For dinner with friends, start by checking the product description and texture your recipe calls for. Thick crème fraîche in a tub and UHT semi-thick cream in a multipack are not necessarily interchangeable. The 3 × 20 cl format lets you open each unit separately, while a larger tub is a good choice if you’ll use the amount you’ve bought. Also compare the fat content, ingredients and storage instructions once opened.
For a sauce, quiche or gratin served to a group, the texture you want in the dish matters more than the number of containers. Auchan, for example, offers full-fat thick crème fraîche with 30% fat, while Elle & Vire describes its full-fat semi-thick cream as suitable for hot dishes. Check that the product description matches your recipe.
If you’ll use some for dinner and save the rest for another meal, separate units mean you don’t have to open the whole amount at once. However, the 3 × 20 cl formats listed by Carrefour and E.Leclerc are UHT semi-thick creams: smaller portions don’t guarantee the texture of thick crème fraîche.
The products listed by Auchan, Carrefour and E.Leclerc vary in fat content and product description, from thick crème fraîche to semi-thick dairy products. If these differences matter for your dish, check the ingredients as well as the fat content shown.
Choose this if: your recipe calls for thick cream and you’ll use the tub for dinner or soon afterwards.
Bear in mind: once opened, the tub must be stored and used according to the instructions on its packaging.
Choose this if: you want to open separate units for dinner and other dishes.
Bear in mind: the 3 × 20 cl formats listed by Carrefour and E.Leclerc are described as “semi-thick”, not “thick crème fraîche”.
| What to consider | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Dish texture | Check whether the product is described as “thick” or “semi-thick”, and make sure it’s suitable for the recipe you’re planning. | If I’m making a sauce or gratin, I want to choose a texture that suits the dish I’m serving; around 40% of consumers may put this first. |
| Portion size and leftovers | Compare the amount you need with the size of the tub or each multipack unit, then check the storage instructions for once it’s opened. | If I’m splitting the cream between dinner and other dishes, I’d rather open one unit at a time; around 30% of consumers may prioritise this portioning option. |
| Fat content and ingredients | Compare the fat content, product description and ingredients list. | Before choosing between full-fat cream, light cream and a dairy product, I want to know what each one contains; around 30% of consumers may prioritise this comparison. |
The 3 × 20 cl multipacks listed by Carrefour and E.Leclerc are described as UHT semi-thick cream. E.Leclerc also sells another product in this format described as a “semi-thick dairy product”.
Check the full product description on the packaging before using it as a substitute for the cream your recipe calls for.
Products with different fat contents may also have different ingredients. Auchan’s 15% light thick crème fraîche, for example, contains modified starch and a thickener.
Check the product description, fat content and ingredients together, especially if the texture matters for your dish.
The date shown on unopened packaging does not replace the instructions that apply once the product has been opened. Anses advises that a use-by date no longer applies in the same way after opening.
Work out how much you’ll need for dinner, then follow the storage instructions and use-within period for the product you choose.
You may end up wasting some of a large tub if you can’t use it within the stated period.
Elle & Vire offers organic full-fat thick cream with 30% fat in a 324 g pouch, as well as full-fat semi-thick cream with 30% fat in a pack of two 25 cl bottles.
Carrefour lists thick crème fraîche in larger containers under this brand, as well as light semi-thick cream in a 3 × 20 cl multipack.
Auchan offers light thick crème fraîche with 15% fat in a 20 cl tub, and full-fat thick crème fraîche with 30% fat in a 50 cl tub.
E.Leclerc offers DELISSE UHT light semi-thick cream with 18% fat in a 3 × 20 cl multipack, as well as a UHT semi-thick dairy product with 4% fat in the same format.
Not automatically: “UHT semi-thick cream” and “thick crème fraîche” are different product descriptions on the products listed by Carrefour and E.Leclerc. If your recipe calls for thick cream, check that the texture of the product you choose is right for the dish you’re making.
Start with the texture and product description you want, then compare the fat content and ingredients. Auchan, for example, offers thick crème fraîche with 15% and 30% fat. Their ingredients differ, and fat content alone won’t tell you how your recipe will turn out.
Yes, as long as the date and storage requirements are suitable for when you plan to use it. The French Ministry of Agriculture says that perishable foods that need to be kept chilled generally carry a use-by date. Check the date and storage instructions for the cream you buy.
Follow the time limit and temperature shown on the packaging for the product you’ve chosen rather than assuming the same applies to every cream. Anses explains that the use-by date on an unopened product no longer applies in the same way once it has been opened.
Don’t assume so from the words “light” or “dairy product”. The products listed by Auchan and E.Leclerc include milk or cream in their ingredients. If you need to avoid these, check the ingredients list and allergen information for the specific product.