What’s Actually in Your Heavy Cream?

Writing my gelato cookbook has taught me so many things, and not only about gelato. It was a deep dive into ingredient quality and what’s actually in our food. I got to see firsthand what options are available in the supermarket.

Milk is huge. For gelato, it’s arguably one of the most important ingredients. Ask me a question about milk, and I could talk for thirty minutes, because there’s so much more to it than we think.

Heavy cream is a good place to start. It’s just milk with a much higher concentration of milk fat, so you’d expect the label to say one word: cream. Turn the carton around, and the label can tell a different story.

What heavy cream is supposed to be

Heavy cream is the fat-rich part of milk. In the U.S., it has to contain at least 36 percent milkfat to be called heavy cream or heavy whipping cream.

When milk comes from the cow and sits, the fat naturally rises to the top. Today that separation is done with a centrifuge, which spins the milk to pull the fat apart from the rest. A controlled amount of the fat is then added back to the milk to reach the right percentage for whole milk, 2 percent, and so on. The cream that’s taken off is what becomes heavy cream.

What companies are allowed to add

The FDA lets heavy cream contain emulsifiers and stabilizers, as long as they’re listed on the label. Many store brands list carrageenan. Others add mono- and diglycerides, polysorbate 80, or cellulose gum.

So what is carrageenan?

Carrageenan is an ingredient made from red seaweed. It thickens, gels, and keeps foods from separating. That’s why it shows up in dairy, plant milks, deli meats, and desserts. It’s often grouped with the gums, since it does the same job. 

However, the issue with gums is that they can lead to digestive upsets, especially for people who experience IBS or IBS-C. Gums can also alter your gut’s microbiome, getting rid of the good bacteria. It’s not like having a bit of heavy cream is going to wreak havoc on you, but gums appear in so many of the foods in supermarkets, it’s important to avoid them so we don’t wind up having them in most products we consume.

What are mono- and diglycerides?

Fat and water don’t like to stay mixed. An emulsifier is what keeps them together, the way egg yolk keeps a vinaigrette from splitting. Mono- and diglycerides are made from fats, usually vegetable oils, that are heated with glycerin. In cream, they help keep it smooth.

Why companies use it

Cream naturally wants to separate, with the fat rising and the liquid settling. Stabilizers help it stay smooth and even in the carton, and some help it whip quicker.

Why I avoid them

Cream doesn’t need them, and neither does gelato. The whole philosophy of “less is more” applies to our food above all else.

How to read the label

• Read the ingredient list, not the front of the carton. Marketing claims don’t tell you what’s inside.

• The best list is one word: cream.

• If you can find pasteurized instead of ultra-pasteurized.

Which cream do I love? 

Reading the label is the easy part. Finding a cream that passes is harder. I have a brand I use and love, and it’s in my cookbook, coming soon. Join the email list to know when it launches.