# sour cream vs cream cheese match



## tigercat39 (Feb 16, 2011)

I read the other thread concerning this matter but the answer wasn't of help.

My question is:  In something such as a hash brown casserole where you are using 8-16 oz sour cream could you use half cream cheese, half sour cream?

Also -

Q:  In one recipe I found you melt 1 cup butter and pour over the hashbrown (cubes)  mixture (YIKES)  I'm thinking of using 1/2-2/3 cup chicken bouillon or broth instead of (all that) butter and maybe melting up to 1/4 cup and drizzle over corn flake crumbs on top, maybe just spray with butter flavored Pam and leave out butter.  What would be the purpose of using all the butter?

Thanks for all your help.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Cream cheese melts differently. Has more body. More fat. I think it will change the texture and mouthfeel. Depending on the rest of the dish, it could feel dense and fatty. Might work out too, but it's harder to guess without seeing the rest of the recipe.

That does seem like a lot of butter but potatoes can stick pretty hard.

You're proposing a lot of changes in fat content and moisture. I think you'd have to make it one time according to the recipe to get a feel for what's going on in it before making the other changes.


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## tigercat39 (Feb 16, 2011)

Here's the recipe:

*Cheesey Hashbrowns*

*Cooking Time:* 1 hr 30 min

end articleAttrSection

[h5]Ingredients[/h5]
2 pounds bag frozen hash browns (diced type)
[sup]1[/sup]/2 cup onion, minced 
16 ounces sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 stick butter, melted
corn flake crumbs

end articleAttrSection

[h5]Instructions[/h5]
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease 9 x 13 baking pan.
In large container, combine hash browns, onions, sour cream, and soup. Add salt and pepper; blend well.
Place mixture in prepared pan. 
Top with cheese, pour on butter, and cover with cornflakes crumbs.
Bake in 350 degrees F oven for 60-90 minutes.
----

As you can see there is a lot of fat in there from the cheese anyway. I'm thinking maybe combine the soui with the chicken broth (my version drops added fats) and melt the cream cheese in it then cool before adding sour cream. 3 oz non fat cream cheese to 1 2/3 cup fat free sour cream. And you may be right that I'd have to test them out. maybe side by side?? Hummm. How much can one person eat??


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

In my neck of the woods, that's a shortcut recipe for "funeral potatoes", a variation on cheesy au gratin potatoes with less work but a ton of fat and sodium. Having made such things decades ago, I'd skip the cream cheese idea totally.  Non-fat cream cheese will behave terribly in this dish and whole fat would too. I don't see the benefit of trying to substitute the canned soup compared to the rest of the processed fats and sodium in the potatoes.

I'd bail on the whole pre-processed aspects personally but that may not be what you want to do.

I'd do something along these lines:

3 cups milk

2 pounds russet poatoes peeled and cubed 1/4-1/2 inch dice

1/2 onion, diced, approximately 1/2 cup

1 clove of garlic, minced 2 if you're fond of garlic like me

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (poultry seasoning would work well to and I'd probably increase the amount a bit if I used that)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup flour

2 cups shredded cheddar.

In a saucepan on medium heat, combine the milk and potatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes, avoid boiling as the milk will curdle. This parcooks the potatoes. Will probably take about 20 minutes total counting the heat up time but will vary depending on your stove.  Timing this and the following step to coincide correctly is nice but has too many variables to be precise in writing. Let your experience guide you or just work each step separately will work out too.

While the potatoes are simmering. Heat a 12" saute pan over medium high heat. Add the butter, when the foaming stops, add the onions. Saute about 2 minutes, then add the garlic and thyme. Saute a few minutes more but stop if the garlic starts to color, Add the flour and stir well to make a roux with the onions and butter. Cook this a minute. Ideally, the pootatoes and milk are done at this point and you could add them to the pan, stirring to combine and thicken the milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This will need to come to a boil briefly to thicken properly.

Now you combine it in the casserole with the cheese as in the original recipe. Bake until bubbly and the cheese is browned. I personally skip the corn flakes as I'm not that impressed with them, but you could certainly use them.


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## tigercat39 (Feb 16, 2011)

I'll give that a try.  Thanks!


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