Heavy Cream
Heavy cream (also called heavy whipping cream) is the richest cream, with 36% or more butterfat. It whips into billowing toppings, enriches sauces and soups, and is the base of ice cream, custards, and ganache. It is the most versatile and luxurious of the creams.
Heavy cream is rich, smooth, and mildly sweet, with a thick, pourable consistency. The high fat content gives it a velvety mouthfeel and allows it to whip into stable peaks that hold their shape.\n\nWhen whipped, it doubles in volume and becomes light and airy; when heated, it enriches without curdling (unlike lower-fat creams). The flavor is clean and sweet-cream.
Available year-round. For whipping, buy heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (36%+ fat). Avoid ultra-pasteurized cream if you can — it whips less readily and lacks the fresh flavor of regular pasteurized, though it keeps longer.\n\nFor the best flavor, seek out cream from grass-fed dairies — it is richer in color and nutrients.
Whipping
Whips into stable toppings for desserts, fruit, and hot chocolate — add sugar and vanilla for classic whipped cream.
Sauces
Enriches pasta sauces, pan sauces, and cream soups — add at the end and warm gently.
Desserts
The base of ice cream, custards, panna cotta, and ganache — carries flavor and creates silken texture.
Butter
Can be churned or shaken into fresh butter and buttermilk at home.
Keep refrigerated in the main body (not the door) and use within a week of opening. Heavy cream can be frozen, but the texture may separate — best used for cooking after freezing. Whipped cream does not freeze well.