What is cream?

[Navin]

As far as I know, cream is a dairy product.

However, how is it made? Is it the same as yoghurt which is made via the addition of bacteria?

Why are there many different varieties of cream? e.g. double cream, whipping cream and sour cream.

[Ilyaas]

Cream is the left overs from when pure milk is extracted from milk of a cow or anyother animal, but as for the varieties I would quite like to know myself

[ERS]

Cream is milk fat that floats to the top of raw milk. if you skim it off you can make butter, whipped cream, or use it striaght as coffee cream. However, commercial processes refine it and toss in some additives and such so it lasts longer.

Did that help?
ERS

[Navin]

Yes it certainly did help. Thanks.

[canalon]

As ERS said cream is made of the fat glbules from milk. Long ago it was obtained by putting the milk to stand overnight, and then skimming the cream from the top. Now it can obtained by centrifugation more rapidly. Centrifugation also allow to vary the fat percentage.

"Creme Fraiche" or "cultured cream" when produced in the old fashioned way started to develop bacterial culture ans hence had a slightly acidic taste. This is now obtained either by culturing some lactic bacteria or adding citric acid to the cream.

The other varieties are usually not cultured and the name depends on the fat content of the cream.
Double or triple refers to fat that are 2 or 3 times higher than what was obtained by simple sedimentation (15 to 20% fat).
Whipping cream is still liquid because it is made of much smaller fat globules (I don't know how they do that though). It should be at least 30% fat if ypu want to have a chance to whip it (with a spoon of sugar, and a bit of vanilla Hmmmm....)

Hope this helps

[Navin]

Ah i get it. Thanks.