Sour Cream??

[Tally]

Does sour cream melt well, for example if I were to use as the base for a sauce? Would it make the sauce thicker than using milk or cream, without having to add some other thickener (like corn starch?)?

[debdeb]

it will melt and NOT make it any thicker than milk. in fact, if you bring the mixture to a boil, with the sour cream already in it, it will curdle. sour cream can only be added to hot mixtures once the heat is either turned off or VERY low. have you tried "Thicken Thin / not Starch" thickeners? they work quite well.

[dasanipure]

try cream cheese instead. it will give you the tang of sour cream and thicken at the same time. but add it at the end, with the heat very low, or else it'll burn. the risk of curdling is greatly reduced though. sour cream is better left for cold garnishes, although it can work if you're careful in recipies like butter chicken.