Knowing how to make sour cream can be an important skill if you live in a country where the product is unavailable or differs significantly from the dairy topping you are used to having available. Using either of these two sour cream recipes, you can make sour cream at home. Whether you like your sour cream slathered on Mexican food, potatoes, desserts or fresh fruit, there's no arguing that the dairy condiment has a wide variety of food combinations. Sour cream can be used as a topping for baked potatoes and makes an excellent addition to Mexican dishes or Tex Mex foods such as burritos, tacos, nachos and taquitos. You can also turn sour cream into flavorful sauces, dips and dressings with a few simple recipe variations. With simple substitutions, you can also make your own sour cream non-fat or low-fat.

Silky smooth sour cream not only makes a cool topping for sweet and savory dishes, but can also be incorporated into recipes ranging from chicken dishes to banana bread. When used in baking, sour cream helps keep baked goods moist. Spices can be added to a sour cream recipe to give it extra "zip" or you can add certain other ingredients to make a delicious salad dressing.All Recipes: Sour Cream Chicken and Potatoes All Recipes: Banana Sour Cream Bread.

There are two traditional ways to make sour cream. First, if you want to control your sour cream's texture, thickness, and tang, you can make your own sour cream overnight. This recipe will create about two cups of the condiment. However, if you need the sour cream immediately, you can also make a quick cup of sour cream in a blender using cottage cheese as the base. This instant method will allow for less customization and variation in flavor and texture, but it will be ready to eat or include in recipes at once.

If you'd prefer to have a little more control over the sour cream, here is a way to make it overnight.

• What You'll Need

• 2 cups light cream (like half and half)
• 3 tablespoons buttermilk
• Canning jar

• What to Do

1. Sterilize a canning jar in boiling waterRecipezaar: Homemade Sour Cream
2. Pour the cream and buttermilk into the hot jar.Cooks.com: Homemade Sour Cream
3. Cover the jar tightly and shake to combine the ingredientsRecipezaar: Homemade Sour Cream
4. Keep at room temperature until it reaches the desired thicknessFarmers' Almanac: Sour Cream
   • -A higher percentage of butterfat in the cream will produce a thicker sour cream.David Fankhauser, PhD: Sour Cream
5. Stir before serving.Cooks.com: Homemade Sour Cream
6. Store in the refrigerator up to three weeks.Recipezaar: Homemade Sour Cream
   • -Throw the sour cream away if mold begins to form on the top.Recipezaar: Sour Cream

Another way to make sour cream is using a blender.

• What You'll Need

• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons skim milk
• Blender

• What to Do

1. Pour the cottage cheese, milk and lemon juice into a blender.Recipezaar: Homemade Sour Cream
2. Mix on medium-high speed until smooth.The Doctors of USC: Homemade Sour Cream
3. Refrigerate before serving.Recipezaar: Homemade Sour Cream

• If you want to impart a little extra flavor to your sour cream to accompany a specific recipe, consider the following varying ingredients that you can combine with the sour cream.

1. Flavor the sour cream by adding items like fresh garlic, cracked pepper, chopped bell peppers or pimento] before mixing in a blender.Recipezaar: Homemade Sour Cream
2. Combine sour cream with mayonnaise and cider vinegar to create a tangy salad dressing or dip.Martha Stewart: Sour Cream Dressing
3. Add port, red wine, tomato paste and canned chipotle chilies to make spicy sour cream.Epicurious: Chipotle Creme Fraiche