**Cream Usage in Cuisine:**
– Cream is a versatile ingredient used in various dishes like ice cream, sauces, soups, stews, puddings, and custards.
– Whipped cream is a common dessert topping for sundaes, milkshakes, and pies.
– Cream can be added to coffee and used in Indian curries.
– Different types of cream, like single and double cream, have diverse cooking applications.
**Cream Types and Regulations by Region:**
– Cream grades vary based on fat content, heat treatment, and whipping methods.
– Regulations in different regions govern the classification of cream types.
– Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and France have specific regulations regarding minimum fat content and cream varieties.
**Cream Processing and Additives:**
– Cream may contain thickeners like sodium alginate, carrageenan, and gelatine for stability.
– Processing techniques and increasing non-fat solids can enhance cream stability.
– Additives like sodium caseinate can improve cream stability and prevent feathering in coffee.
**Varieties of Cream Products:**
– Butter is made by churning cream, while whipped cream is created by adding air to cream with over 30% fat.
– Sour cream, crème fraîche, and smetana are variations of soured cream with different fat contents.
– Different cream types cater to specific culinary needs, from enriching sauces to topping desserts.
**Regulations and Technical Information on Cream:**
– Legal definitions and regulations govern cream production and consumption across regions.
– Technical insights on cream production, processing, and quality control are available in resources like ‘Dairy Fats and Related Products.’
– Cream processing involves stages like pasteurization, homogenization, and packaging to ensure safety and quality standards are met.
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators". In many countries, it is sold in several grades depending on the total butterfat content. It can be dried to a powder for shipment to distant markets, and contains high levels of saturated fat.
Cream skimmed from milk may be called "sweet cream" to distinguish it from cream skimmed from whey, a by-product of cheese-making. Whey cream has a lower fat content and tastes more salty, tangy, and "cheesy". In many countries partially fermented cream is also sold: sour cream, crème fraîche, and so on. Both forms have many culinary uses in both sweet and savoury dishes.
Cream produced by cattle (particularly Jersey cattle) grazing on natural pasture often contains some carotenoid pigments derived from the plants they eat; traces of these intensely colored pigments give milk a slightly yellow tone, hence the name of the yellowish-white color: cream. Carotenoids are also the origin of butter's yellow color. Cream from goat's milk, water buffalo milk, or from cows fed indoors on grain or grain-based pellets, is white.