How to store sour cream

by Abbas Jahangir · June 25, 2021

Regardless of the nuances of the composition or the time of opening the package, sour cream must be kept in the refrigerator. All dairy and fermented milk products oxidize very quickly at room temperature. In no case should you eat sour cream with signs of spoilage. If there are doubts about the freshness of the product, but there are no visible signs of oxidation, then it is better to use sour cream for cooking (for example, desserts, creams or baked goods).

Rules of storing sour cream :

when storing sour cream, its composition must be taken into account (products with preservatives are stored longer);
high-quality and natural sour cream is a perishable product (only sour cream with a high content of preservatives, vegetable fats and thickeners can have a long shelf life);
sour cream in an open container will be stored less than in an unopened container;
it is not recommended to store sour cream in plastic containers (immediately after opening the original packaging, it is better to place the product in a glass container that can be closed with a lid);
after opening the package, sour cream should be removed only with a clean and dry spoon (if you do this with a damp spoon, then the shelf life of the product will be significantly reduced);
if whey begins to separate from the sour cream during storage, then this is a sign that soon the product will begin to oxidize and deteriorate (you need to eat sour cream with this sign as soon as possible);
the container with sour cream cannot be left open during storage;
it is not worth putting a container with sour cream in the freezer (the consistency of the product will change, the shelf life will not increase, and the taste will be spoiled);
it is not worth storing sour cream outside the refrigerator (the higher the storage temperature, the shorter the shelf life of the product will be);
it is highly not recommended to leave cutlery (spoons or forks) in a container with sour cream (metal can cause rapid oxidation of the product);
In no case should you eat sour cream with an expired shelf life (if there are no signs of oxidation, the jar is not swollen, and the shelf life has expired, then you can use sour cream for baking or other dishes, but you shouldn’t risk it anyway) ;
if during storage of a closed container with sour cream the lid is swollen, then you should refuse to eat such a product;
if there is no refrigerator, then sour cream can be stored in any other cool place (in winter it can be left, for example, on the balcony), but its shelf life in this case may be reduced.

When storing sour cream, it is imperative to exclude contact of the product with polyethylene and metal. For example, do not cover the container with cling film or place an open can in a plastic bag. Sour cream cannot be stored in metal dishes either.

How much sour cream to store

On average, the shelf life of sour cream is 10 days. However, there are a number of nuances that can change this indicator. For example, the storage temperature of the product, its fat content and compositional features.

The shelf life of sour cream, depending on the main nuances :

at temperatures from +6 to +8 degrees, sour cream is stored for 10 days;
at temperatures closer to 0 degrees, sour cream can be stored for more than 10 days (the shelf life can even reach 30 days if the package has not been opened);
homemade sour cream can only remain fresh for 2 days (it must also be stored only in the refrigerator);
sour cream in an open package, regardless of the temperature regime, is stored for 3 days;
pasteurized sour cream is stored for an especially long period (the shelf life must be taken into account from the information on the package).

You cannot freeze sour cream. Under the influence of too low temperatures, not only the consistency of the product and its flavor characteristics change, but also the amount of nutrients is significantly reduced. Once frozen, the sour cream will be unusable.