Whipping cream or heavy whipping cream?

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Greg Who Cooks

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I can never get it right which one to use, heavy whipping or just whipping cream. I sometimes compare the dietary information in the store but that really has no clues for me. By the time I'm in the store I've already made up my mind I'm going to eat one or the other and the dietary info isn't much different; one has a bit more fat content. Anybody who is worried about fat shouldn't be eating either one.

My main use for cream is as an additive to savory sauces, making a creamy sauce a la minute. Last night's dinner is a perfect example: I sprinkled pork chops with curry powder, browned them in oil, then simmered or braised them in sweet Marsala wine and some pineapple juice. When the chops were done I put them aside in a warm oven and then began thickening and reducing the sauce by alternately adding whipping cream and more Marsala, reduce it, repeat the cycle a few times until I get a nice sweet creamy Marsala sauce flavored by the pan juices. Then I pour the sauce over the chops and serve them.

So which cream should I be using? One of the above or another kind of cream entirely?
 
That sounds wonderful.
I think you can use either one of the 2 (they are just about the same thing).Also, you could try half and half.
 
In my experience they can be used interchangeably. The heavy cream just has a bit more fat, but not enough of a difference to cause issues in a recipe.

I use a lot of cream for whipping and use both.

My store likes to confuse people. We have light cream, whipping cream, and heavy whipping cream. I answer a lot of questions about whether the "heavy whipping cream" is the same as heavy cream, it is.

Don't sweat it, they should work exactly the same in a recipe. If it means anything, I instinctively reach for the heavy cream.

half and half will work in some sauces, but it is less likely to give the exact result as cream. I've used half and half in vodka sauce with decent results, but like heavy cream better.
 
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I'm not sure which one you should use. I have successfully made sauce with 10% cream, 15% cream, 35% cream, and 40% cream. If I'm poor, I try the lower butterfat, cheaper cream and if I'm not poor, I go with the 40% cream and see how it turns out with a particular type of sauce. Then I try to remember. ;)

What's the butter fat content of those two types of cream?
 
If I'm not mistaken

heavy cream 35-40% fat
whipping cream 30-36%
light cream 20-30%

It may vary by manufacturer, but most commercial cream tends to be pretty consistent in their fat content. I find for instance that heavy cream tends to be 5 grams of fat per tablespoon and whipping cream 4.5 grams, seems to be the same among most dairies that serve this area.

I find that our local cream and those sold as European style, tend to be at 40% or even slightly higher.
 
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Either heavy cream or heavy whipping cream will work in a reduction sauce. Around here, we aren't offered whipping creams so the choices are simpler.

The high fat content is what keeps the cream from breaking when subjected to heat.

I use heavy cream for reduction sauces.
 
We always use heavy whipping cream. The tasso pasta we had last night had a cream sauce base.
 
You got me on this one! We get fresh cream or long life cream here and whipped cream in a can lol!
Heavy cream, clotted cream, heavy whipping cream.......
I'm moving to America ;)
 
I've started using fat-free plain Greek yogurt for cream sauces and as a sour cream replacement. Tastes great, it's healthy, and I don't have to debate myself at the grocery store anymore :)
 
Thanks for the replies. It looks like most people are as confused as I am. Looking at the dietary information on the cartons I can see little difference other than the heavy has a small amount more of fat, but not a lot.

And worse, I'm sure I've gotten both at one time or another, and I can't tell the difference in cooking, or the difference is so subtle that I haven't noticed it. Most often I use it to add a creamy effect to sauces.
 
Thanks for the replies. It looks like most people are as confused as I am. Looking at the dietary information on the cartons I can see little difference other than the heavy has a small amount more of fat, but not a lot.

And worse, I'm sure I've gotten both at one time or another, and I can't tell the difference in cooking, or the difference is so subtle that I haven't noticed it. Most often I use it to add a creamy effect to sauces.

So it's pretty simple, then :) Buy the one that's on sale.
 
We use thickened cream
What is it thickened with? Around here it usually thickened with guar gum, carrageenan, or microcrystalline cellulose.

I don't think those hold up well to heat.

We once had a French chef come to Montreal to cook some fancy meal (I think it was for Queen Elizabeth). He was horrified when he tried using our cream. It didn't work right. The highest butter fat content we could get back then was 35%. He had some French cream air transported to Montreal to make the meal.
 
I dont know Taxy...we just get 2 types of cream...cooking cream which is thinner and cant be whipped and thickened cream which is a thicker cream, but I would say not as thick as double cream
 
I dont know Taxy...we just get 2 types of cream...cooking cream which is thinner and cant be whipped and thickened cream which is a thicker cream, but I would say not as thick as double cream
Don't they list the ingredients on the container?
 
Cream is classified by fat content and is regulated by the US Dept. Of Agriculture.

According to USDA regulations:

· half and half contains 10.5–18% fat
· light cream and sour cream contain 18–30% fat
· light whipping cream (often called simply "whipping cream") contains 30–36% fat
· heavy cream contains a minimum of 36% fat
That's good to know, if you live in the US, but some of those terms are used outside the US and may not conform.

Sour cream in the US has 18-30% butterfat!? Wow! Most of the stuff I see is 14%. There is one that is only 5% and not called light, because it doesn't have any additives. The one I usually buy, at the health food store, is 19% butterfat and it's sort of yellowish on account of all that fat.
 
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