the Kefir this morning and report back tomorrow morning.
 
Stage 1 completed. I heated 150ml of double cream (all I had) with 1 tbsp kefir to hand heat and poured it into a small bowl. It is already thickened slightly. I'll leave it (covered) at room temperature and check it later.
 
Sounds good so far :okay:

I actually emailed Ocado yesterday to ask if they planned to stock any full fat crème fraîche (and a couple of other things) and received the reply " Sorry for any disappointment here, but we don't currently plan to restock these items"

But look what's appeared today:
ocado.jpg
 
MrsDangermouse said:
Sounds good so far :okay:

I actually emailed Ocado yesterday to ask if they planned to stock any full fat crème fraîche (and a couple of other things) and received the reply " Sorry for any disappointment here, but we don't currently plan to restock these items"

But look what's appeared today:
View attachment 48354
Click to expand...

Not good customer service. The Isigny ones low fat then?
 
I don't even heat anything. I put a tablespoon of buttermilk in with a cup of low-heat pasteurized heavy cream, give it a good stir, cover it with a cheesecloth laid loosely on, and let it sit out.

The longer it sits, the thicker it gets (kind of like me and my waist :laugh:), and when it's the consistency I like, into the fridge it goes (where it will thicken a bit more).

The problem here is finding the low-heat pasteurized cream. Everything is ultra-pasteurized now, and to get anything other than that requires a specialty shop and several dollars.
 
TastyReuben said:
The problem here is finding the low-heat pasteurized cream. Everything is ultra-pasteurized now, and to get anything other than that requires a specialty shop and several dollars.
Click to expand...

Don't know what 'low heat' pasteurised is. I don't think we get that here. Its either labelled organic or pasteurised and I'm not even sure if the organic is also pasteurised.
 
Morning Glory said:
Don't know what 'low heat' pasteurised is. I don't think we get that here. Its either labelled organic or pasteurised and I'm not even sure if the organic is also pasteurised.
Click to expand...
Here, because of federal regulations, it's illegal to sell unpasteurized milk/cream. Nearly everything is ultra-heat pasteurized, which means it's heated to something like 280F in order to kill every last little ghoulie that could possibly have ever lived in it. Unfortunately, that also means it can't be used make creme fraiche, among other things.

We also used to have plain pasteurized (not ultra), which is done at a slightly lower temp, and it leaves enough of whatever critters live in there to get things going, but the last year or so, plain pasteurized has disappeared from the shelves. The nice thing about pasteurized was that it was no more expensive than ultra-pasteurized, so it was very economical to make your own creme fraiche (which last time I checked, was about $5 for an 8oz tub). A quart of heavy cream is about $3.

Now, all I can find is a low-heat pasteurized, which uses the minimum allowable temp (I have no idea what that is), but it's crazy expensive, like $7 for a pint. A pint.
 
TastyReuben said:
Here, because of federal regulations, it's illegal to sell unpasteurized milk/cream. Nearly everything is ultra-heat pasteurized, which means it's heated to something like 280F in order to kill every last little ghoulie that could possibly have ever lived in it. Unfortunately, that also means it can't be used make creme fraiche, among other things.

We also used to have plain pasteurized (not ultra), which is done at a slightly lower temp, and it leaves enough of whatever critters live in there to get things going, but the last year or so, plain pasteurized has disappeared from the shelves. The nice thing about pasteurized was that it was no more expensive than ultra-pasteurized, so it was very economical to make your own creme fraiche (which last time I checked, was about $5 for an 8oz tub). A quart of heavy cream is about $3.

Now, all I can find is a low-heat pasteurized, which uses the minimum allowable temp (I have no idea what that is), but it's crazy expensive, like $7 for a pint. A pint.
Click to expand...

I believe the minimum is 160F. That kills bacteria immediately. I have no idea why anyone would go up to 280F. :ohmy:

I can't find crème fraîche anywhere in Frisco. I might be able to find some at the specialty stores in Dallas, but I hate to drive into Dallas for one item. I can get sour cream and Mexican crema everywhere.

CD
 
here's the temps:

For low-temperature or VAT pasteurization, you need to keep milk at 63oC (145oF) for 30 minutes. This approach allows you to retain the texture and taste and is best for batch pasteurization. You could use a double boiler for this method, but it’s better to invest in a pasteurizer that will keep milk at the required temperature without needing you to watch over it. Advanced models will even cool the milk down after it’s processed.


HTST is the most common technique. It requires you to keep milk at 72oC (161oF) for just 15 seconds. This approach is feasible for home use and can be executed without any additional tools other than a cooking thermometer.


Ultra-high-temperature pasteurization will need you to heat milk to 138oC (280oF) and keep it at this level for only two seconds. However, this approach also involves sterilized packaging and is very hard to execute at home because it requires many additional tools. UHT pasteurization is used by manufacturers. It allows them to produce shelf-safe milk that doesn’t require refrigeration until it’s opened.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom