Nothing Beats a Dollop of Cream

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Cream might come in all shapes, sizes and types, but one thing is sure: it adds a certain richness that cannot be replicated by any other ingredient.

An item no doubt in every chef’s stock list, cream is a kitchen staple of note. Not only is it ideal for creating rich (creamy) desserts, but is amazing in curries (hello chicken korma), as part of Mexican or Asian dishes, or even as a dollop on top of your favourite drink.

Although there are many, many kinds of cream (and some to spare), there are those products that we return to over and over again.

Parmalat Fresh Cream can turn everyday cooking into memorable meals, with its decadent fat content (up to 24% per 100g), it is ideal for anything from baking and cold desserts to soups. Parmalat Professional Food Services offers fresh cream in 5 litre containers to added value to chefs. They also provide 2.5kg containers of Galbani Marscapone to professional kitchens.

Companies like Lancewood also have several food service industry cream products to add gourmet flair to any dish. These are marscapone, crème fraiche and sour cream. Lancewood’s cultured cream (crème fraiche) has a fat content of 25.3g per 100g, while its smooth, mild sour cream has a fat content of 21.8g. Their marscapone has a rich fat content of 44.4g per 100g.

A rather unique cream range that Pritchitts has made specifically for professionals is Millac Gold, recently launched in the South African marketplace. A cream blend of buttermilk, vegetable fat and dairy cream, Millac Gold has a new and improved dairy taste developed by chefs for chefs. It is highly versatile and does not split when used in cooking. It also reduces in exactly the same way as pure dairy cream. Also of note is the Millac Gold Cooking cream. It is acid stable, and thickens immediately when cooking, thus saving you on prep time. With a very creamy mouthfeel, it is perfect for swirling, finishing a dish, or for use in sauces, gratins, casseroles and non-whipped desserts.

Speak of pure cream, Pritchitts also offeris a Millac Dairy Whipping Cream with 38% fat content, as well as the Lakeland UHT Whipping Cream which offers excellent stability and piping definition – with 35% fat. Then there’s also the luxurious London Gold dairy cream that’s ideal for cooking.

In the Millac cream blend line are two lactose-free products – Millac Gold Lactose Free with 33% fat and Millac Gold Lactose Free with 15.5% fat. All of these products are designed to specifically cater to the needs of high-performance culinary professionals.

Sidebar 1: The Versatility of Cream

Cream is found in many varieties, each of which is suited to different dishes and taste profiles.

Channel Island extra thick double cream is made with milk from Guernsey and Jersey cows and has a fat content of 48%.
Chantilly cream is another name for vanilla-flavoured whipped cream, and in Italy is made by folding whipped cream into pastry cream for a decadent concoction.
Clotted cream, as the name suggests, is the thickest and richest with a fat content of 55-60%. It is traditionally served with scones and jam, or with ice cream and fresh fruit. It’s also great in sauces and risottos.
Crème fraiche, made famous by South Park, is a popular type of cream treated with a bacteria culture that thickens it and gives it a slightly sour taste. It cannot be whipped, and its fat content of 39% makes it ideal for salad dressings, sauces, curries, and casseroles. Chefs value this cream as it is stable when heated and has a more refined flavour profile.
Double cream is the most versatile of all and can be used as is or whipped. It is popular in puddings, in cooking, and incorporated into dishes or piped onto desserts and cakes. It can be frozen for up to 2 months when lightly whipped.
Other creams include extra thick single cream, flavoured creams, goats milk cream, half and half (or coffee cream), heavy cream, and long life cream (UHT). Pressure packed whipped cream is also popular, as is single cream traditionally used for pouring, and of course, sour cream for its many uses in savoury dishes.