In the pantry · 20 uses
sour cream
Acid and fat that cools heat and loosens a heavy dish. It splits over direct heat, so it goes on top or in off the flame.
8
dishes and drinks that need it
12
more where it is worth adding
75%
of those are under 30 min
Handling sour cream
Third-party video. Opens in a new tab — nothing is embedded and nothing is fetched from a video platform until you click.
Reviewed video for the prep and the technique this one turns up in.
- GrillingThe Serious Eats Guide to Charcoal GrillingSerious EatsLighting the coals through to banking them into zones. Everything else on a grill follows from this.Link checked 2026-09-08
- GrillingMastering your Grill with the Two-Zone Technique | ChefStepsChefStepsThe two-zone fire, and why moving food sideways is the only temperature control a grill has.Link checked 2026-09-08
What it is usually standing next to
Onion turns up alongside it in about 50% of them, which is a strong lean rather than a rule.
Counted off required ingredients across the whole library. A companion listed here is one these dishes are built from, not one we are recommending.
If you have twenty minutes
Built on it · 8
Take it out and the dish is something else. Fastest first.
Worth adding · 12
These work without it. They work better with it.