Inside Mel's Brain: Holy Cow! Exploring the Wide World of Cream

How much could I possibly have to say about cream? Let’s all find out! Haha.

You’re reading recipes, and one calls for pure cream, another for double cream, and then there’s one that insists on whipping cream. Meanwhile, the only thing staring back at you from the dairy aisle is “Thickened Cream.” You stand there, bottle in hand, thinking, WTF? How are there so many types of cream?

Ha! Welcome … 

I love cream. In all of its forms except one. It’s not the cream I dislike; it’s the marketing behind it… you’ll figure it out below!

From Cow to Cream: How It All Starts

When you milk a cow (side note: Norco Dairy is Australia’s only 100% farmer-owned brand available nationwide—support your farmers!), you get milk. Revolutionary, I know.

But this milk isn’t just a liquid; it’s an emulsion. It contains water, proteins, sugars, and fat globules. When left alone, those fat globules naturally rise to the top as cream. Voila! But the milk in your fridge today? It’s nothing like what your great-grandparents drank, and here’s why:

• Pasteurisation: Milk is heated to kill harmful bacteria and make it safe to drink. Regular pasteurisation heats it to 72°C for 15 seconds, while ultra-pasteurisation cranks it up to 135°C for 2-5 seconds. That’s how we get long-life milk and cream.
• Homogenisation: Think of milk like salad dressing. If you shake up oil and vinegar, they mix—briefly. But let it sit, and the oil floats back up. Homogenisation blasts milk through high-pressure nozzles, breaking down fat globules so small they stay evenly dispersed.

After pasteurisation and homogenisation, the milk is spun in a separator—a machine that’s basically the dairy-world version of a carnival Gravitron ride. Centrifugal force separates the fat-rich cream from the skim milk. The cream is then graded based on fat content.

The Creamy Spectrum

Cream is all about fat content. Higher fat = thicker, richer, and more luxurious. Let’s break it down:

Double Cream

• Fat Content: Traditionally 48%, though many brands hover around 45% now. Premium versions, like Melany Dairy’s cream that we use, go as high as a minimum 54%!
• What It’s For: The crème de la crème of creams—perfect for topping desserts, making butter, or creating decadent cold-set cheesecakes.
• Pro Tip: Double cream is so rich that whipping it can easily turn it into butter. At Palena Fresh, we use it for our lamingtons. Staff are trained to STOP whisking as soon as it thickens—because just moving it from bowl to cake can push it over the edge into butter!

Pure Cream

• Fat Content: Minimum 35%.
• What It’s For: The versatile workhorse of the cream world. Whips, cooks, and pours like a dream, with no additives. Perfect for soups, sauces, and desserts.
• Fun Fact: Back in the day, pure cream was simply labelled as cream—until thickened cream muscled its way onto shelves.

Thickened Cream

• Fat Content: 32-35%, with stabilizers like gelatine, tapioca starch, or carrageenan.
• What It’s For: Whipping, pouring, and dolloping. The stabilizers help it hold shape better than pure cream for a longer period when cold.
• Watch Out: Carrageenan, often used as a thickener, has been linked to bloating and inflammation. Always check the label. At Palena Fresh, we use thickened cream with gelatine only.
•  Pro tip: Warm your thickened cream bottle (run it under hot water) to melt any gelatine stuck to the sides and get every last drop. You’ll be surprised how much extra cream you get!

Dollop Cream

• Fat Content: Around 35%, with extra thickener.
• Why It Exists: My theory? With the rise of keto, dollop cream was invented as a “premium” product to fill the gap between thickened and double cream. This means… they took thickened cream, added more thickener and charged a heap more for it, making you think you’re getting a higher quality product. 

Check out this– 

Price Comparison (per 100g):

• Thickened Cream: $1 for 32-35% fat
• Dollop Cream: $1.90 for 32-35% fat
• Double Cream: $2.15 for 45% fat
  Hmmmmm...

Cultured Creams: 

Sour Cream

• How It’s Made: Pure cream + lactic acid bacteria = magic. It’s slightly heated, then left to ferment until tangy and thick.
• What It’s For: eating straight from the tub (Yes, I do this. No, I’m not ashamed.), a little legend to add extra rise and softness in baking and of course to eat with cabbage rolls!

Crème Fraiche

• What It Is: Sour cream’s posh cousin—milder, creamier, and a little richer.
• What It’s For: Cooking! Unlike sour cream, it doesn’t curdle when heated.

Clotted Cream

Clotted cream is made by gently heating cream to around 80°C for hours. The result? A thick, golden layer forms on top—spread it on our scones with our jam (god, what don’t we do?), and you’ve got a little slice of heaven.

Lactose-Free Cream

Did you know lactose-free cream is just regular cream with lactase added? Lactase is the enzyme that breaks down lactose, making it tummy-friendly for anyone with lactose intolerance. You can make this yourself, just pop into the chemist and grab some lactase supplement!

Can you believe there is still more in my brain about cream? My fingers are sick of typing today, so I'll leave it there with at least more info about cream than you ever thought you needed to know!