The Versatility of Heavy Cream
Ohh heavy cream...my beloved. You are so delicious!
Heavy cream is an amazing ingredient that is versatile beyond measure. It is used to make so many of our favorite comfort foods like ice cream, whipped cream, creme fraiche, ricotta cheese, caramel and so much more. You can even make your own butter at home by churning heavy cream in your stand mixer! This would be something fun to do to pass the time and you can even add some fresh herbs to make a compound butter for your steaks and roasted veggies. Yummm!
Heavy cream is widely used to thicken as well as provide body to sauces and soups. Due to its high-fat content, it’s also very viscous compared to half and half, and milk.
Sometimes in stores you’ll see options of heavy cream and whipping cream. Their differences are slight in the fact that heavy cream has the highest fat percentage range of 36%-40%, while whipping cream has a lower fat percentage range of 30%-36%. The most important fact to consider when it comes to choosing between these two types of creams is this... the higher the fat percentage, the more stable it will be when it’s whipped (stiff peaks) and it will be more resistant to curdling when added to hot soups and sauces. To be honest, because of how high the fat content is for both heavy cream and whipping cream, they are often used interchangeably and will work just fine in most of your dishes. However, if you want to be safe, choose Heavy Cream.
A good example of the differences between these two creams is shown when you’re making sweetened whipped cream for your desserts. You want to think about what you are looking for when it comes to the taste and texture you desire when deciding on which cream is best. If you want whipped cream that has stiff peaks, stands firm, and lacks movement, then choose Heavy Cream. If you want whipped cream that has soft peaks, a silky texture, and has movement where you can place a dollop on top of a slice of pie, then you want to choose Whipping Cream.
Some of my favorite ways to use heavy cream are adding a splash to scrambled eggs and oatmeal, making homemade creme fraiche, whipping it slightly and adding it to coffee (which gives a great mouth feel!) and lastly, making a cream gravy for smothered chicken and pork chops. I sincerely miss living in the south when I think about smothered chicken and pork chops. Mmm mm mm lol!
I hope you enjoyed today’s culinary lesson! I’d love to hear how you’re currently using heavy cream in your everyday cooking or how you plan to use it if it’s new to you. Please leave a comment below and stay tuned for a corresponding recipe that features heavy cream. Have a great day!
-Shari :)
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