Double cream?

otterhound, Oct 4, 6:03am
If a curry recipe calls for double cream, or coconut cream, will ordinary cream suffice!And what actually is double cream!TIA=)
gardie, Oct 4, 6:06am
Ordinary cream is fine.I believe that its to do with the concentration of milk fats (I think that's the thing) in the cream.In NZ ours is pretty high compared to some other countries.I was once told that double cream is whipped cream and single cream runny cream but I'm pretty sure this isn't the case.
otterhound, Oct 4, 6:14am
Thanks gardie - that'll do me=)
jenjen76, Oct 4, 6:24am
I would just use ordinary cream.Double cream in the UK is not whipped cream, but has a higher butter fat content than both single cream and the cream here in NZ.The cream in NZ has a butter fat content somewhere between single and double cream.Not sure what the exact values are, people say different percentages on the internet.but this seems about right."minimum 48% for UK double cream, minimum 35% for UK whipping cream and minimum 18% for UK single cream. NZ standard cream has about 38% fat".
kuaka, Oct 4, 6:30am
I seem to recall that double cream in the UK will whip whereas single cream won't (or at least takes much more whipping to thicken it)
duckmoon, Oct 4, 7:10am
double cream is often called for in recipes from the UK.
In the UK, they have single cream with a fat content of (mmm) 35%
and double cream with a fat content of (mmm) 45%
In NZ, the fat content of cream is approx 40%. so can easily be used in recipes which call for double cream (and single cream).
duckmoon, Oct 4, 7:10am
double cream is NOT the thickened cream which you can buy in pottles in NZ.
That product is cream which has been thickened with geleatine
otterhound, Oct 4, 10:01am
Thanks all - has shed light on that question =)At least, for future reference, I know our normal cream will suffice.And . it worked just fine in the curry tonight=)So we don't actually have a double cream!Can't say I've ever seen it for sale.
duckmoon, Oct 4, 11:23am
You are correct, double cream isn't commonly available in NZ.There isn't a need for it, because our cream fat content is soooo close to that of double cream.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say, single cream isn't commonly available in NZ
village.green, Oct 5, 10:17am
Agree with duckmoon. Our cream is double we don't have 'single'. Also I don't think you can whip/thicken single cream. Although it's been so long since I've lived in UK I might be wrong.
In an Indian recipe I don't think it matters whether you use coconut or just normal (double) cream, you probably just want the richness.
245sam, Oct 5, 10:29am
village.green, it is almost 5 years since we visited the UK during December and early January, but from memory I think it was actually single cream that was used for whipping.I remember our hostess adding some milk to the double cream that she was using for something she was making because the double cream was unbelievably thick - like thick custard and almost too thick to spoon out of its container. :-))
kuaka, Oct 5, 8:37pm
Must have changed then, 'cos that's not the way I remember it.Single cream in the UK was just like "cream off the top of the milk" - just a bit thicker than milk, but almost unwhippable.Double cream was thicker and was used for whipping.Thickened cream was the stuff that's like custard.

Edited to add, that I don't think it would make much difference in an Indian or curry type recipe, it's more to deaden any heat isn't it!
245sam, Oct 5, 10:13pm
It was definitely double cream.I took particular notice because as a born and bred Kiwi/New Zealander I had often heard of but had never seen double cream - only our 'normal' cream and thickened (with thickeners) cream.:-))
davidt4, Oct 5, 10:53pm
Last year in London I cooked with double cream from Sainsburys.It was much thicker than NZ cream and had to be spooned out of the container.Just as 245sam describes.I wish we could get it here.
jayimu, Oct 5, 11:23pm
Doubt that it was single cream. Single cream can't be whipped.
sarahb5, Oct 5, 11:44pm
But in the UK you can buy whipping cream - it pours out of the container at about the same consistency as single cream but is specifically for whipping.Not sure what the fat content is or why it's different to single cream, but it is.The cream cartons in the UK used to be colour coded so you knew what you were buying when you picked it up without having to read the label - red was single, blue was double, green was whipping - no idea what colour clotted was, possibly yellow but it's a long time ago since I was there.

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/groceries/frameset/redirect.jsp;GROSESSIONID=QvwZcvYbZH3zv7GYmfvDjpHLmjG5zVRxcx4QB3ZNTHxVWzGKgZnB!775185233!bmForm=deep_link_groceries_search_javascript&bmFormID=1349480569544&bmUID=1349480569544&screenWidth=1024
jayimu, Oct 6, 12:00am
Whipping cream has about twice as much milk fat as single cream. http://www.milk.co.uk/page.aspx!intPageID=370
davidt4, Oct 6, 12:06am
The Sainsburys linkhas the answers -the fat percentagesare:

Single cream18%

Whipping cream 38.9%[same as NZ plain cream]

Double cream 47.5%

Clotted cream 63.5%

The Light Double Cream Substitute sounds pretty scary:Buttermilk (75%), Vegetable Fat (21.5%), Vegetable Oil (1.5%), Buttermilk Powder, Emulsifiers: E435, E322 (from Soya), Stabilisers: E412, E410, E407, Colour: E160a.

The
sarahb5, Oct 6, 1:58am
But if that's the same one as my mum used to buy it tastes fabulous!
sarahb5, Oct 6, 1:59am
Well there you go then - their whipping cream is pretty much the same as what we just call "cream" and use for everything.
village.green, Oct 6, 2:08am
Clotted Cream - oh my god that is gorgeous, amazing, wonderful stuff.
Have just come back from UK and only had it twice. Silly girl! why didn't I go wild and eat it at every opportunity!
I had a list of things I was going to re-connect with (food & drink wise) on my visit and I think I fulfilled them all.
(Lived there for first 22 years of my life)
sarahb5, Oct 6, 2:11am
My mum lives in Devon now - I am so jealous of her access to clotted cream!Did you try the Marmite with sparkly gold bits in it!I really must see if mum can send us some for Christmas.
manukarose1, Oct 6, 3:19am
I was watching food safari yesterday and they were making or collecting might be more apt, double cream by skimming the thickened substance off boiling milk. (lebanese cuisine)

Pardon me i think they said clotted cream not double. Hmm. *tries to remember.
davidt4, Oct 6, 4:16am
If it was in Lebanon it would most likely be a version of Kaymak (Turkish clotted cream), which is one of the best things I've ever eaten!It is made from buffalo milk and is even thicker and more velvety than clotted cream.