I keep seeing in many recipes the cause for heavy cream; but what is heavy cream? I don't understand.
I keep seeing in many recipes the cause for heavy cream; but what is heavy cream? I don't understand.
Isn't heavy cream the same as double cream?
Isn't heavy cream the same as double cream?
Heavy cream is also known as: whipping cream and double cream
MrsS
Heavy cream has a higher milkfat content than light cream
and is used in whipped cream, as well as recipes that need a
thick form of dairy. However, it is hard to get really good
whipped cream in the US these days. It tends to be much
thinner than it should be. One is best off getting it from a
farm stand these days, if possible. If not, natural food stores
generally have thicker cream than supermarkets. I think the
decrease in quality of generally available heavy cream is due
to the fact that many people think lowfat diets and saving
money more important than quality in food.
Ellen
True double cream has 40% milkfat, but sadly is not available for commercial sale in the USA.
Types of CreamTypeButterfat ContentUses
Half and Half Cream
12% fat (range 10.5-18%)
In the United States, half and half is a mix of 1/2 whole milk and ½ cream, typically used as a cream in coffee. Half-and-half does not whip, but it can be used in place of whipping (heavy) cream in many recipes for less fat cooking.
Single Cream
20%
Cream with a low fat-content, which does not thicken when beaten. Used in both sweet and savory dishes. Also know as light cream.
Light Cream
20% fat (range 18-30%)
Pretty much the same as half and half. Also know as coffee cream or table cream. Will whip if it contains 30% butterfat but will not be very stable. Generally contains only 20% butterfat. Also know as single cream. Light cream is not available everywhere.
Whipping Cream
30%
Cream with enough butterfat in it to allow it to thicken when whipped. Does not whip as well as heavy cream but works well for toppings and fillings.
Almost all whipping cream is now ultra-pasteurized, a process of heating that considerably extends its shelf life by killing bacteria and enzymes.
Heavy Cream
or
Heavy Whipping Cream
36 to 38%
This cream whips denser than whipping cream. Whips up well and holds its shape. Doubles in volume when whipped.
Double Cream
48%
Double cream is the British term for heavy or whipping cream in the United States, but it is a little thicker than our whipping cream. It contains about 48% butterfat.
Double cream is so rich, in fact, that it is easy to over whip it and get it too thick.
Clotted Cream
55 to 60%
Also know as Devonshire or Devon Cream. It is a thick, rich, yellowish cream with a scalded or cooked flavor that is made by heating unpasteurized milk until a thick layer of cream sit on top. The milk is cooled and the layer of cream is skimmed off.
Traditionally served with tea and scones in England.
How to make a Mock or Faux Devonshire Cream
Creme fraiche
It is a matured, thickened cream that has a slightly tangy, nutty flavor and velvety rich texture. The thickness can range from that of commercial sour cream to almost as solid as room temperature margarine. In France, the cream is unpasteurized and therefore contains the bacteria necessary to thicken it naturally. In America, where all commercial cream is pasteurized, the fermenting agents necessary can be obtained by adding buttermilk or sour cream.
It is used as a dessert topping and in cooked sauces and soups, where it has the advantage of not curdling when boiled.
How to make a Mock or Faux Creme Fraiche.
Pasteurized and Ultra-pasteurized: Creams will generally be labeled pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized.
Pasteurized cream will provide a better flavor, will whip up fluffier, and will hold up longer.
As ultra-pasteurized whipping cream has been heated to above 280 degrees F. to extend its shelf life, it is more temperamental when it comes to whipping. Ultra-Pasteurized Heavy Cream "will not work" if peaks or frothing are required in your recipe.
I live in Mexico. The cream sold here is so thick you can stand a spoon up in it. It won't even begin to pour out. When I lived back home, I had noticed that "whipping cream" was supposedly 80% butterfat. The other part is liquid of some kind, maybe milk from which the cream was removed.
What I do know is that OUR whipping cream has a somewhat better taste - but it SEPARATES! Here, the cream doesn't whip up as fluffy, and doesn't have that slightly metallic nuance of taste that makes our whipping cream so luscious, but it does NOT separate!
I can have the best of both worlds, though, because a large supermarket here caters to foreign residents, so I can buy Borden's whipping cream.
I have known about creme fraiche, but have never learned what it is when the English refer to Devonshire clotted cream. What in blazes IS it?
Indulge me, if you will. I'd like to ask a cream-based question.
Has anyone ever tried to whip sour cream? With what result?
A soupy mess with splatters all over the place. Doesn't work like heavy cream at all, no how, no way....
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