Cream: [Extra] Heavy/Whipping, and Others

[Mayhaw Man]

Smith's Creamery makes some amazing products. David Rosengarten just listed them as the makers of " The World's Best Butter"

[TurtleMeng]

This kills more bugs, so it has a longer shelf life, though it is a little less full-flavored, and some people notice more of a cooked or off flavor in ultra-pasteurized.

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I'm one of those people. Ultra pasteurized cream is a scourge. If I happened across the numbnut that sold cream distributors on this idea, I'd throttle him/her.

The most frustrating aspect of UHT cream is that, because of the high fat content, the non UHT stuff almost NEVER goes bad. I've used non UHT cream that was 4 months old and it was flawless. A little lumpy perhaps, but nothing a good shake didn't resolve. UHT is purely aesthetic - it doesn't lump. People freak out when they see lumps.

There is no culinary trend that makes me sadder than the shift towards ultra pasteurization. Spilled milk may not be worth crying over, but this stuff definitely is.

Stick with the Trader Joes heavy cream. And don't sweat the date. Just smell it - you'll know when it's off. It will get lumpy - that's perfectly normal. Celebrate the lumps. It means that you haven't been cursed with a substandard product.

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Thanks, I suspected such...

I still wish they had a bigger bottle though. How much is in that little bottle? 1 cup? Ever since they raised the butter prices also (that was more than 1 yr ago I guess) I said bye to cheap Plugra and others, I've been watching my wallet, oh, and that they stopped carrying the vanilla beans (well, I turned "pro" and mail ordered, need a lot for creme brulee anyways)...I still love TJ, cannot resist just walking in there.

BTW, everyone is talking about whole foods. We have plenty here which one are we referring to? Their "raw cream"? that stuff is like $9 for a glass bottle. Have not tried it just for the price reason. I don't think it's worth spending too much $$ on something I whip and use as filling. But for other purposes maybe.

My quest for heavy cream has other reasons. One day I brought 3 little (4 oz) creme brulees to my nursess (I even torched right in the clinic). They gulped it down in minutes (one claimed she didn't like the "crusty stuff" and scraped it off, I fainted). Then K, my most trust-worthy head nurse, complained it was too small. I said a 4 oz ramekin is the standard size. Her words, which should be quoted and framed--

DO I LOOK LIKE A STANDARD PERSON?

I promised her I would make the biggest creme brulee, when I get to it.

[scott123]

TurtleMeng, I'm not sure if all TJs carry the same cream. Mine is Garelick and comes in a pint (2 cup) container for $2.99.

I haven't come across the 'raw cream' of which you speak. My whole foods carries Welsh Farms - very comparable with the Garelick, but more pricey. A specialty supermarket in town (Kings) carries the Welsh Farms as well.

All in all, I'm grateful for my options. With the number of cream distributors that have gone UHT, though, I don't sleep very well at night.

Good luck with your oversized creme brulee. Are you calling Guinness? ;)

[andiesenji]

TurtleMeng

Last week Vallarta Supermercado had the La Mexicana brand of "table cream" for 4.87 for a quart, the Cacique was 6.29. So if you watch the ads, or check in the market weekly, you can get a bargain.

I shop at Vallarta at least once a week because their produce is excellent and the prices are fantastic. Lemons and limes are extremely cheap, compared to regular markets and they have "sweet limes" = Meyer lemons for way less than the regular markets, if you can find them. The Mexican limes = Key limes are also very cheap.

I whip the table cream and find that it holds very well when making whipped cream frosting, probably because of the stabilizers which are fine with me. The shelf life is very long as it is in any heavy cream - the higher the fat content, the longer it will keep.

I like the texture I get when using it in desserts. I never get the "grainy" texture that sometimes happens with the ultra pasturized stuff.

I use it exclusively in my homemade ice cream which I would put up against any of the "premium" ice creams on the market.

As an aside: I am an x-ray tech/off.mgr. and have been with my boss, an orthopedic surgeon, for 37 years this month. We are semi-retired but still doing some work as he likes to keep busy (at 77). He tolerates me taking extra long lunch breaks while running around looking for a particular ingredient or piece of kitchen equipment, not to mention the time I spend on the internet.

P.S. I have never, ever, used margarine in baking. I started out as a professional baker in the 50s, in Wisconsin, and we used only butter, occasionally lard, for pie pastry. too many chemicals in margarine.

I never bought into the butter = high cholesterol idea. I eat a diet high in cholesterol-containing foods and mine has never been over 150.

Edited January 20, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

[TurtleMeng]

TurtleMeng

Last week Vallarta Supermercado had the La Mexicana brand of "table cream" for 4.87 for a quart, the Cacique was 6.29.  So if you watch the ads, or check in the market weekly, you can get a bargain.

I shop at Vallarta at least once a week because their produce is excellent and the prices are fantastic.  Lemons and limes are extremely cheap, compared to regular markets and they have "sweet limes" =  Meyer lemons for way less than the regular markets, if  you can find them.  The Mexican limes = Key limes are also very cheap.

I whip the table cream and find that it  holds very well when making whipped cream frosting, probably because of the stabilizers which are fine with me.  The shelf life is very long as it is in any heavy cream - the higher the fat content, the longer it will keep. 

I like the texture I get when using it in desserts.  I never get the "grainy" texture that sometimes happens with the ultra pasturized stuff. 

I use it exclusively in my homemade ice cream which I would put up against any of the "premium" ice creams on the market.

As an aside:  I am an x-ray tech/off.mgr. and have  been with my boss, an orthopedic surgeon, for 37 years this month.  We are semi-retired but still doing some work as he likes to keep busy (at 77).  He tolerates me taking extra long lunch breaks while running around looking for a particular ingredient or piece of kitchen equipment, not to mention the time I spend on the internet.

P.S. I have never, ever, used margarine in baking.  I started out as a professional baker in the 50s, in Wisconsin, and we used only butter, occasionally lard, for pie pastry.  too many chemicals in margarine.

I never bought into the butter = high cholesterol idea.  I eat a diet high in cholesterol-containing foods and mine has never been over 150.

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Hi andiesenji

Since we are both in southern Cal, perhaps I should be able to find a Vallarta...where is yours? We do have a big mexican market by a different name, can't remember it now.

I agree with you. The only reason I buy margarine is to line my cake pans as I am trying to save a little $$. (I guess I will get Baker's Joy someday but I like buttering and flouring, as I can use cocoa for darker cakes) I don't like shortening either and would rather use lard (but don't know where to find the good kidney fat, have not been able to do that). As a physician, I totally endorse the natural stuff. I was taking the cake decorating course and taught to make the frosting with Crisco, I kept asking the instructor how much butter I can substitute I think she got annoyed. The only drawback is the loss of white color. But who wants to eat that greasy-in-your-mouth stuff?

Just got a bottle of the TJ stuff--it's actually a pint, $2.19, cheapter than the whipping cream which is also there for $2.99. But that's still expensive for me. But costco has the longest line so I thought I would indulge once. Besides Petco is right next door and I needed turtle supplies...

[FoodMan]

So, I am tired of looking for the stuff! Every so often I run into a recipe that specifies to use pasteurized heavy cream (NOT ULTRA-PASTEURIZED). I know this supposedly whips better then the ultra stuff that has been heated to a much higher degree. It also is supposed to taste better, right? My questions are, is it worth searching for? And where the heck do you buy it? I looked everywhere from local stores to supermarkets to high end fancy gourmet stores where I buy stuff like goose fat, and amazing Irish butter among other things. No one carries anything but ultra pasteurized. Sure that latest store might have 6 or 7 different brands of it but no none-ultra pasteurized.

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

They sell it at Trader Joes, or at least at some Trader Joes...

Edited February 13, 2006 by WhiteTruffleGirl (log)

[SweetSide]

They sell it at some Whole Foods as well. And, we use it at work, and in my opinion it does whip better and taste better. Ours is also a full 40% fat version, so that may be part of the difference as well.

Once you get the good stuff (of anything -- cream, chocolate, brown sugar), going back stinks!

[andiesenji]

I get Manufacturers Cream in half gallons, which is the same thing, at Smart & Final. Call around and see if you can find a restaurant/mom & pop/caterer's supply place.

It works extremely well for whipping and it is essential for cream sauces because it does not break as easily as lower fat creams.

Because it is not ultra-pasteurized, it does have a shorter shelf life but I manage to use it up and sometimes even freeze it - I add a little sugar to it before freezing - about a tablespoon per quart. I don't recall who advised me to do this but it does work.

I also use Trader Joes Heavy Cream in the plastic bottles.

I tried the "Organic" heavy cream at Whole Foods and decided it was not worth the astronomical price!

[nightscotsman]

The 40% cream at Trader Joes is great stuff. That said, at Bellagio, we purposely used ultra-pasturized cream with a lower fat content for whipped cream because it whipped better and held longer. We use the same cream at Robuchon for everything. Go figure.

[scott123]

They sell it at Trader Joes, or at least at some Trader Joes...

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Brand?

I thought the heavy cream I was buying at Trader Joes, Garelick, was only pasteurized, but the labeling recently changed and it now says ultra-pasteurized. Since the taste is the same (doesn't taste any more cooked) and it reacts the same way when whipped, I'm guessing it was ultra-pasteurized all the time. I don't think there's any regulations forcing a company to label their cream "ultra-pasteurized." It can be ultra-pasteurized but still only say 'pasteurized' on the label. Needless to say, I'm a little bummed that what I thought was special cream ended up being garbage cream all along. I love Trader Joes, but this is definitely a black mark. I doubt that Garelick is national. If your Trader Joe's heavy cream only says 'pasteurized,' don't fall for it. Call the manufacturer and find out for certain. Dollars to doughnuts... it won't be.

The other cream I was using, Welsh Farms, recently switched to ultra-pasteurized.

I hate to say it, but I think pasteurized cream is not long for this world. It'll be a sad sad day when that occurs.

The only non ultra pasteurized cream I can get my hands on is the locally produced plastic bottled stuff at Whole Paycheck. I'm not paying that much money for cream. Not the way I use it.

[scott123]

Because it is not ultra-pasteurized, it does have a shorter shelf life but I manage to use it up and sometimes even freeze it - I add a little sugar to it before freezing - about a tablespoon per quart.

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Have you had the pasteurized stuff go bad on you? I've never had any of the pasteurized cream go bad on me and I go months past the expiration date. It gets lumpy from the fat separating from the water, but a brisk stir resolves that.

Even with the innovative approach of adding sugar to it for freezing, I'm sure there's a certain amount of impairment. You might want to hold on to your cream a little longer and see what happens. If it turns, I'd be very surprised.

[A Patric]

Hello,

I don't think I've seen anyone mention: visit a farm. There are plenty of small dairy farms within a reasonable driving distance of most areas of the US (and I assume many other countries) that would have--get ready for this--non-pasteurized cream, that they could sell you. I imagine that even on the outskirts of a city like New York there should be a few small dairy farms. A phone call or two to some of these should clarify what they offer and in what amounts.

Alan

[MelissaH]

Gosh, I guess I should consider myself lucky. Our local dairy store, Byrne Dairy, carries mostly normal pasteurized cream. They're barely a mile and a half from my house, and I don't even think about getting cream elsewhere.

MelissaH

[andiesenji]

Because it is not ultra-pasteurized, it does have a shorter shelf life but I manage to use it up and sometimes even freeze it - I add a little sugar to it before freezing - about a tablespoon per quart.

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Have you had the pasteurized stuff go bad on you? I've never had any of the pasteurized cream go bad on me and I go months past the expiration date. It gets lumpy from the fat separating from the water, but a brisk stir resolves that.

Even with the innovative approach of adding sugar to it for freezing, I'm sure there's a certain amount of impairment. You might want to hold on to your cream a little longer and see what happens. If it turns, I'd be very surprised.

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Oh yeah! It goes bad and can get very nasty. However I usually prepare it with a culture and make butter or cream cheese if it gets near the "turning" point. I have very sensitive taste and nose for these things. I often buy several half gallons at a time when I plan on making cheese because I mix it with an organic "raw" milk, which is the only type of raw milk available locally. I pasteurize the raw milk myself (I have an electric pasteurizer). The place where I buy it separates the cream from the milk right in the milking system and all the cream is sold on contract to a commercial place so goes straight into sealed containers for transport. The only way I can get whole milk from them is if they take the time to milk a cow by hand and since they increased their herd to over 200, they no longer have that time.

However, when I add the manufacturer's cream to the (home pasteurized) skim milk , it makes lovely cheeses, yogurt, butter and etc. I do buy commercial cultures for some of these.

I grew up on a farm and have been handling all types of milk and cream for well over 50 years. However, I still have a lot to learn. One can never know enough.

My main complaint with the ultra-pasteurized cream is that it does not "hold" as well as the other unless a stabilizer such as

Whip-It is added. I always have several packets of this around just in case.

Many times, when I have used the ultra-pasteurized, the stuff does whip up nicely, however if i attempt to hold it in the refrigerator for longer than an hour or so, I find a watery liquid in the bottom of the bowl and the volume has reduced significantly.

Edited February 15, 2006 by andiesenji (log)

[andiesenji]

Gosh, I guess I should consider myself lucky. Our local dairy store, Byrne Dairy, carries mostly normal pasteurized cream. They're barely a mile and a half from my house, and I don't even think about getting cream elsewhere.

MelissaH

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You are lucky, Melissa. At one time there were several dairy farms in the San Fernando Valley and when I moved up here in 1988 there were some here that would sell to walk-ins. However the 1990 change in California law regarding dairy products, and the extremely restrictive Los Angeles County Health Department regulations that were enacted the same year, made it more difficult and more expensive for small producers. Ridiculous regulations that really do nothing to protect the public and which forced many to cease operations, go bankrupt or move to another state. Two farms, where I used to purchase milk, eggs, freshly killed hens, ducks, game birds, are now tracts of homes. One family moved to Utah, the other to Montana.

I am so disgusted with our overbearing "big brother" bureaucracy, I am about ready to scream. Last year's ban of wild mushrooms was just one more bit of evidence that we are being protected beyond any rational point.

[k43]

Once you get the good stuff (of anything -- cream, chocolate, brown sugar), going back stinks!

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So, SweetSide --

Please give us your Good Stuff brands for chocolate and brown sugar.

[kitwilliams]

Both Trader Joe's heavy cream (in the one pint plastic bottles) and many "manufacturing" creams (such as Alta Dena here in California) have carragean or guar gum added to them. This, of course, helps stabilize your cream. Whenever I see "manufacturing" on the label, I get curious and always look at the ingredients.

Check your labels...I'm interested to hear what you all find.

[FoodMan]

Both Trader Joe's heavy cream (in the one pint plastic bottles) and many "manufacturing" creams (such as Alta Dena here in California) have carragean or guar gum added to them.  This, of course, helps stabilize your cream.  Whenever I see "manufacturing" on the label, I get curious and always look at the ingredients.

Check your labels...I'm interested to hear what you all find.

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hmm...mine, from a local Texas store chain, only has skim milk and cream. I guess they control the fat levels using the skim milk?

oh! and it has the serious warning: CONTAINS MILK. You know, in case some lactose intolerant customer does not know that cream that has skim milk contains milk.

[SweetSide]

Once you get the good stuff (of anything -- cream, chocolate, brown sugar), going back stinks!

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So, SweetSide --

Please give us your Good Stuff brands for chocolate and brown sugar.

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For "store brand" chocolate, I use Ghirardelli, but at store levels, volume ends up being pricey. I also like Valrhona Guanaja for 70% chocolate and Cacao Barry Mi Amere 58% semi-sweet and Guittard L'Harmonie 64% chocolate.

For brown sugar, I like Billingtons and India Tree. Not cheap at $5/lb.

For kids and the bake sales, where most people won't notice the difference, I go for the standard fare. For special occasions or where I'm serving people who know good food, I spend the extra $$.

[SweetSide]

Both Trader Joe's heavy cream (in the one pint plastic bottles) and many "manufacturing" creams (such as Alta Dena here in California) have carragean or guar gum added to them.  This, of course, helps stabilize your cream.  Whenever I see "manufacturing" on the label, I get curious and always look at the ingredients.

Check your labels...I'm interested to hear what you all find.

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hmm...mine, from a local Texas store chain, only has skim milk and cream. I guess they control the fat levels using the skim milk?

oh! and it has the serious warning: CONTAINS MILK. You know, in case some lactose intolerant customer does not know that cream that has skim milk contains milk.

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Mine, from Dairyland, contains cream and really is only pasteurized.

However, my nuts (pecans in this case) may contain tree nuts and are manufactured in a plant that processes tree nuts and peanuts among other things.

Love those new labels!

[andiesenji]

As long as it is just carrageenan and not something with an incomprehensible chemical name, I am okay with it.

From various sites "food glossary" including Hormel.

Carrageenan

A group of related carbohydrates produced naturally by boiling red seaweed. Three types of carrageenan are extracted from seaweed, which are Kappa, Iota and Lambda, each with distinct properties to assist with the processing and development of food products. Most often, carrageenans are utilized as: 1) emulsifiers, keeping liquids mixed together so they do not seperate such as salad dressings; 2) as stabilizers to assist with the keeping foods in a solid or non-crystalized state; and 3)as thickening agents for a variety of food items such as milk, ice cream, puddings, syrups, marshallow fluff, and other food items.

Trader Joe's also included a notice on the bottle that the cows that produce the cream are not fed hormones or artificial growth stiumlators. Bht and such.

[etalanian]

Another plus for non-ultra-pasteurized cream is that you can make homemade creme fraiche with it, and you cannot make it with ultra-pasteurized cream. I make my own creme fraiche and always have a crock of it in the fridge. It's great for making sauces - won't separate. And it's a nice ingredient for many desserts. It's also good as a dollop with many desserts.

I sometimes get my non-ultra from Trader Joe's when I need it right away and the local farmers' market isn't open. I get cream from Merrymeade Farms (a local, small dairy) at the farmers' market.

Eileen

[ruthcooks]

Many times, when I have used the ultra-pasteurized, the stuff does whip up nicely, however if i attempt to hold it in the refrigerator for longer than an hour or so, I find a watery liquid in the bottom of the bowl and the volume has reduced significantly.

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I had this problem for years, until I recently read here on eG that the ultra-pasteurized stuff needed to be beaten longer. I whipped the devil out of it and to my surprise the cream stayed whipped until it was gone, about 4 days later.

My thanks to the person who posted that tip!

[skyflyer3]

Once you get the good stuff (of anything -- cream, chocolate, brown sugar), going back stinks!

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So, SweetSide --

Please give us your Good Stuff brands for chocolate and brown sugar.

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For "store brand" chocolate, I use Ghirardelli, but at store levels, volume ends up being pricey. I also like Valrhona Guanaja for 70% chocolate and Cacao Barry Mi Amere 58% semi-sweet and Guittard L'Harmonie 64% chocolate.

For brown sugar, I like Billingtons and India Tree. Not cheap at $5/lb.

For kids and the bake sales, where most people won't notice the difference, I go for the standard fare. For special occasions or where I'm serving people who know good food, I spend the extra $$.

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Oh my goodness, Sweetside, you and I could be the same people. My go-to store brand is Guittard L'Harmonie (although I save it mostly for straight eating), and I use Billingtons and India Tree exclusively for my cookies while simultaneously complaining about the $$$.

Ok, I lied. My go-to brand is Trader Joe's Pound Plus Bitterweet. It is supposedly Belgian, and the only thing resembling quality chocolate at $3/lb. With the amount of baking I do, I need to buy good chocolate for cheap.

Is it possible to get better prices for better chocolate, without having to purchase 20 lbs at a time? Actually, I could probably do 20 lbs....Oh, and I've had bad experiences with Ghirardelli, so I don't go there.