Heavy Cream

Store unopened heavy cream in the coldest part of the fridge. Once opened, use within 5-7 days. Freezing may cause separation but works for cooking applications after thawing and stirring.

High in saturated fat and vitamin A

Chill the bowl and beaters in the freezer for 15 minutes before whipping for best volume and stability

Add heavy cream at the end of cooking sauces to prevent curdling from high heat

For pasta sauces, reduce heavy cream by simmering to concentrate flavor and thicken naturally

Use cold heavy cream straight from the fridge when whipping; warm cream won't hold peaks

Over-whipping heavy cream, which turns it grainy or into butter

Adding cream too early when cooking, causing it to break or curdle from prolonged heat

Using ultra-pasteurized cream for whipping when available; it's harder to whip and less stable than pasteurized

Boiling heavy cream in acidic sauces, which can cause separation