What Is Table Cream? (Explained)

What Is Table Cream?
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What Is Table Cream?

What would we do without cream in the kitchen? It lends its smooth richness to sweet and savory dishes and turns an ordinary cup of coffee into a luxurious hot beverage. It’s a staple in French cooking too.

In this article, we are going to be checking out more details about table cream, its flavor, and how it can be used in different recipes!

What Is Table Cream?

Table cream is otherwise known as light cream or coffee cream and has a milk fat percentage ranging between 18 and 30%, depending on the brand you’re purchasing.

This cream usually doesn’t contain any added sugar, additives, or artificial flavors. It is simply real, fresh, pasteurized dairy cream. Generally, it is used in coffee and making other mixed drinks.

What Is Table Cream?
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Uses Of Table Cream

When it comes to using table cream, there are special tricks to work with this light cream. To begin with, many people think that the word “light” is referring to a health factor, but it’s a misconception.

The cream still has a fairly high milk fat content – sure, it is lighter than whipping cream, but it’s not low enough for people who need to restrict their fat intake or who are trying to lose weight.

Keep in mind that this cream cannot be whipped because it doesn’t have a sufficient amount of fat to create the emulsion effect. It is therefore unsuitable for desserts requiring whipped cream.

In addition, table cream is likely to break apart whenever high heat and stress are applied to it.

For this reason, if you want to use this cream in hot sauces or for other cooking, you need to ensure that the heat level is low and make sure that the mixture doesn’t boil because it will result in a thin, grainy, curdled texture, given the low-fat content.

However, if you have already curdled the cream, you can add thickening agents, such as cornstarch or flour slurries which should help bring the sauce back together.

Table cream is also available in flavored form – the most common being coffee, hazelnut, and vanilla. These make a delicious addition to milkshakes, coffee, or hot chocolate.

Table cream can be used for various other purposes, such as in cereal or poured over fruit salads. Many people use it in savory recipes, such as sauces and gravies.

In fact, it can be used anywhere you need a richer, creamier flavor and texture. If you have a sweet tooth, this cream can also be used to enhance desserts by adding highlighting touches to your sweet dishes.

For instance, pour some over a baked pudding or a slice of apple pie. It’s even delicious on your breakfast oats instead of milk.

How to Tell if It’s Fresh

inspecting milk condition
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Because this is a fresh dairy product, table cream is only suitable to be used for ten days after the purchase date.

It is important to check the expiry dates whenever purchasing it to ensure the cream is safe to be consumed. Give the container a shake – if the product has thickened and set, you know it is sour.

How to Store Table Cream

Table cream should be kept in the refrigerator to ensure freshness, just as with other fresh dairy products. Also, make sure that the cream is stored at a consistent, chilled temperature but don’t let it freeze.

If it doesn’t taste or smell good, you should discard the cream and purchase fresh cream from the grocery store.

What If It’s Not

homemade soured milk in brown clay cup
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When it comes to the uses, many people ask if they can use table cream in place of all-purpose cream. No, because there is a difference in the consistency.

This is because table cream tends to be thicker compared to all-purpose cream. If you need cream for whipping, opt for all-purpose cream.

Also, table cream is nothing like evaporated milk. Evaporated milk is simply milk that has had some of the water removed, therefore it is not as high in fat content.

Plus, once chilled, evaporated milk can be whipped. Also, being canned, evaporated milk is a shelf-stable product.

Substitutes for Table Cream

Depending on what you want to use it for, table cream has many substitutes.

milk varitey supermarket
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  • Condensed Milk – this is the first substitute, but because it is sweet, it is only suitable to use in coffee and sweet recipes.
  • Evaporated Milk – evaporated milk has a fat percentage of 6.5, while table cream has 18% to 30% fat content. It does, however, lend a richness so is a good substitute for those trying to lower their fat intake without sacrificing flavor and smoothness.
  • Clotted Cream – clothed cream is likely to have a milk fat percentage ranging from 55% to 60%, which makes it denser, richer, and creamier than table cream. For this reason, you should thin out clotted cream if you want to use it in place of table cream.
  • Heavy Cream – heavy cream is another form of cream that you can use in place of table cream. It has the same flavor but it can be whipped. It can be used in cakes and other recipes that call for richness and creaminess. It has a fat content of 36%.
  • Double Cream – double cream has the same flavor as table cream, but with a fat content of 48%, it is far creamier and richer.

We hope you can see just how versatile and delicious table cream is. Let us know what you use it for – we’d love to hear from you!

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