# Freezing heavy cream



## letscook (Mar 24, 2014)

When I buy buttermilk I always have leftover and don't want to throw out.
I was told you can freeze it. I have had great results with it. 
I freeze it in 1/2 cup portions.

I have the same problem with heavy cream.  Can you freeze heavy cream?
Has anyone done it?  Does it change texture or taste etc?

Thank you


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## pacanis (Mar 24, 2014)

uh-oh. I just remembered that I have half a cup of lite coconut milk in the fridge somewhere...

Good question. More should be written on what freezes well and how it changes or not. I drink milk in my coffee (usually), so if I have any kind of cream getting close to it's demise it goes in my coffee... or chicken gravy, mashed potatoes, something.


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## cave76 (Mar 24, 2014)

I've frozen whole milk with no problems except there MAY be a slight change in taste, but for cooking, o.k.

I've frozen half and half with less success. And heavy cream with even less success. It must be the fat content. 

If the heavy cream is ultra-pasteurized and unopened it will keep for a LONG time just in the fridge. I've done that. Opened cartons? Still keeps a long time. I've done that too. 

That's just my personal experience.


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## taxlady (Mar 24, 2014)

I have tried freezing heavy cream. When it thaws out it tastes fine. It has a funny texture. I don't know what you can do with it. It wouldn't make whipped cream. It can probably be used in something where you don't mind it looking curdled/lumpy.


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## Zhizara (Mar 24, 2014)

Heavy cream would never make it to the freezer in my house.  It would either be used up in coffee, or even poured in a glass for a truly decadent treat.


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## taxlady (Mar 24, 2014)

Zhizara said:


> Heavy cream would never make it to the freezer in my house.  It would either be used up in coffee, or even poured in a glass for a truly decadent treat.


I find that if I put it in coffee there are little globs of fat floating in the coffee.

On the other hand, I could use it up making a brandy Alexander.


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## cave76 (Mar 24, 2014)

Here's another way to use heavy cream. I've made this before and it's great.
_
"Russian Cream

4 Cups Cream
2 Cups Sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon gelatin
2 Cups Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Blend well and stir over medium heat until sugar and gelatin are THOROUGHLY dissolved. Cool and then, mixing quickly, add the Sour Cream and vanilla until well blended and smooth.  Pour into mold or bowl and chill for four hours or overnight.
12-16 servings.

I saw versions of this recipe many places... suggested serving ideas included serving with fresh strawberries, berries, fresh peach slices, etc.  I served it with raspberry sauce over the top.  Of course, it's *delicious just plain*!"_

RUSSIAN CREAM


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## taxlady (Mar 24, 2014)

4 cups of heavy cream is never what I would call "left over". I usually buy heavy cream in a 500 ml (~2 cups) container.


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## pacanis (Mar 24, 2014)

I wonder if the floating fat is a temperature thing, Tax? I don't see cream floating around when I put it in my coffee... but then I always add the cream before the coffee. Maybe that makes a difference.


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## cave76 (Mar 24, 2014)

taxlady said:


> 4 cups of heavy cream is never what I would call "left over". I usually buy heavy cream in a 500 ml (~2 cups) container.



 But the recipe CAN be divided by  two, probably even by 4 (maybe).


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## CWS4322 (Mar 24, 2014)

A friend used to combine a can of frozen juice with a pint of whipping cream and freeze it. It was a lovely dessert...


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## cave76 (Mar 24, 2014)

CWS4322 said:


> A friend used to combine a can of frozen juice with a pint of whipping cream and freeze it. It was a lovely dessert...



That sounds easy enough for even me to do! And delicious.


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## taxlady (Mar 24, 2014)

You can whip heavy cream and then freeze blobs or something prettier. Works well as decoration.


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## CharlieD (Mar 24, 2014)

To the OP. We have problem getting heavy cream here. So whenever we are so lucky to find some we buy as much as we can afford and freeze most of it, leaving out some for immediate use. We had some seating in the freezer for more than 6-7 month, works totally fine after it is defrosted. 
As the matter of fact we used to have to freeze milk, milk doesn't freeze as well as heavy cream.


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## jennyema (Mar 24, 2014)

I've read that the higher the fat content the better dairy products freeze.


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## Mad Cook (Mar 25, 2014)

letscook said:


> When I buy buttermilk I always have leftover and don't want to throw out.
> I was told you can freeze it. I have had great results with it.
> I freeze it in 1/2 cup portions.
> 
> ...


It will freeze fairly successfully if you whip it first but it's the thawing that can get you into trouble. When it's defrosted it will "fall" if you stir it. I learned this to my cost in Spain when asked by Spanish friends to make an "English" trifle. I wanted to put whipped cream on top and I could only buy frozen whipped cream in sort of pellets. I thawed them, stirred them together and got a runny mess which wouldn't come together again. It sort of separated.

The best thing to do (according to my freezer recipe book) if you are going to want whirls of cream to go on top of something is to pipe it onto a baking parchment line sheet pan and freeze it open then pack them in a rigid box. Put them in place before they defrost. If you want it for something like a pavlova you could just freeze spoonsful in the same way. 

However, this chap says that you can freeze it in it's runny state and whip it when it's thawed
Can I Freeze Cream? | David Lebovitz


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## CharlieD (Mar 25, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> The best thing to do (according to my freezer recipe book) if you are going to want whirls of cream to go on top of something is to pipe it onto a baking parchment line sheet pan and freeze it open ...



I think we are talking about different things here. Heavy cream is a liquid.


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## Mad Cook (Mar 25, 2014)

taxlady said:


> I find that if I put it in coffee there are little globs of fat floating in the coffee.
> 
> On the other hand, I could use it up making a brandy Alexander.


I can only drink cream with coffee if the cream is floating on the top of the coffee. Of course, if the coffee has Tia Maria in it it's even better. Hic!

(Diverging a bit - have you ever had Tia Maria or other coffee liqueur with cream floating on top? Divinely inspired combination! It was a bit of a craze in the 1960s over here)


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## dragnlaw (Mar 25, 2014)

I used to buy whole milk when it came on special. (Used to way back when!) I would freeze the bags. Then mix it half and half with reconstitued powdered milk.

I'll explain for those of you who are sitting there saying...  "Wha?? Bags??"

In Quebec and eastern Ontario, we can buy our milk in 3 plastic bags (that total up to 4 litres).  Yes we can get it in plastic bottles and cartons as well, but when you want a gallon ... you get 4 litres.  I'll post pictures later.  

In the meanwhile, with 4 kids in the house I used to buy powdered milk, and mix it with whole milk.  Due to refridgerator space I would freeze the extra bags.  I found when you defrosted them the cream separated but a whiz in the blender took care of that.

You could give your cream a zap in a blender or hand held mixer - you would just have to be careful to stop before "butter"....


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## taxlady (Mar 25, 2014)

Too bad powdered milk costs more than fresh milk nowadays.


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## dragnlaw (Mar 25, 2014)

Absolutely true Taxlady, I was devastated to find that out.  Making my own bread I always add powdered milk for extra nutrition.  In the meanwhile my prvious discourse was a round about comment on the fat that separates from milk and whisking/zapping/buzzing can/could possible put it back together...  unless you make butter


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## CharlieD (Mar 25, 2014)

You can buy milk in bags here too. Comes with free pitcher. You put the whole bag in the pitcher and the pitcher has this pinch st the top where you slide open side of bag. Much cheaper than regular milk. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Discuss Cooking mobile app


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## letscook (Mar 26, 2014)

Thanks everyone,  I put a cup of it in the freezer for a test, I will experiment later on to see how it worked out. But I think for now I will just buy as I need it and my husband will get really thick and rich milkshakes and rich mashed potatoes with the leftovers . Haven't heard any complaints from him.


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## cave76 (Mar 26, 2014)

letscook said:


> Thanks everyone,  I put a cup of it in the freezer for a test, I will experiment later on to see how it worked out.



That's great! A real scientific experiment! Let us know.


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## Mad Cook (Mar 26, 2014)

CharlieD said:


> I think we are talking about different things here. Heavy cream is a liquid.


Yes, of course it is. In fat content it falls between our whipping cream and our double cream but not enough to matter in this context. It can be beaten (whipped) and piped or spooned onto things (or, as I said, frozen). I've seen American (and Canadian) cooks use it in this way on "Food Network" so I know it works.


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## Mad Cook (Mar 26, 2014)

CharlieD said:


> You can buy milk in bags here too. Comes with free pitcher. You put the whole bag in the pitcher and the pitcher has this pinch st the top where you slide open side of bag. Much cheaper than regular milk.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Discuss Cooking mobile app


But less eco-friendly than returnable glass bottles which still hang on over here. In addition, the milk that comes in our glass bottles was in a local cow yesterday as opposed to supermarkets' plastic flagons of milk which are about a week old when they hit the shelves, having travelled miles and miles. Oddly, because it's pasteurised as opposed to being UHT or sterilised, supermarket milk has a sell by date of up to 15 days hence, which I find _very_ worrying. Basically, it means supermarkets' "fresh milk" is far from being fresh


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## cave76 (Mar 26, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> In addition, the milk that comes in our glass bottles was in a local cow yesterday



Is that true of ALL milk in GB or just in your area? 

When I had my own laying hens I found that peeling hard cooked eggs using my fresh eggs was difficult---- came off in bits and pieces and a lot of whites attached no matter how long or how they were cooked. (Store-bought eggs peeled pretty consistently with large pieces and very little bits and pieces.)

I finally did a test and kept a dozen or more in the fridge. Then every few days I would take a couple out and hard-boil them---- always same pan, same way. Relying on memory it took about 2-3  weeks before I was able to peel them! I think more towards the 3 weeks time.

Plus they were orange, not pale yellow.

Something to do with the membrane separating from the shell.

So---- 'fresh eggs' in the grocery? Not so. Maybe it's different in GB.


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## dragnlaw (Mar 26, 2014)

cav76,    people in the egg/chicken enthusiasm line know quite well that it is extremely difficult to peel FRESH hard boiled eggs.  Minimum 1 week but preferable 2, best at least 3 weeks old.  But a good trick is to crack the shell all over then use a spoon to slide under the shell and lift off.  You are right, as an egg ages, the air pocket increases in size and which helps the membrane separate. 

Orange yolks are from the feed you give and/or they are free range and getting lots of greens.  During winter months when my chickens are not running free and  decimating my gardens I give them chopped cabbages/carrots/apples and whatever kitchen refuse I have..  and for anyone out there with a few chickens for eggs - be sure to cook your potato peels well or don't give them to the birds at all.

I also cook and feed back to the hens any eggs that are really soiled, cracked, frozen or when I worm them (10 days grace).  Can't sell those!  Well, actually I eat those when I worm them ....  figure it could take care of whatever's inside me too, but i won't sell them.


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## CharlieD (Mar 28, 2014)

Back to milk. Mad Cook, we too have glass milk bottles, but mostly for organic milk, as far as I know. Regular milk is in cartoons or plastic bottles.


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## Walt Bulander (Apr 1, 2014)

We always have heavy cream in the fridge, but we travel a lot.
What I do if we're going to be gone more than a week or two is freeze it in ice cube trays and bag the cubes in zip-locks. If you need some for a sauce or gravy, just throw in a cube, or two, near the end of cooking, and stir it in.  Works great for us.

We do the same thing with bacon fat and chicken fat from making stock. Also freeze some stock in ice cube trays when we make stock.  Hmm--how about tomato paste. Usually need just a small amount at a time, and we never see the toothpaste tube type packaging locally.

WARNING! be sure to lable the bags


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## Mad Cook (Apr 1, 2014)

cave76 said:


> Is that true of ALL milk in GB or just in your area?
> 
> When I had my own laying hens I found that peeling hard cooked eggs using my fresh eggs was difficult---- came off in bits and pieces and a lot of whites attached no matter how long or how they were cooked. (Store-bought eggs peeled pretty consistently with large pieces and very little bits and pieces.)
> 
> ...


As far as I know you can get milk delivered in most parts of the country. If you live half way up a mountain in the back of beyond it may not be possible. One pint (ie 20 fl ounce) glass bottles are standard for doorstep milk although if you want larger sizes they tend to be plastic but not many delivery (wo)men supply them. My milk comes from one of several local farms within a radius of about 10 miles to a small central bottling plant 3 miles away. The bottles are returned and re-used several times and when they can't be re-used because they are damaged, etc they are recycled into more glass bottles. The ultimate in recyclability. The milk I get is pasteurised as very few dairies provide raw (untreated) milk these days. The doorstep deliveries are such a convenience and worth the penny a pint or so for the privilege. Some dairies also deliver bread, yoghourt, orange juice etc. Long live the milk man!

As for eggs, I read a while back that supermarket eggs are up to 3 weeks old before they lit the shelves. You crack one into the frying pan and the white runs all over the pan. Before I moved here I used to buy free range eggs from the stall in the market which belonged to the chicken farmer. They were nearly half the price of supermarket ones. Now I get them from a friend who keeps her own hens. I'm very tempted to have a couple of back garden chickens when I finally get things sorted out at this house.


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## dragnlaw (Apr 2, 2014)

Walt Bulander said:


> ... freeze (cream) in ice cube trays and bag the cubes in zip-locks. If you need some for a sauce or gravy, just throw in a cube, or two, near the end of cooking, and stir it in.
> 
> We do the same thing with bacon fat and chicken fat from making stock. Also freeze some stock in ice cube trays when we make stock.  Hmm--how about tomato paste. Usually need just a small amount at a time, and we never see the toothpaste tube type packaging locally.
> 
> *WARNING! be sure to lable the bags*


so true so true
so be sure the labels you use don't come off in the freezer!!  I've learned to write directly on the sandwich zip bags.


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## FrankZ (Apr 2, 2014)

Mad Cook said:


> . One pint (ie 20 fl ounce)




Ahh... the English pint... tis a great thing for beer.


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## Steve Kroll (Apr 2, 2014)

Geez... if you are going to freeze a quart of cream, why not just make ice cream out of it?


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## CharlieD (Apr 2, 2014)

Even 3 weeks old supermarket eggs do not want to peel.


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