Crema Agria vs Crema Mexicana

[fantasyjoker]

I have a container of both crema agria (mexican style sour cream) and crema mexicana (mexican cream). I've only opened and used the sour cream. I don't want to open the crema mexicana yet because I don't have a use for it right now, and I don't want it to go bad before I plan to use it. What's the difference in taste for all of those who've used both? Can crema be used in place of regular american cream? BTW they're both made by the same company.

[Will Owen]

You can go crazy trying to pick this stuff out. There seems to be NO consistent rule as to whether Crema Mexicana is sour or sweet, and the same with Crema Salvadoreña, Crema Colombiana, Crema Whatever. If it's cultured (read the label!) it's probably soured; if not, it's sweet. Whichever it is it's highly pasteurized and will stay fresh (enough) for a very long time, so don't be fearful about opening it. For the record, I try to avoid the cremas that have a lot of gum thickening, and I use them as I would crème fraiche - they don't typically curdle when they're heated, so reducing them to make a sauce works pretty well.