Cream is made by skimming the layer of butterfat from the top of milk before the milk is homogenized. Varieties of cream are defined by how much milk fat they contain. Creams with less fat are fine for coffee, but they can’t be heated or whipped. Cultured creams (sour cream, crème fraîche) break down when heated, and are best drizzled or dolloped after you've finished cooking a dish.
The spectrum of cream from lowest to highest butterfat content:
Half & Half: A mix of half whole milk and half cream. No whipping. No heating.
Light Cream: AKA Table Cream - Usually contains 20% milk fat. No whipping. No heating.
Crème Fraîche, Mexican Crema and Sour Cream: The cultured creams. No whipping. No heating. Cultured creams have sour undertones that differ from the silky sweetness of creams that are not cultured.
Light Whipping Cream: Has more milk fat (30-36%) than light cream. Whips into soft peaks. Heats nicely, too.
Heavy Cream (aka, Heavy Whipping Cream): 36-40% milk fat. Can be whipped into stiff peaks. Heats to a silky, rich thickness.
Recipe: Pappardelle With Creminis, Cream And Sage (Cookthink)
Recipe: Cream Of Broccoli Soup (Cookthink)
Reference: What do I do with leftover heavy cream? (Cookthink)
What's the difference between white and brown eggs?
What's the difference between white and brown eggs?
Don't judge an egg by its shell. Whether an eggshell is white or brown is determined by the breed of the hen who laid the eggs. It has absolutely nothing to do with taste or nutritional value.
The only time you may want to consider the color of the eggs you're buying is around Easter and Passover time, since white eggs work better for dyeing and decorating purposes.
What is the difference between liquor and liqueur?
What is the difference between liquor and liqueur?
A liquor is an alcoholic drink that is distilled from grains or plants, such as rum, vodka, gin or whiskey.
A liqueur is a sweet or herbal alcoholic drink that is made from fruit, herbs, flowers, nuts or spices plus (usually) sugar and a spirit such as grain alcohol, vodka or rum. Liqueurs can be served as before or after-dinner drinks and used in desserts. Many liqueurs are made in France, such as Cassis (made with black currants), Chartreuse (made from plants and flowers) or Pastis (flavored with anise seeds).
what you should know
Christopher Columbus brought Asian sugar cane to the West Indies in 1492. The sweet, fibrous stalk spread quickly throughout the Caribbean. A century and a half later, the liquor distilled from it was notorious enough to be banned by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Rum is made from both fermented sugar cane and its syrupy by-product, molasses. Rich, caramel dark rum is made by aging clear rum in casks, usually ones made of charred oak. (The double distillation process is similar to the one used to make Cognac.)
yo ho ho Drinking rum to excess was a popular theme of pirate songs, and its general affiliation with the sea led to some interesting cocktails. Most of us know about grog, a mixture of rum and water (and sometimes lime). Kill Devil was a mixture of rum and gunpowder. Bumboo called for rum, water, sugar and nutmeg. And Rumbullion contained rum, wine, tea, lime, spices and -- one imagines -- anything else lying around Blackbeard's galley.
triangle trade Sugar cane and rum formed one leg of history's most despicable triangle trade routes.
rum do Spiced rum, which is flavored with spices and (often) caramel, does not qualify as dark rum. Neither do screech and tafia, two distinct corruptions of "proper" rum.
what you need
Several rum-centric histories have been published over the past few years: Ian Williams' Rum: A Social and Sociable History of the Real Spirit of 1776; Wayne Curtis' And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails; and Charles Coulombe's Rum: The Epic Story of the Drink that Conquered the World.
Save your back from all that hunching over to read the side of the measuring cup. Invest in an OXO Good Grips 2-cup angled measuring cup.
While you're indulging your OXO love, plop down the $20 for this 8-inch double rod strainer.
what you do
We used rum to deglaze the pan and form the base of the pan sauce, which infused some richness to this dish of braised pork with mushrooms and basil.
A stewed chicken dish popular in Trinidad and Tobago, this potent Caribbean chicken is sweet, spicy, rich and mouth-filling.
Speaking of Trinidad, to make a local rum punch, remember this little ditty: one part sour, two parts sweet, three parts strong, four parts weak.
And then there's the rest of the rum canon. Hot buttered rum. Hurricane. Mojito. Cuba libre. The list goes on.
Though the rum's optional in this banana hazelnut upside down cake, we urge you to tip it in.
What's the difference between light and dark rum?
What's the difference between light and dark rum?
Rum is a liquor made from both fermented sugar cane and its syrupy by-product, molasses. The rum is aged in casks of various materials which determine its final color.
Light rum (also called silver or white) is fermented in steel and filtered and has a clear color and a light, slightly sweet taste. Gold or amber rums are aged in oak, which produces a more caramel color and richer, more pronounced flavor. Rich, caramel dark rum is made by aging clear rum in charred oak casks, giving it a deep brown color and a full flavor. Note that spiced rum, which is flavored with spices and (often) caramel, does not qualify as dark rum.
