Heavy cream, commonly known as whipping cream, is a versatile dairy product that can be used for variety of different recipes. It adds a delicious and decadent touch to everything from fruits and desserts to cloudy foam in coffees and hot chocolates. But, more often than not, you end up with more cream than you need, which begs the question, can heavy cream be frozen for later use?
What Is Heavy Cream?
Heavy cream is a type of cream that has about 36% milk fat and is often whipped up into soft peaks for decorative purposes or included in recipes to yield a creamy taste. It is often whipped up with a sprinkling of sugar when being used for desserts or drinks, such as coffee to enhance the flavor or sweeten it.
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Heavy Cream Nutrition
Roughly about two tablespoons of heavy cream contain:
| Calories Amount | 50 Calories |
| Fat | 5 grams |
| Carbohydrates | 1 gram |
How Long Does Heavy Cream Last?
If you have heavy cream leftovers, then fear not! You can freeze heavy cream, whether whipped or not and store it for later use. There are two ways you can freeze your heavy cream; either you can freeze it as it is, without whipping, and thaw it later to be used in blended recipes. Or another option is you can whip it up into stiff peaks and then pipe out small sized pieces to freeze, and then later use as toppings or decorations for drinks and desserts.
Can You Freeze Heavy Cream?
Certain recipes require large amounts of heavy cream, and certainly require less. The amount of heavy cream required in your dishes will determine how you should freeze your heavy cream. If you are cooking up soups or creamy pastas, then you definitely want to freeze your heavy cream in large amounts. If you are freezing the entire carton, make sure to take out at least 1 inch of cream, as when you freeze it, the cream will need room to expand. Seal it properly or add it to an airtight bag and store it in the freezer. Alternatively, you can pour out the cream into an airtight glass or plastic container and freeze it that way as well.
Can You Freeze Half And Half
When using for decorative purposes, or as toppings, you do not need as much heavy cream, so the best bet is to freeze it in small portions. Pour out the heavy cream into ice cube trays and keep it in the freezer. Once they are frozen, take them out and store in an airtight zip log bag. Any regular size ice cube will measure out two tablespoons, so do measure out your cream for recipes.
Defrosting Frozen Heavy Cream
Thawing out your heavy cream depends on the recipe that calls for this ingredient, and whether the recipe is hot or cold. If you need to defrost the entire carton, leave it in the refrigerator to defrost overnight or place it in a bowl of warm water. Once it’s thawed, mix it well to make a homogenous mixture. It is important to note, defrosted heavy cream does not whip as well as fresh heavy cream, so if you need heavy cream for decorative purposes, you can freeze whipped up dollops. Then just take out those frozen, whipped peaks and garnish pancakes, fruits, or cakes with.
If you are making soups, coffee or hot chocolate, then you can drop a cube or two of the frozen heavy cream directly. No need to defrost it, as the heat from the dishes will automatically melt the heavy cream.
Heavy Cream Uses
You can freeze heavy cream as it can be used in a multitude of recipes, such as alfredo pasta, lemon cream chicken, salted caramel, vanilla ice cream, hot chocolate, coffee and so much more.
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Recipe With Heavy Cream
When using it in ice cream, simply defrost the frozen heavy cream and then whip it into soft peaks. Add in condensed milk, splash of vanilla extract, and mix well. Pour into a bread loaf pan and cover with cling wrap. Freeze overnight, and voila! you have a delicious vanilla ice cream from frozen heavy cream!
Add heavy cream into more recipes:
