As we all know by now, milk comes from cows, that is a given. We know that milk iss an incredibly nutritious liquid that is both delicious and healthy for us and, as such, people consume a lot of milk on a daily basis.
But then there is cream. Cream comes from the cow as well, and it has a lot of similarities when compared to milk as well. This is mostly because cream itself is made out of milk, in a process that is done to the milk itself after it is acquired from the cow.
After the milk is removed from the cow and after it is properly stored, but before it is properly treated to go into the market, if left untouched for a long period of time (usually a day) the milk is going to divide itself into two layers, the upper layer that is made out of fat, and the lower layer that has a lower fat level.
The lower layer is the larger one, and this is the layer where the milk we consume on a regular basis comes form. This has low fat and it reflects on the milk sold on the markets, since that milk has around 4% of fat content. The upper layer is the smaller one, but it is the one that is used to make cream, hence the amount of fat content that is found in cream.
Heavy cream has a higher fat content when compared to cream, and even more when compared to the 4% fat content that milk has. Heavy cream has something between 36% to 40% of fat content in it, and this allows it to be properly whipped into whipped cream, since it will double in volume if it is whipped.
Due to its high fat content, it is not exactly the healthiest thing a person can consume and as such, it is usually used in pastry, since the fat content is going to allow the texture of sauces to flourish without the use of gelatin directly removed from the bones, opposite of what happens in the kitchen.
To be properly stored, both milk and heavy cream need to be kept at the coolest part of the refrigerator, and consume as quickly as possible after the container in which it came from is opened. These products perish quickly without being pasteurized, and even after being pasteurized they last for a small period of time when compared to other products.
In order to whip heavy cream easily, it is best for it to be cold, and if it isn’t cold enough, it probably won’t be able to incorporate any air in it and, as such, you won’t get whipped cream as a result – you will get butter.