Whether it’s a dollop of cream with apple pie or a white swirl in tomato soup, cream makes any food taste decadent and delicious. Just seeing the fluffy white goodness on your food can spark a feeling of joy and warmth inside you.
There are many different types of cream with the key difference lying in the amount of fat they contain. Heavy cream is the crowning jewel with a whopping 35-40% cream. It generally also stays fresh for the longest amount of time as opposed to light cream or half-and-half.
If stored probably it can last for up to a month in the fridge. If you’ve bought heavy cream in bulk and can’t figure how to use it all up, here are some ideas to get you started.
1. Whipped Cream
Whipped cream isn’t just great for desserts, it goes with anything. Whip up some heavy cream with some sugar and a bit of vanilla and spruce up any meal. Whether it’s a cup of cocoa before bed or a bowl of dried oats in the morning, that soft mountain of cream is sure to put a smile on your face. If you’re feeling down, just having a bowl of whipped cream with fresh berries to lift your mood.
Mix in some vanilla, caramel or hazelnut flavoring in the cream and make a flavored latte or iced coffee at home. You’ll be able to use up any leftover cream and you won’t have to wait in line at Starbucks. Talk about a win-win situation!
2. Eggs
Anyone can make scrambled eggs but if you want a breakfast fit for royalty, you need to add a splash of heavy cream. Not only will they make your eggs fluffier, but they’ll also make them rich and luxurious.
3. Homemade Butter
We’ve also accidentally split cream at home, and since most of us don’t know what to do with it, we might just throw it out. Whip butter long enough and it turns into butter. The buttermilk will be a liquid at the bottom of the bowl and then you can scoop out the solid butter. Even just shaking cream in a closed jar can separate it.
4. Make Ricotta Cheese
Boil heavy cream in a saucepan. Add some lemon juice and salt and wait for it to curdle, and voila! You have some delicious, fresh ricotta cheese to spread on your English muffins.
5. Instant Ice Cream
If you’re watching TV and suddenly crave some delicious coffee ice cream, you can use this instant hack to satisfy your needs. Fill a zip-lock bag with heavy cream, a little fine sugar, and whatever flavor you like: a spoonful of instant coffee powder, a handful of chocolate chips, a splash of vanilla.
Put this bag into another zip-lock bag filled with a mixture of crushed ice and salt. Shake the bag for ten minutes and you’ll have some delicious, creamy ice-cream!
6. Silky Sauces
Make any fine dining meal with this tip. If you’re grilling a steak for your midweek meat and three veg meal, pair it with a heavy cream sauce. Once you’ve cooked your meat, deglaze the pan with some cream and maybe a bit of meat or vegetable stock. The meat juices in the pan will combine with the cream to give you a smooth, rich sauce.
7. Mouth-watering Mashed Potatoes
Use heavy cream to make mashed potatoes Gordon Ramsay would be proud of. Once you’ve boiled and peeled the potatoes, whisk them with some heavy cream to make them silky, fluffy and decadent. These potatoes won’t just be a side dish with your protein, they’ll be the star of the plate.
8. Frozen Cream
If you don’t want to use your cream immediately, just freeze it. Heavy cream freezes really well, so just pour it into an ice tray, and whenever you need it, pop out a few cubes and thaw them out.
9. Special Soups
Everything is better with cream, even a bowl of soup. Pop a cube of frozen cream on your bowl of tomato soup, or pour on some fresh cream. If you’re not a fan of tomato soup, make some cream-of-mushroom soup. Pair it with some toasty garlic bread and you’re in food heaven.
10. Spruce Up Packaged Cake Mixes
Having some surprise guests over? You don’t need to run around thinking about what you’ll serve up. Get a box of Betty Crocker or whatever your favorite packaged cake mix is and bake it according to the box instructions. Whip some heavy cream with sugar and serve a few swirls of the cream with a slice of cake. It’s delicious, quick and easy.
The important thing to remember is that there’s no such thing as too much cream. If you have plenty of heavy cream left over after you’ve made your three-layered cake, you can use it to treat yourself for all the hard work you did. Whether you’re having something sweet or savory, you can make it a meal (or drink) fit for a king by adding a little bit of cream.
Rhonda grew up with parents who gardened, hunted, fished, canned, and preserved food. Her mother was a professional cook and Rhonda credits her teaching everything from how to make homemade biscuits and gravy to what kind of meals to serve for different occasions. In the kitchen, Rhonda uses a mix of old-fashioned country cooking and up-to-date fads in the kitchen, often experimenting with replacing higher-calorie or fat ingredients with healthier options that still retain the delicious flavors of the originals.