Heavy Cream

Heavy cream, sometimes referred to as heavy whipping cream, contains 56.6 percent water and 36 to 40 percent fat (averaging 36 percent). Whipping cream has only 30 percent fat. The higher the butterfat and the colder the cream, the easier it is to whip and the more stable the whipped cream. My preference is Organic Valley or Stonyfield, both of which are 40 percent butterfat. Pasteurized cream, which is not heated to as high a temperature as ultra-pasteurized, is more flavorful and more stable. Ultra-pasteurized cream usually has various additives to enable it to whip adequately.