What an absurd gimmick.

Well, cream cheese is too hard and you can't get a spoonful easily, with sour cream you'd have to futz chopping up herbs and crap as well, and creme fraiche sounds expensive. This is much easier!

*snerk*

It seems like really bougie cream fraiche. REALLY bougie.

This seems like just another way to add extra preservatives to everyone's diets. No, thank you!

I have zero interest in using this product. I don't doubt there is a market for something like this, I'm just not it.

I bought it as part of a promotion (HEB Meal Deal) ... it made me feel really guilty because I mixed it into Homemade Mac and Cheese making it even more unhealthy... but it did taste ok... Not worth the calories and other junk that is in it though.

Marketing principle: When you cannot moake money on the old stuff, get new stuff, even if it is a similar product under a different label.

Watergate Maxim: Follow the money.

Momma says: Honey, I can cook. I don't need that.

@Trish

I believe that 'original' refers to the flavor of the creme.

We received 12 of these (3 of each "flavor") after a food conference for grocery purchasers. One of my family members owns the facility the conference was held at and the distributor of the Cooking Creme had a few left over so they ended up in my refrigerator.

We don't usually eat this kind of "dump it in the skillet" food but it was free so we tried it out.

All in all the product is easy to work with and tastes decent. Every couple weeks we try a recipe that includes a container of the creme to get it used up.

I think it could easily be replaced with sour cream, milk, reg. cream cheese, or cream fraiche.

I tried the southwestern one, and it was so bland, it was totally not worth it.

This product isn't really for us. People who read cooking blogs generally like to cook and have the time to do so. This is for people who want something easy to make and better than hamburger helper.

Fits in perfectly with lazy people who don't know or want to know how to cook.

I don't think lazy is the word for everyone as a mom of two, wife, full time student with two job and a husband who can hardly make grilled cheese I think it looks like something I would try.

"Original" refers to the flavor? What does THAT taste like? $2.50 down the drain, I guess.

Just another way to fatten us up....

Yeeeah...add me to the voices that thinks I don't need an easier vehicle for adding *cream cheese* to my food...

Greens, maybe...cream cheese, no.

Agreed with Noadi. They're not marketing it at a superfancy gourmet food for expert cooks - it's to toss on top of chicken and pasta. Sure it doesn't look particularly awesome, but neither does boxed macaroni and cheese or alfredo sauce in a jar. Whatever.

as a*

Man, you guys are brutal! It's a convenience food, yes, but in a pinch it works. Not all of have hours a day to cook - not that we wouldn't love to... I've been using Italian cooking cream for years, and it's a suitable sub. when I simply don't have the time to go to the specialty stores.

This stuff scares the crap out of me. I bet it's just teeming with preservatives and other junk I don't want to be consuming. It's aimed at microwave cooks and is just a step up from hamburger helper. No thanks.

To the argument of "snobbishness": I guess my point is that I don't think any of us--even harried or inexperienced cooks, who are the ones who probably need the most help making some healthy cooking choices--need to think dumping cream cheese in our dinner is a good idea or a normal part of the cooking process.

We've been using an alternative of this for years!! It's called sour cream or hummus in pasta! It works well as a sauce for chicken any type of veggie and more. It makes tomato sauce creamier and a healthy alternative to alfredo.

People with little time to cook can still use real food and this product does not seem like real food. It seems to be a manufactured cheese-type product with sugar in it.

How odd...I've never heard of this stuff or seen it at the store. Is it an East Coast / Midwest phenomenon?

I'm not their target demographic for this. I don't even buy their regular cream cheese, let alone this crap.

That stuff goes to my list of "invented food I walk by" like string cheese. :) I still have no idea why I should spend my money on those products when the real cheese or cream still exist and cost the same...

I just wanted to chime in one more time with a comment I should probably add to the post. For the record, I am not opposed to quick easy meals and even meal helpers. We have scads of recipes and reviews of quick weeknight meals - even a whole contest one year devoted to them!

But this product really got me for some reason. Maybe it was the nakedly mercenary and weird name. Maybe it was the way the advertising campaign was condescending and demeaning to cooks and consumers, telling us we can't cook without this stuff. Why not put all that advertising muscle behind creme fraiche or ricotta and give people fresh recipes and reasons to buy good dairy? Why create a whole new Frankenstein product made mostly of fillers? Those are just some of the questions I have, and they are directed at Kraft, not at busy cooks.

Agreed, we're not the target demographic. This is "food" for people who don't know how to cook - I don't buy the argument that it's for people who don't have time to cook, as it takes the same amount of time to plop this on as plopping sour cream. And this is a one-trick pony, whereas whole normal ingredients are versatile. So like I said, it's for people who don't know how to infuse flavor and need a hand with it. Also, YUCK, I can picture the taste, no thanks.

Yes. It's called new product development and revenue. It's not food.

I hate the taste of sour cream. I guess that new product's aimed at me then. Haven't seen it at the grocers yet but I'll keep my eyes open.

wow, i made my own 'cream cheese' yesterday by straining the whey out of yogurt. it was a bit thicker than greek yogurt but tangy and way more spreadable than cream cheese.

i dunno, i'm scared of all the chemicals in that food versus the price of quality whole fat simple foods.

I guess my problem (and the reason I've not yet tried it) is that I don't know what the hell you use it for? Am I supposed to go online and try to find recipes to use this new product? At first I thought it was cream cheese in liquid form but that doesn't seem to be the case. I guess I don't understand what it is.

what is it? scary.

I love using regular cream cheese in cooking, but Philadelphia cream cheese always tastes grainy to me. I prefer the off brand stuff.

Also, wtf cooking "creme?!" Maybe they have to call it that because it's not actually "cream" or "cream" cheese.

I think they could have sold a lot more of their regular (and not doctored up) cream cheese if they just advertised good cooking ideas. Like throwing in some spices or having people make their own "cooking creme" (spices, dehydrated onion or pepper - not hard, people) instead of doctoring up something good to make it bland and a "convenience" food.

Also - if boneless skinless chicken breasts are getting bland to you, don't make them every other night of the week!

So very glad to see the general tone of the comments on this post. There is hope for the human race. And how tone deaf can Kraft Foods possible be to market yet another preservative-laden container o' sludge? I guess we all know the answer to that...

I see everyone has a problem with stuff but I have used it as a kind of Alfredo substitute since I am allergic to eggs. Throw it over hot noodles with a bit of water and it comes out just fine. As they say: "don't knock it till you've tried it".

Random products like this are wonderful when they first come out because of the insane amount of coupons that come out with them. I bought 4 of these, and didn't pay anything after coupons. With the free frozen veggies and .09 a box pasta I got last week, these will make a nice quick lunch for my family when I don't feel like cooking. (like Saturday after I ground 4lbs of pork and made blueberry maple sausage out of it..)
If I had to pay for them they wouldn't have ever found their way into my cart.

They were handing free trail samples of this stuff out at Union Station in Chicago the other day.

I think people thought it was free ice cream because once they read the label most of them were either disappointed of unsure about what it was all about.

I bypassed the entire scam because I was certain this crap was packed with sugar and other unnecessary ingredients. What a crock - literally!

There's absolutely no reason for this to exist. Use regular sour cream, cream cheese, creme fraiche, or greek yogurt for the exact same purpose and results.

From Wikipedia: "Regulations in many jurisdictions restrict the use of the word cream for foods. Words such as creme, kreme, creame, or whipped topping are often used for products which cannot legally be called cream."

Nothing against it, but I honestly just can't fathom what I'd use it in.

Just what Americans need! Another way to pointlessly add fat and calories to their diets.

Well, it's not something I would spend money on, but there are FAR worse products out there. No matter how much money they throw into advertising, people won't buy it again if they don't like it.

Sheesh, you guys really are harsh. Not everyone who uses these products can't cook or is lazy; some of us simply have less time, less money, and/or fewer resources. Good grief!

Fat, calories, and preservatives aside, I have tried the southwestern flavor, and it didn't taste that bad.

I have a feeling nobody here would mind a cooking cream product like this if it was organic, came packed in a more subtle tub with a more tasteful label from some small artisan producer with a liberal arts degree, and cost $5.99 per unit. Regular cream cheese is laden with gums, too, people. Please to lighten up. The fact that people are genuinely offended is ridiculous. For some people food just isn't a big part of their lives and having to buy a container of your fancy ricotta plus a bunch of different herb and spice jars to achieve a similar result is just too much hassle for them, and they're willing to sacrifice taste for convenience.

This thread makes me pretty sad for thekitchn readers.

I hadn't heard of this product before this post, but I can tell everyone that COOKING CREAM IS COMMON EVERYWHERE BUT NORTH AMERICA.

I've lived in Europe, Australia, and South America and cooking cream has been in every grocery store in all of those countries.

In Italy I learned a great recipe for pistacio and pancetta pasta that uses cooking cream. I haven't been able to find an acceptable substitute until now, so I'm stoked that this stuff exists.

Thanks for the heads-up, thekitchn!

This quote:
"Honey, I can cook. I don't need that."

That pretty much sums it up. Even remedial knowledge of food and cooking makes this product obsolete. In my view of things there are 2 kinds of people in this world: people who look forward to using this kind of thing and people who run screaming from it.

Does anyone pay attention to those Campbell’s condensed soup ads and the infamous skillet chicken recipes? It’s the same exact concept except more scary for me because “creme” isn’t an actual food.

This reason they are pushing this product is the same reason they spend so much advertising for things like cool whip and non-dairy creamer. This stuff is super cheap to make vs. the real thing, and people ‘buy’ the hype. There is MUCH more opportunity for a business to profit from processed ‘food’ than natural products, which is why we have enormous companies like Kraft and Campbell’s just raking it in every year.

@decogirl
well, i guess that's where the 'there's 2 kinds of people in this world' comes into play.
if you are the type of person that thinks paying $4 for 10oz of flavored imitation sour cream is less "fancy" than paying $2 for a 10oz container of plain ricotta cheese than you are I will never be friends.

and that's totally cool, but please understand that a tub of ricotta cheese is cheap, widely available, and very versatile for making lots of non-fancy food. this isn't about food snobbery, it's about companies pushing fake a$$ food in order to make money off their 'busy mom' demographic.

You need to brush up on food packaging rules: you can't use the word cream as it doesn't have cream in it. It's "misleading" to the consumer, lol. I would say its misleading to call this food but I guess it is edible.

Plus people who read (or write for) this blog isn't really going to buy this stuff. But while this site has a large readership, there is an even larger community of people who don't care about food. My boyfriend thought Fanta was fizzy "juice," lasagna should never have vegetables because vegetables taste bad and never cooked before he dated me. I've worked through the lasagna and cooking issues but the Fanta is still there. I can definitely see my boyfriend not understanding herbs or spices and buying this stuff if I let him.

I cook with cream cheese once in a while because I don't usually have heavy cream in the house. I almost bought one of these because of all the coupons for it out right now but my store only had one flavor that I didn't care for. I don't think these things are great but if it gets someone cooking that's got to be better than taking their kids to mcdonalds yet again.

This product reminds of Sandra Lee's cooking shows. "Real" cooks loathe her but it's still probably better than fast food. And ideally, it can be a stepping stone for people who are intimidated by more complicated dishes.

There's just something so gross about the name. I can't believe they spent all the money on marketing and advertising, and "cooking creme" was the best they could come up with. It's like "cheese food"--so obviously a clumsy attempt to disguise the completely processed nature of the product--except the companies selling "cheese food" are smart enough to minimize the phrase on their packaging, whereas with "cooking creme" they've made it the name of the product. blech.

the "creme" thing is specifically because it's illegal to call something "cream" unless it meets certain requirements. if they could get away with "cream" i'm sure they'd do it.

Chicken fatigue? If you are tired of chicken, make something else. It takes minutes to throw in the ingredients for a veggie based curry into the crock pot. A veggie base spaghetti sauce is another nice slow cooker meal. BBQ pork tenderloin takes less than 5 minutes to put together. A nice pot of bean soup with no meat at all is a fast slow cooker meal. And, all of these are way healthier than that frankenstuff.

I wonder if it's like panna cotta. If so, you could mix it with tomato puree and serve it with pasta.

"The advertising campaign is insulting and demeaning"

Oh good grief, take it down a notch.

Ummm, yuck...

If this is what you have to resort to in order to pretend that you can cook, you might be better off ordering a pizza.

well, let's not confuse "advertising" which is the actual commercials and print ads with "marketing" or "product development" where they actually come up with the idea for the product, name and produce it. it's not the ad agencies fault that philly came up with a dumb product. of course, i'm saying this as an oversensitive ad writer. :o)

that said, this reminds me of the mccormick's spice thing they recently came out with where it measures out the different spices for you for a meal, called "recipe inspirations." you can buy, say, "rosemary roasted chicken with potatoes" or "spanish chicken skillet." it's maybe not necessary for those of us who surf recipe blogs all the time, but it's actually pretty smart for mccormick's. spices are something that you buy once a year, at most. their new product actually probably increased their sales dramatically.

I saw this at the store and couldn't figure out what to do with it. I still can't. If a recipe calls for cream cheese, I use cream cheese. And I can't think of a single time that I've thought "gee, I wish this cream cheese was spoon-able." I get the conveniencce factor, but you can put a quick meal together without having to resort to highly processed mystery foods. In my house, quick dinner amounts to pasta with jarred marinara sauce. I'm just baffled by this product! It just seems like one of those products designed by some think tank because "Americans like fatty foods, and they're lazy, so they'll gobble this stuff right up." Maybe we should all be offended that food companies have such a low opinion of the average American consumer! I don't know... just seems like a weird product that doesn't really fill a need on the supermarket shelves.

LOL @anna_lauren! Way to stick it to the food snobs here!

I'm actually someone who wouldn't buy this stuff and almost always cooks from scratch but the degree to which people get offended here--including Jess13's promise that she would not be friends with me (I'm crushed)--is making me side with Kraft on this one.

I just bought a tub of eggplant dip from the neighborhood co-op made with at least half a dozen ingredients. For consistency you all should scream at ME for being too lazy to make my own dip from scratch from ingredients I grew in my backyard, and yell at the company for assuming I'd be too lazy to roast the vegetables, haul out my food processor, buy the four containers of pricey spices that went into the dip, etc...

The interesting thing to me is the economics of the product. It is not cheap. You could buy cream cheese, heavy cream, or creme fraiche for the price. The product is designed to appeal to the average consumer and have them spend MORE money on a processed item.

I don't understand the reference to specialty stores/fancy items by people. If I want to make a cream sauce I saute some veggies, pour over some heavy cream and stir until it thickens. It's not complicated or prolonged. Ever grocery store that sells this product should also sell basic dairy products as well, right?

Isn't there also whipped cream cheese available if you need something more spoonable?

@anna_lauren, what you get in Europe and other places abroad is probably more like crème fraîche, and is used because it doesn't separate and curdle like sour cream usually does. It is NOT cheese culture, sugar, and binders. Good try though.

The only reason a product like this has a place in American markets is because most people's tastebuds are so dumbed down that they no longer know what real food tastes like.

This isn't about being busy or working or working full time with two kids.

This is about not knowning what real food tastes like. Seriously, who wants to feed their kids "creme." Thank god my grocery stores don't carry junk like this.

At first I thought this was an Americanized version of Mexican crema, no, much much worse.

I find it odd that there are arguements like busy Mom's need this... and only food snobs who have endless hours pouring over the stove skip these products. I work two jobs, have three kids, live on a budget, am currently renovating a whole house (kitchen included which is a major pain)... and cook without faux foods. Next they will market this with a full serving of veggies in it! Crap!

What is it? Another marketing ploy. If you absolutely love the taste of a convenience product, great, but you really do Not need it in your kitchen. Honestly if you have the basics in your kitchen pantry you can mix up most anything (even on a Very tight schedule). I have a well stocked pantry, mix my own sauces in any number of international cuisines, you won't find this kind of product in my kitchen. I don't want the preservatives, fillers, extra salt and sugar, no thanks. Also having attended the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco for many years running I can't imagine this product being on the shelves more than 2 years -- it just isn't getting good word of mouth.

I heard about it back when they were testing the possibility of selling it (Kraft member thing - what can I say, they have good promos sometimes). I immediately thought of Mexican crema, and just assumed they're trying to sell the idea to a new market. Has anyone tried both? Are they at all alike?

We've had it in Australia for a little while now.

I've never bought it though because I just can't understand how it is different to using regular cream, sour cream or cream cheese. Those three cover me for all my cream cooking including quick throw together meals that don't take much time or effort to cook or make a huge mess to clean up.

This product is marketed towards people who *think* that cooking with real cream is hard, time consuming, messy or really unhealthy. Kraft could have spent their $$ on a campaign showing how to make quick, easy and tasty meals with their existing cream product lines but then what is to stop consumers buying the competitor's brands to use in the recipes?

I prefer clotted cream and Kraft is a Monsanto puppet and uses hormoned cow milk. bleh

After reading through most of the comments ranting about how Americans have devolved etc. etc. I feel compelled to respond. I work as a grocery store cashier. I see what people pack their fridges and freezers and pantries iwth every day.

Honestly, this is an IMPROVEMENT on what many buy. I will scan many entire orders without a signel thing that requires more than 'dump into pan' or 'nuke'. For those who did not grow up cooking or loathe cooking (yes, I've informally surveyed - those people DO exist), this product would actually be the closest thing to cooking they've used in a very long time. Think of it this way - what's the household chore you loathe - now, would you intentionally find ways to make more complicated if you didn't care about the difference in results? Probably not. They don't either. Frankly I applaud Philidelphia for finding a way to get non-cooking people or limited-kitchen people to make an attempt at actually combining ingredients ie. cooking.

Got a free pot of this stuff at the grocery store. Tried it at lunch today. Not totally disgusting, but not good either. I will not be spending my hard-earned cash on this product. Quite frankly, decent butter would have been far more pleasant.

I doubt I would buy it honestly but I am intrigued. My SIL would be more the type because she hates cooking and isn't particularly talented at it. :) She has other qualities, for family get togethers her husband does the cooking - which is a good example for my hubs!

Anyway what was wrong with cream cheese as a "cooking cream" aside from the fact that I think a bagel slathered in three times the healthy amount of cream cheese is heaven I freely admit in college to have made some great "alfredo" sauce by stirring in a block of cream cheese and some dried herbs. I don't remember the herbs exactly because I have since learned to make real alfredo sauce and I've got no idea what I was so worried about...

I guess it's not a bad product but I bet the spices and herbs are pretty bland. I think it would be a better marketing campaign to show quick recipes with spices so you could realize you can adjust the flavor of your cooking cream.

My goodness - what a lot of nasty remarks! I may have "dumb" taste buds and be extraordinarily "lazy" but I actually do read food labels. This product is neither exceptionally fatty nor loaded with sugar. And I for one prefer eating food with preservatives over acquiring food poisoning or a rampant case of mold in my refrigerator! Lighten up people! Don't buy it if you don't want to but don't insult the other readers who find it easy to use and welcome the variety it can add to their meals - myself included.

Wow. That people even are debating the virtue of a product like this makes me sad.

Rule to eat by:
1. If it comes with a marketing campaign, it's junk food.

I'm sorry to join the chorus of naysayers... but.. NAY... My husband will shudder when he looks at this product.
And I cannot even begin to think of how many preservatives (as many mentioned) is in this gelatinous funk.
You want easy? Grab a hunk of chicken, chop up some vegetables, throw all in together with olive oil, lemon and garlic and you got yourself a meal.
I'm sick of being a big fat consumer to these fat-walleted execs who think we'll eat any crap they put in front of us. Thanks for caring about my health, Philadelphia.

"If it comes with a marketing campaign, it's junk food"

Interesting rule, as I can think off-hand of marketing campaigns for milk, raisins, eggs, almonds, avocados, beef, and pork. There was also a vegetable that was marketed with Shrek tie-ins, but I can't recall what it was.

Isn't it just pourable cream cheese, to skip having to let it soften if you're making cheesecake?

In an unholy union of food 'personalities' I saw Paula Deen promoting it on Rachel Ray, I think she may be a spokesperson.

I am amazed by the posters calling the people who are railing against such a product mean or nasty. Did they not read the blog post that created this discussion?

I commend Kraft for creating a new package and marketing campaign for their trusted Philadelphia Cream Cheese. What better way to increase sales than to label it "cooking creme" with a more colorful box and bigger font than the original container. This product is for the people who want to be better cooks without putting in the time and/or effort on learning how to cook properly. Who wants to use "cream cheese" when you can use "cooking creme"?

I simply wonder why anyone would NEED to use it in the first place. Have such people tried everything else that is in their cookbooks? And if a person's other dishes could actually use something like this to freshen up a common meal, why are they still eating that meal in the first place?

Anna_Lauren, you unconsciously acknowledge the key difference between this weird sludge and the stuff you used in Italy, in your own post: This stuff is cooking "creme", the stuff you used was cooking CREAM. Like, an actual whole-dairy product. I'm not sure what the stuff you saw in Australia was, but it probably wasn't this, as this hit our shelves only a few months ago.

Martigny, not sure what you think panna cotta is, but it literally means cooked cream, and is a dish that requires heating cream, mixing it with gelatine, and letting it set. It's not something you can stir through pasta.

When I first saw this in the supermarket I thought it was the same thing as the spreadably Philadelphia, which I buy sometimes for sandwiches. But no, it's not. I saw some being spooned into sample cups with other stuff, and it definitely looked like it had a gloopy, gummy texture. Yuk.

*spreadable

Reminds me of Steve Jobs introducing the iPad. You've got your smart phone over here. You've got your laptop over here. There's something missing in the middle. Bam. Hordes of people STILL waiting for it.

Now, head on over to your local Safeway. Let's see. You got your sour cream over here. It's easy to spoon. On this side you got you cream cheese. It's really blocky. But what's in the middle? NOTHING. There's NOTHING there. Diddly. But then - BAM, Philadelphia presents "Cooking CREME". Damn. Why didn't I see that coming?

I bought this at the local grocery store that my SIL owns. I used it, I blogged about it, got quite a few hits on the post. I liked it. It made chicken tacos quick and easy. I don't freak over eating a few preservatives. I think it's a decent product that will get a few more folks in the kitchen to make dinner for their families. Not everyone has the time or the energy after work and everything else life throws at you to create gourmet meals. I am a little surprised at the snobby comments here about this product. By the way I am not a lazy cook, I do have taste buds and an open mind!!

I have absolutely nothing against anyone who wants to use this product -- who am I to judge them? I know why I probably won't by it (seems FAR too gimmicky, likely sodium laden, would rather just add fresh herbs to my current cream cheese), but that's only my choice. If this helps a busy mother at home feed her kids, or a single person at home who is looking for an easy twist than good for them! At least they're cooking, which is a step in the right direction.

To those who say that a product like this isn't so bad because it can help very busy people cook more and anything that does that is helpful and good... I cordially disagree.

I think this product is most harmful because it perpetuates the myth that cooking for one's family must always be very difficult and very time consuming. It perpetuates the myth that you *need* these helpers and shortcuts in the kitchen if you're a busy person, that you can't do it on your own. That's simply not true. Cooking a healthy meal from scratch does not have to be a lengthy process with gourmet ingredients. Nobody has to be Julia Child on a nightly basis, or ever. Using a helper now and then is certainly not the end of the world but relying on them is just another way to alienate ourselves from the food we eat.

Anecdote: I once had a roommate who had only ever baked a cake from a boxed mix. One day she watched me make a cake from scratch. When I completed the batter she asked me what was next. I told her we just had to pour it into the pan and bake it. She was genuinely shocked that it was so easy, that all of this time she didn't actually need the mix, that there wasn't some complicated step she was incapable of doing. This was the same person who once 'couldn't make tacos' because she forgot to buy the taco seasoning mix. An extreme example? Perhaps. But quite demonstrative of my point.

Reading the comment that Kraft Foods is an affiliate of Monsanto is enough for me.

Monsanto belongs to the Koch brothers. I won't buy anything that supports those guys.

Besides try using Bing or Goggle with this search "Kraft Foods and Monsanto." Be forewarned, it is going to bring up stuff that isn't very pretty to think about.

So, all culinary aspects aside, the Koch association did it for me. I will stick with primary ingredients from organic, local producers whenever I can.

nasty is what it is.

For those who believe this food product is benign, and that those reacting negatively are being inappropriate, may I direct you to the blog's mission:

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/mission

This is a blog that discusses all aspects of food and cooking. Occasionally entries are made that stir the pot like this. It generates hits because they know that the majority of the folks that visit this site would be appalled by this product. Some think it's great. However, if the Kithchn started posting entries demonstrating "semi-homemade" meals made of food products, they would lose their readership. The public can find that on backs of the product's packaging or on the corporate website.

I have to chime in with some other posters, @anna_lauren - I used to live in Spain and spent a lot of time in Italy, and the cooking cream they have there is simply cream, sometimes with one or two other extraneous ingredients as a thickener. The Italian flavor of this stuff, for example, contains the following:

Pasteurized Nonfat Milk And Milkfat, Water, Whey Protein Concentrate, Salt, Cheese Culture, Whey, Romano Cheese Made From Cow's Milk (Part-Skim Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Tapioca Starch, Lactic Acid, Sugar, Spice, Garlic*, Cultured Skim Milk, Onions*, Parmesan Cheese (Part-Skim Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Partially Ydrogenated Soybean Oil, Maltodextrin, Buttermilk*, Carob Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Enzymes, Sorbic Acid (As A Preservative), Natural Flavor, Sodium Citrate, Vitamin A Palmitate. *Dried Contains: Milk.

It's got a lot of extra saturated fat & sodium and is way more expensive than sour cream or ricotta.

I'm not a nutrition snob, I love a kitchen short cut, and I'm not afraid of some good old fashioned fat, but... this stuff makes me want to gag.

I wouldn't touch this stuff with a ten-foot whisk.

RosieGreenie, I know what panna cotta is, thank you very much. I spent three years living in Rome. And, yes, you mix panna cotta with tomato sauce and serve it over pasta. Next time, address your snotty remarks to someone else.

Maybe it's suppose to be like the French Boursin cheese?
http://www.boursin.fr/

And - because I happen to have a carton of UHT panna cotta in my kitchen cupboard: there is a photo of penne alla panna cotta on the carton. I guess someone should tell the Italians they're not doing it right.

Gimmick. I am happy that many consumers are exercising the basic of reading list of ingredients and dietry info on packaging. I would :)

For everyone who says they'll only use cream cheese - here are the ingredients in philadelphia cream cheese v= PASTEURIZED NONFAT MILK AND MILKFAT, CHEESE CULTURE, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SALT, STABILIZERS (XANTHAN AND/OR CAROB BEAN AND/OR GUAR GUMS). CONTAINS MILK.

Not much difference. Why is cream cheese and sour cream so superior? They're no more "natural" or "healthy" than this product.

Yes, by law they probably have to call it "creme" because it doesn't fit the FDA's definition of "cream." Not unlike "cocoa-flavor" and "chocolatey flavor" (and processed "cheese food.")

Eew. Just eew. And as for the "convenience product" angle, what is it that makes putting this glop on food better than just cooking the food plain?

@martigny
I have never heard of mixing panna cotta and tomato sauce, but it makes sense and sounds amazing! Thanks for mentioning!

So, is this to use for cooking or is it to be eaten like cream cheese--spread over crackers, etc?

Well, sadly for the company that the vagueness of the product basically doesn't encourage me to even try it. I've also not seen the ads on tv.

if this were called 'Belgian European cooking creme' and someone found it in some boutique you'd all be speaking a different story-- and there would a recipe! I also don't think its condescending marketing - the product is just separating itself from actual cream (and regulatory naming). It's like confusing 'creme fraiche' with actual 'fresh cream' (its direct English translation).

matt manfredini--

Um, no. I don't buy gross imported products filled with gross fillers and preservatives either.

It reminds me of something I've seen in Latin America called "crema"--something between whipping cream and sour cream in both flavor and texture, and there were certainly processed versions of it with fillers. This looks like the same idea adapted for the North American processed food market.

I don't use much processed food, but I don't think this is anything particularly insidious, at least apart from the general insidiousness of our factory food economy. It's an interesting case study, I guess, but otherwise I think this is all kind of a surprising kerfluffle. New crappy products (in which we may or may not occasionally indulge) are introduced with big budgets all the time, right?

Would I buy this stuff? No. But am I offended by it? No.

If you don't want it - don't buy it. If you don't like the advertising - don't pay attention to it. But there is no need to judge those who buy this and other similar products.

I suspect that the 'creme' vs 'cream' distinction is due to the fact that the brand probably cant legally call it cream if a good chunk of the ingredients are other stuff/preservatives.

Think Twinkies: it's not cream filing, it's creamed filling.

Grosses me out either way.

I've never seen this before, but it sounds gross. I mean cream cheese is already so devoid of calcium that it's not considered a dairy product by the FDA. And honestly, "chicken fatigue"??? Leave the skin on and it'll taste a lot better than adding some processed 'stuff' to it. Probably be a lot healthier too.

"Can't figure out what to do with it..."????

they must have seen this on a trip to spain and thought , geez how can we make it work in the u.s.

in spain all brands have 2 typs of cream, the one for wipping and the one for cooking. the only diff is that one has more fat in it. they don´t do any weird adding of non dairy products. but a lot of people use the less fatty one for cooking, making sauces and soups.

i like fat so i just use the ¨normal¨one.

I was drawn to the site by another post and saw the post referring to the "cooking creme". If I am correct, you asked what people thought about the "product", not about people who might use the "product". So I was hoping to see some worthwhile conversation surrounding the "product". What I see are people judging people with snobbery and harshness. " I would make my own, blah blah."
If you know so much offer worthwhile advice, help suggestions, etc. but don't judge. A lot of us read these blogs to learn more and to hear what others have to say about the art and craft of cooking.

Anyhoo, I saw this product, on sale btw, I was a little leery about using it...I didn't see anything that would make me want to buy it because there are other sauces I would rather venture to try first since I just don't get the point of it...It may really enhance a dish but I really don't get why so much effort was put into making a substitute for something that KRAFT does pretty well already. I'm just sayin'...

So, like how many of you have tried the product? It may be the greatest thing since sliced bread!

Oh wait, you probably don't buy sliced bread either.

We got a lemming mentality here.

If Faith had come out and said she loved it, I'd be willing to bet that the majority of the posts would be like-"Wow, awesome new product!"

So I just watched one of their commercials and it just sounds like it's not a base ingredient for a sauce. It is the sauce. I guess it could be like an alfredo sauce from a jar or something along those lines.

I'm not going to condemn the product, I just know it's not for me. It also doesn't sound like it's supposed to encourage people that don't cook any kind of meal to suddenly enter the kitchen. Those people didn't cook yesterday and they're not going to cook today. This is probably more for the semi-homemade cooks or those that want something different than a jar sauce.

Of course we can make our own and use real ingredients but Kraft isn't in the business of offering cooking classes and sourcing whole ingredients. It is what it is and we don't have to support the company if we don't want to.

I can't think of many staple dishes that I cook that I would add something like this too. I try to cook pretty simple, straightforward meals, but once in a while when I make a good ol' midwestern casserole and need something creamy, I'll just use a .98 cent can of Cream O' Somethin' Soup instead of a $2.99 product. Cream O' Soups are convenience products with questionable merits, but I don't use them that often and at least they are cheaper and don't require refrigeration.

I was going to comment to Anna_Lauren that this product certainly never existed in Australia before last year, but I see RosieGreenie beat me to it :)

Interestingly, in Australia it is called not "Cooking Creme" but "Cream for Cooking". A whole different level of condescension.

@Tupper Cooks! haha, no - I don't think this is a lemming crowd, honestly. If people don't like something I've written about, believe me, I hear about it. :)

I just came into my grad class, which goes from 12pm-8pm so everyone eats dinner. The girl next to me is raving about cooking creme! She got a flavored one and a recipe from their website. It is the talk of our class right now. She says that it's the consistency of sour cream. I still think it's a scam!

Oh she had made chicken and orzo with cooking creme

Martigny, I know it can sometimes be hard to determine tone online, but I genuinely was not being snotty. It really just seems to be you being terse and rude. I too have a lot of experience with Italian food, and have never come across panna cotta being mixed with tomato sauce and added to pasta... It did sound interesting though, but when I googled it (with quotation marks around it) the only single result was this page, because of you talking about it. And how does the stuff in a carton work? Is it semi-liquid? The panna cotta I have always eaten and made is firm from the gelatine, so would be hard to pour out of a carton. I am genuinely really intrigued, so please don't misread me again.

Jeez! I'm afraid to even admit I bought one of these!

It's just something to add to food quickly when you don't want to think. My curiosity got the better of me and I bought a tub of the savory garlic flavor the other day. There are barely any fat calories in one tablespoon so I figured, why not? It wasn't bad at all and added a little flavor to my boring noodles.

I don't know that it would be a staple in my fridge but I'll use what I have.

I have never seen so many off base comments.
ITALY has had "panna da cucinare" = "cooking cream" for ever, and it is a terrific way to do cooking calling for heavy cream since it is already thicker. The only question someone should be asking here is how is this corporate product related to the real thing in Italy? Is it a deception for those of us who really want such an Italian product in the USA? Or not?

Guess what: I make cookies from a storebought roll of dough... Muahaha!

I just wanted to see if heads would actually explode if I posted that here... ;-)

http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2009/09/clotted-cream-recipe-making-clotted.html

:)

I am amazed at what an elitist and condescending group of people frequent this site. Folks, you aren't Julia Child. Some of us are reasonable enough to consider that this product might have a useful place in the kitchen, despite it not being "fresh", "green", "whole", "organic" or "raw." Believe it or not, my family does occasionally eat processed and, god forbid, preservative-laden meals, and we are all quite healthy. How is this possible? Moderation, exercise and common-sense.

I was sucked into buying this after I couldn't find creme fraiche at a grocery store I usually don't use. Sadly neglected to read the label. I wanted to make creamy caper-lemon sauce for pork tenderloin, which calls for creme fraiche. Added this "cooking Creme" to pan juices and guess which creme I should have used? My sauce was incredibly salty and inedible.

Hi friends, Creme fraiche isn't expensive at all. Just mix equal parts full-fat Daisy sour cream and whipping cream, let sit at room temp for 8-12 hrs. on your counter, refrigerate! Lalala. You just made your own VERY high dollar, PURE creme fraiche for pennies! Hugs

Trying it tonight!

Don't hate on the philly coking creme! Its really good! I make it with bite sized chicken, mixed veggies, and pasta and its amazing!

Sure, it's gimmicky and expensive, but it is also quick and easy and tastes really yummy. Put a slather of it on fish or chicken, top with some parmesan, then some Panko bread crumbs. Delicious and worth the price and convenience.

"That stuff goes to my list of 'invented food I walk by' like string cheese." Mozzarella naturally forms ropes and "string cheese" takes advantage of that characteristic to produce a distinctive product. The excess packaging is another topic. You must be thinking of "spray 'cheese'" or that scary orange squirt stuff. Now, that's nasty.

String cheese is just boiled/steamed mozzarella ... so... not really fake. FYI, those 'rolls of cookie dough' are referred to as 'chubs' within the food industry (just cracks me up). And though I don't plan to buy this cooking creme, because i already cook with cream cheese sometimes when i don't' have cream but want to make something creamy, I agree with some of the later posters who thought most of the reactions here were over the top. Sure it's easy to judge... it's harder to let people be. What people consume is very personal and it doesn't do a dammed thing to sit on a high horse and wag your fingers at people eating things you disapprove of. Come on - can't we all just get along? We can have a pot luck. i'll bring a dip... which may or may not have cooking creme in it... and I won't tell you.

Just now learning about this product. (Guess I missed the marketing blitz. Oh, darn. :p )

Wanted to thank you for the partial list of ingredients: the starches and sugar are deal-breakers for me--and I can't find the ingredients on the Kraft site!

Yep, I guess they can't legally call it "cream", though I fail to see how calling it "creme" is any more misleading. Maybe they figure they're safe by leaving the accent off of the 'e'. And yet, creme still means cream...

On another note, I'm happy to see that the grocery store by my apartment in Toronto started carrying Crème fraîche not too long ago and now has a selection of brands for it.