Thread: Crème Fraîche

"Mr. Bill" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?

I buy Mexican Crema. I have some int he fridge right now (using it
to make jalapeno crema salsa).

-sw

On Sat, 2 May 2009 19:58:09 -0500, Sqwertz <[email protected]>
wrote:

>"Mr. Bill" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?
>
>I buy Mexican Crema. I have some int he fridge right now (using it
>to make jalapeno crema salsa).
>
>-sw

How does that compare to Creme Fraiche? Believe it or not, I have
never tried the Mexican crema.... I am probably heading to the
Mexican megamart tomorrow, so I could get some easily...

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

Mr. Bill <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?

That's easy; buy. It's just not worth the effort to make it. I use such
minor amounts that wasting a pint of heavy cream would be unfortunate.

The Ranger

Christine Dabney<[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]..
> How does that compare to Creme Fraiche?

There is no difference -- especially in taste -- except in price... As you
might already be thinking, the Mexican crema fresco is cheaper.

The Ranger

"The Ranger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] ..
> Mr. Bill <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]..
>> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?
>
> That's easy; buy. It's just not worth the effort to make it. I use such
> minor amounts that wasting a pint of heavy cream would be unfortunate.
>

Easy for you to say. For me, it is a 60 mile round trip to buy. No local
store carry it here.

Ed Pawlowski <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:So9Ll.9491$[email protected]..
> "The Ranger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected] ..
>> Mr. Bill <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]..
>>> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?
>>
>> That's easy; buy. It's just not worth the effort to make it.
>> I use such minor amounts that wasting a pint of heavy
>> cream would be unfortunate.
>>
> Easy for you to say. For me, it is a 60 mile round trip to buy.
> No local store carry it here.

All three national grocery (Safeway, Raley's, and Albertson's) chains carry
it in the dairy section, right next to the sour cream. Granted, it's often
tucked at the top of the displays and there only seems to be one choice but
if my white-bread-basic-stores have it, I'd be willing to bet other stores
carry it, too.

The Ranger

On Sun, 3 May 2009 00:52:42 -0700, "The Ranger"
<[email protected]> wrote:


>All three national grocery (Safeway, Raley's, and Albertson's) chains carry
>it in the dairy section, right next to the sour cream. Granted, it's often
>tucked at the top of the displays and there only seems to be one choice but
>if my white-bread-basic-stores have it, I'd be willing to bet other stores
>carry it, too.
>
>The Ranger
>

Yeah, but those are white-bread-basic-stores-in-the-SFBA... Totally
different than the same type of stores a lot of other places....and
especially different from those types of stores out in the boondocks.

A lot of things that people find easily in run of the mill stores in
the bay area, are extremely hard to find in other parts of the nation.
I know this, because of my travels around the country the past few
years.

In my area of the country, at the local Albertsons, it is not to be
found. If I go to Whole Foods, I might find it...or to Trader Joes.
But not in the local chains like Albertsons, or Smiths...

Believe me SFBA folks..you don't realize how good you have it...

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

On Sun, 03 May 2009 02:59:41 -0600, Christine Dabney
<[email protected]> shouted from the highest rooftop:

>Believe me SFBA folks..you don't realize how good you have it...

I haven't had the pleasure of visiting SFBA in far too many years. But
I remember my numerous visits during the 60's, 70's and 80's in terms
of fantastic restaurant and cafe food ... amongst other things. And I
look forward to introducing my wife to all this great food when we
visit friends in Bodega Bay - hopefully later this year.


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

The Ranger <[email protected]> wrote:

> Christine Dabney<[email protected]> wrote in message
> news[email protected]..
>> How does that compare to Creme Fraiche?
>
> There is no difference -- especially in taste -- except in price... As you
> might already be thinking, the Mexican crema fresco is cheaper.

It's about 3.50-$4.00 A pint. You can sometimes find it on sale for
$3/pint. Same with their mexican sour crema - which is also
superior to anything else.

I don't understand why American-style sour cream costs $1.29/pint
when the main ingredient there is the same as mexican crema.

It's sometimes hard to har to tell the difference between the
Mexican SOUR creams and non-sour. My current jar from Cacique is
labeled "Grade A Table Cream". "Agria" means sour, but not all sour
creams are labeled that way.

Most Mexican markets around here sell it in the deli in bulk trays.
It's slightly cheaper there.

-sw

Ed Pawlowski <[email protected]> wrote:

> "The Ranger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected] ..
>> Mr. Bill <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]..
>>> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?
>>
>> That's easy; buy. It's just not worth the effort to make it. I use such
>> minor amounts that wasting a pint of heavy cream would be unfortunate.
>
> Easy for you to say. For me, it is a 60 mile round trip to buy. No local
> store carry it here.

I've heard it's impossible to make with Ultra-Pasteurized cream.
And that's all I have access to around here: the UP cream.

-sw

The Ranger <[email protected]> wrote:

> Ed Pawlowski <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:So9Ll.9491$[email protected]..
>> "The Ranger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected] ..
>>> Mr. Bill <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>> news:[email protected]..
>>>> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?
>>>
>>> That's easy; buy. It's just not worth the effort to make it.
>>> I use such minor amounts that wasting a pint of heavy
>>> cream would be unfortunate.
>>>
>> Easy for you to say. For me, it is a 60 mile round trip to buy.
>> No local store carry it here.
>
> All three national grocery (Safeway, Raley's, and Albertson's) chains carry
> it in the dairy section, right next to the sour cream. Granted, it's often
> tucked at the top of the displays and there only seems to be one choice but
> if my white-bread-basic-stores have it, I'd be willing to bet other stores
> carry it, too.

None of the main-line stores around here have it. Only the upscale
Central Market (where it's $8/pint). But we have a huge selection
of the Mexican stuff.

-sw

-sw

Christine Dabney <[email protected]> wrote:

> Believe me SFBA folks..you don't realize how good you have it...

They pay a heck of a lot more for groceries than I do here in
Central TX. And I think our selections are just as good for
White-bread food.

-sw

"Ed Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:So9Ll.9491$[email protected]..
>
> "The Ranger" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected] ..
>> Mr. Bill <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]..
>>> Do you buy or make Crème Fraîche?
>>
>> That's easy; buy. It's just not worth the effort to make it. I use such
>> minor amounts that wasting a pint of heavy cream would be unfortunate.
>>
>
> Easy for you to say. For me, it is a 60 mile round trip to buy. No local
> store carry it here.
>

Ed, don't you just love it when people say, "oh, just get it [wherever]"?
(Usually there's a Trader Joe's somewhere in that sentence LOL) Not all
grocery stores are the same.

Jill

Christine Dabney wrote:

> Yeah, but those are white-bread-basic-stores-in-the-SFBA... Totally
> different than the same type of stores a lot of other places....and
> especially different from those types of stores out in the boondocks.

I have at two stores in Podunk Georgia that sell it. I suspect a lot of
people are oblivious to it if it is tucked in the corners of the dairy
department or in the cheese shop, yet it is out there.

On Sun, 3 May 2009 05:35:14 -0500, Sqwertz <[email protected]>
wrote:


>None of the main-line stores around here have it. Only the upscale
>Central Market (where it's $8/pint). But we have a huge selection
>of the Mexican stuff.
>
>-sw

Same here.

I will be going to various markets around here today, and will take a
look. I might be able to find it in Sunflower, but not in the other
chains, except for Whole Foods.

But almost any Mexican product I want to find, I could find...

The Mexican megamart also has the crema where I can buy it in bulk...

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

On Sun, 3 May 2009 05:36:57 -0500, Sqwertz <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Christine Dabney <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Believe me SFBA folks..you don't realize how good you have it...
>
>They pay a heck of a lot more for groceries than I do here in
>Central TX. And I think our selections are just as good for
>White-bread food.
>
>-sw

Parts of the bay area have more expensive groceries. I will continue
to disagree about some areas... If one shops in the Berkeley/Oakland
area, it is possible to get groceries very inexpensively. Places like
Berkeley Bowl, Monterey Market, Grocery Outlet, Oakland Chinatown can
have ridicoulously low prices.

But yeah, if one shops in places like Andronicos, Draegers, and some
of the other stores like that, the grocery bill can be astronomical.
It's the same with the various farmers markets. If one shops at the
Ferry Plaza market the prices can be pretty high. But go to the
Alemany Market, and the prices are way low....

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

On Sun, 3 May 2009 06:58:06 -0400, "jmcquown" <[email protected]>
wrote:


>Ed, don't you just love it when people say, "oh, just get it [wherever]"?
>(Usually there's a Trader Joe's somewhere in that sentence LOL) Not all
>grocery stores are the same.
>
>Jill

Jill, in this I agree with you. Not in terms of Trader Joes, but the
run of the mill supermarkets, especially those in the bay area
compared to other parts of the country.

They may be the same chain, but they cater to different clientele....

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

On Sun, 03 May 2009 08:53:24 -0400, Goomba <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Christine Dabney wrote:
>
>> Yeah, but those are white-bread-basic-stores-in-the-SFBA... Totally
>> different than the same type of stores a lot of other places....and
>> especially different from those types of stores out in the boondocks.
>
>I have at two stores in Podunk Georgia that sell it. I suspect a lot of
>people are oblivious to it if it is tucked in the corners of the dairy
>department or in the cheese shop, yet it is out there.

I think it depends on areas of the country. Here in NM, I can find
crema very easily, but creme fraiche? Not hardly...

Christine
--
http://nightstirrings.blogspot.com

Goomba wrote:
> Christine Dabney wrote:
>
>> Yeah, but those are white-bread-basic-stores-in-the-SFBA... Totally
>> different than the same type of stores a lot of other places....and
>> especially different from those types of stores out in the boondocks.
>
> I have at two stores in Podunk Georgia that sell it. I suspect a lot
> of people are oblivious to it if it is tucked in the corners of the
> dairy department or in the cheese shop, yet it is out there.

I picked it up at Wegman's (a nice supermarket chain up here) once,
of all days, I needed it the day before Thanksgiving. Not a day you
want to be standing around looking for something! The store was
mobbed. I wanted it to top Jill's butternut squash soup that I was
bringing to my brother's the next day.

I finally cornered an employee who told me what case to look in.
The case that has all the special butters (like Kerrygold). Still
took me a while to find it.

This product is practically incognito. It doesn't jump out at you.
Still, I'd be shocked if my local supermarket carries it. Guess
I'll have to ask.

nancy