a stronger cooked flavor, keeps for several
weeks. Normally cream is not homogenized
because this makes it harder to whip, but
long-keeping ultrapasteurized cream and
relatively thin half-and-half are usually
homogenized to prevent continuing slow
separation in the carton.
The Importance of Fat Content Cream is
manufactured with a number of different fat
levels and consistencies, each for particular
purposes. Light creams are poured into coffee
or onto fruit; heavy creams are whipped or
used to thicken sauces; clotted or “plastic”
creams are spread onto breads, pastries, or
fruit. The proportion of fat determines both a
cream’s consistency and its versatility. Heavy
cream can be diluted with milk to
approximate light cream, or whipped to make
a spreadable semisolid. Light cream and half-
and-half contain insufficient numbers of fat
globules to stabilize a whipped foam (p. 32),