When our recipes mention ingredients like mayonnaise, sour cream, cream o' crud soup, and cheese, you can assume that you are free to use low-fat and no-fat versions of said products. It all turns out the same, except the fat content. The flavor may be altered ever-so-slightly, but it is the same.
We assume all readers will alter the fat content at their discretion without a specific invitation to do so.
A Note on the Ever-Debated Cream O' Crud Soups
I like using cream-of-whatevers. The condensed texture and flavor add a lot to many a dish. Plus there is the convenience factor. Not all dishes need condensed soups, and there are many tasty alternatives (like here).
But just hear me out on this one: I have three reasons why I like using condensed soups in several of my recipes.
1. Mama Monkey makes a mean fat-free creamy chicken noodle soup (recipe forthcoming). She takes big mason jars of it to people in the neighborhood if they are sick. She sent me off to college with a huge tupperware in my car. It's our family's comfort food. And it wouldn't be fat-free if she didn't use Campbell's fat-free version of the stuff. There is no heavy cream alternative here, in this case. So anyway, I love it.
2. For the beginning cook, especially for young moms raising famillies, cream-of-whatever soups can be a huge lifesaver! I knew a mother of three who never learned to cook when she was young. She and her husband took the kids out to eat every single night, or got takeout. Obviously this was a health and financial burden on the family. Mama Monkey introduced her to crockpot cooking and the many creative uses and varieties of condensed soups. For the next week, she would put some kind of meat in the crockpot, with some kind of soup, and some kind of vegetable. Her family and finances were saved! To me, that is a great example of what a beginning cook can achieve; additionally, she can also accomplish variety and keep the meat moist.
3. It's awesome for food storage. You can't store heavy cream for five years in the basement.
