# What does 'half & half' mean?



## Katiem (Aug 8, 2006)

Hi - I am a New Zealander (Kiwi) about to attempt the following recipe for fudge frosting:
http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/egg/egg1297/choccake.html

There is an ingredient called 'half and half' - can someone please tell me what that is - we don't have it in NZ.

Thanks

KM


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## Lynan (Aug 8, 2006)

Hiya Katie...from a fellow Kiwi!!

1/2 and 1/2 is basically 1/2 cream and 1/2 milk. You will not be able to whip it and yes...we cannot buy it in NZ. No call for it so no go in the shops!! 

It is around 12% butterfat if I recall, but just go buy a small bottle/carton of cream and mix with milk and Bob's ya uncle!!!

Welcome BTW...good to see another Kiwi at this lovely site.


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## Gretchen (Aug 8, 2006)

Do you have "light cream". That is what half and half is.
Here are some subs.
*half-and-half = half & half *(10.5 - 18% fat) *Substitutes:  *equal parts cream and milk OR evaporated milk OR 7/8 C milk + 1 ½ tablespoons butter or margarine​


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## Lynan (Aug 8, 2006)

Hi Gretchen!

No..we have just cream. And what wonderful, thick, yellow ambrosia it is!
I am not bragging ( well..kinda ) but most people who visit from abroad are in raptures over our cream.
When I lived in Italy, I despaired at not being able to easily whip cream bought in shops. And it was white.
Can ya imagine?? It was white. Nope. Not a good look for cream at all.


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## Ishbel (Aug 8, 2006)

Can't beat Cornish clotted cream, Lynan. Now that really IS cream!

And we don't have half and half, either.  We have single, double, extra thick double and clotted creams.


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## Andy M. (Aug 8, 2006)

In the US, it looks like this:
 
Heavy cream has a milk fat content of between 36 and 40%
Light whipping cream, 30 to 36%
Light cream (also called coffee or table cream) 18 to 30%
Half and half is 10 to 12% milk fat. 
Whole Milk is 3.7% milk fat.
Then there are 2% and 1% milks and...
Skim, which must be less than 0.5% milk fat.


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## Michael in FtW (Aug 8, 2006)

I'm with Lynan ... in simple terms it's 1/2 cream (called heavy cream or whipping cream depending on where you live) and 1/2 milk - 1:1 ratio.

It's not to be confused with an "af-n-af" in an Irish pub ...


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## FryBoy (Aug 8, 2006)

Doesn't commercial half-and-half include some emulsifiers or other non-dairy/chemical ingredients? 

I was listening to the food hour lady on the local CBS radio station (KNX in Los Angeles) a couple of weeks ago. Answering a caller's question about some sort of sauce that called for half-and-half, she recommended mixing cream and milk rather than using the store bought half-and-half. She explained that the store-bought half-and-half has additives, which cause it to clot when heated and thus it doesn't incorporate as easily in the sauce. She said the mix of cream and milk works much better. 

I haven't tried that, so I don't know if it's accurate -- but she's usually right on with her advice. I did look at carton in the market, and I was surprised to see that it wasn't 100% cow juice. 

The food hour lady said that in her opinion, the commercial stuff is good only for coffee and cereal. 

Any thoughts?


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## Shunka (Aug 8, 2006)

This thread makes me miss growing up on ranches!! We always had at least one milk-cow; my Mom would try to save the cream when it raised to the top before my stepfather could come in and get it. Oh, the memories of the wonderful things she would do with the cream!!!!!!


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## Gretchen (Aug 8, 2006)

Since the original question was about half and half and he said they didn't have "light cream", what is used for coffee cream?


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## Andy M. (Aug 8, 2006)

Michael in FtW said:
			
		

> I'm with Lynan ... in simple terms it's 1/2 cream (called heavy cream or whipping cream depending on where you live) and 1/2 milk - 1:1 ratio.
> 
> It's not to be confused with an "af-n-af" in an Irish pub ...


 
Michael:

Based on the fat percentages in my earlier post, I'd say it's half light cream and half whole milk.


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## Michael in FtW (Aug 8, 2006)

I would certainly like to know what "added artificial ingredients" the lady on KNX1070 Talk Radio said were in half-and-half.

When it comes to dairy products the bar is pretty well establised. But there are other products masking themselves as dairy products ... and they can have different "stuff" in them.

Of course ... yes - half-and-half and heavy cream have different ingredients ... it's called "butterfat". No magical, mystical, artifical ingredient - just a difference in the "all natural" butterfat content ...


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## Katiem (Aug 8, 2006)

Hi everyone - thank you for your help and advice.  I kinda thought it would be something along those lines, but wanted to be sure. Especially thanks to Lynan.

While I've got your attention.... how many slices/pieces would I get out of a 9 inch square cake?

This is my first forum - it's great I can tap into all those brains out there.


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## VegasDramaQueen (Aug 8, 2006)

_There really is no way to answer that question.  You can get anywhere from 2 to 48 pieces depending on how big you cut them.  No one can have any idea how you'll cut this cake so determine how many people you want to serve and slice the cake accordingly._


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## Gretchen (Aug 8, 2006)

Katiem said:
			
		

> While I've got your attention.... how many slices/pieces would I get out of a 9 inch square cake?
> .


 
You can get 9  3X3 squares, 18  1 1/2X 1 1/2" squares, 16 2X2" squares with a little left over, etc.


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## Katiem (Aug 8, 2006)

Good point re cutting it according to how many guests there are. Thanks.


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## daisy (Aug 8, 2006)

Aussie speaking. We don't get Half-and-Half here either, so when it's called for, it's easiest to just use evaporated milk.


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## Lynan (Aug 10, 2006)

Gretchen said:
			
		

> Since the original question was about half and half and he said they didn't have "light cream", what is used for coffee cream?


 
Gretchen, coffee cream does not exist in New Zealand. We used to be a nation of tea drinkers, like MANY year go and when coffee became bevvy of choice, anyone wanting cream used it. The thick stuff either straight from the bottle or whipped. Of course nowadays, its Cafe Latte, Espresso, Cappuccino etc. 

Actually, I have seen something in hotel/motel rooms that is reasonably new. CoffeeMate??? In a sachet.


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## bjcotton (Aug 10, 2006)

Lynan said:
			
		

> coffee cream does not exist in New Zealand. quote]    What?  I'm not coming until somebody finds some coffee cream for me!


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## DaCook (Aug 10, 2006)

Lynan said:
			
		

> Actually, I have seen something in hotel/motel rooms that is reasonably new. CoffeeMate??? In a sachet.


Lyn you can actually burn that stuff. It is an edible petroleum product.


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## jennyema (Aug 10, 2006)

DaCook said:
			
		

> *Lyn you can actually burn that stuff. It is an edible petroleum product.*


 
Do you have a source for that info?

Coffeemate has been around for nearly 50 years and does not, I am pretty sure, contain any petroleum.


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## DaCook (Aug 10, 2006)

jennyema said:
			
		

> Do you have a source for that info?
> 
> Coffeemate has been around for nearly 50 years and does not, I am pretty sure, contain any petroleum.


No, I could look for one, but I have actually seen someone do that. Cool Whip is also an edible petroleum product.
I did a search and this is what I found.

The principal ingredients in all of these nondairy creamers are sugars and vegetable oils. The three brands contain partially hydrogenated oils loaded with trans fats. The Coffee-mate label indicates the oil could be any of the following: coconut, palm kernel, soybean, cottonseed, or safflower. The sugars are a combination of corn syrup, maltodextrin, and sugar. 
All three brands contain sodium caseinate. The sodium caseinate's purpose is to provide a hint of dairy flavor as well as to create a thickening and whitening for a creamy look and feel. Sodium caseinate is obtained from fresh and pasteurized skim milk by acid coagulation of the casein, neutralization with sodium hydroxide, and drying in a spray dryer. Common among the nondairy creamers is dipotassium phosphate (a powder used to moderate coffee acidity), mono and diglycerides (to prevent oil separation), and natural and artificial flavors and colors. 
So I am wrong, doesn't surprise me, But I did actually see someone burn it and there were flames. Sorry.


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## jennyema (Aug 10, 2006)

DaCook said:
			
		

> No, I could look for one, but I have actually seen someone do that. Cool Whip is also an edible petroleum product.


 
Looking for a source for your info would be good.

Coffee mate is not a petroleum product.

*INGREDIENTS:* 

WATER, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED OIL, AND LESS THAN 2% OF SODIUM CASEINATE (A MILK DERIVATIVE)**, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, POLYSORBATE 60, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CARRAGEENAN, BETA- CAROTENE COLOR.
* 
*

Cool Whip is also not a petroleum product.

"*Ingredients:* WATER, CORN SYRUP, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (COCONUT AND PALM KERNEL OILS), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, LESS THAN 2% OF SODIUM CASEINATE (FROM MILK), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, XANTHAN AND GUAR GUMS, POLYSORBATE 60, SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE, BETA CAROTENE (COLOR)."

I am highly doubtful that either will burn.


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## DaCook (Aug 10, 2006)

See my edit, please. Sorry.


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## jennyema (Aug 10, 2006)

They are not petroleum products, they contain vegetable oil and sugar and chemicals.  And, they are mostly water.

If you can light Coffee Mate on fire right out of the bottle, you should be able to light salad dressing, too. No?


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## Andy M. (Aug 10, 2006)

Hmmm, Cesar salad flambe'.  An interesting concept!


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## DaCook (Aug 10, 2006)

jennyema said:
			
		

> They are not petroleum products, they contain vegetable oil and sugar and chemicals. And, they are mostly water.
> 
> If you can light Coffee Mate on fire right out of the bottle, you should be able to light salad dressing, too. No?


 
I am not talking about the liquid, I am talking about the little powdered packets. I am not sure what is in the powdered form that makes it burn, but it really does.


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## Andy M. (Aug 10, 2006)

DaCook said:
			
		

> I am not talking about the liquid, I am talking about the little powdered packets. I am not sure what is in the powdered form that makes it burn, but it really does.


 
I don't doubt it will burn.  Still, as you observed, no petroleum products are involved.


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## Caine (Aug 10, 2006)

FryBoy said:
			
		

> Doesn't commercial half-and-half include some emulsifiers or other non-dairy/chemical ingredients?


I believe that would be "fat-free" half & half she was discussing, which a misnomer. Considering fat free cream would be skim milk, and fat free milk would be skim milk, what you actually have is skim milk with a thickening agent added to give it the consistency of real half & half.


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