Heavy Cream Substitute
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JeffArmstrong112
Posts: 17 Member
in Recipes
This is an easy, healthier (not necessarily healthy) heavy cream substitute. It is not to be used for items like deserts or in cases of whipped/aerated cream, rather it is a good replacement in recipes that ask for heavy cream to change or add consistency, such as soups.
Ingredients
1/4 cup low fat milk
1 tbs butter (not margarine)
1-2 tbs flour
Directions
1. Melt butter in small sauce pan over low heat
2. Slowly stir in milk and heat until you see steam begin to rise off the surface but not boiling.
3. Slowly sift in small portions of flour, stirring with a wisk, keep adding flour until thick to approximately the same as heavy cream.
4. Set aside to cool. As it cools it will thicken a little more.
Ingredients
1/4 cup low fat milk
1 tbs butter (not margarine)
1-2 tbs flour
Directions
1. Melt butter in small sauce pan over low heat
2. Slowly stir in milk and heat until you see steam begin to rise off the surface but not boiling.
3. Slowly sift in small portions of flour, stirring with a wisk, keep adding flour until thick to approximately the same as heavy cream.
4. Set aside to cool. As it cools it will thicken a little more.
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Replies
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I often just stir in some evaporated 2% or skim milk.0
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I usually just use milk. Whole most of the time.0
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Its a basic bechamel sauce, the easier way is to melt the butter then stir in the flour and cook out. Then slowly add the milk while whisking to avoid lumps forming0
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Its a basic bechamel sauce, the easier way is to melt the butter then stir in the flour and cook out. Then slowly add the milk while whisking to avoid lumps forming
This ^^
If you add the milk before the flour you are much more likely to get lumps. It's best to let the butter and flour cook together for a couple of minutes so you won't taste the flour. Also, the less fat milk has in it the more likely it is to separate, so if using fat free or very low fat it's best to remove from the heat while stirring in the milk, then slowly reheat to thicken.0 -
JeffArmstrong112 wrote: »This is an easy, healthier (not necessarily healthy) heavy cream substitute. It is not to be used for items like deserts or in cases of whipped/aerated cream, rather it is a good replacement in recipes that ask for heavy cream to change or add consistency, such as soups.
Ingredients
1/4 cup low fat milk
1 tbs butter (not margarine)
1-2 tbs flour
Directions
1. Melt butter in small sauce pan over low heat
2. Slowly stir in milk and heat until you see steam begin to rise off the surface but not boiling.
3. Slowly sift in small portions of flour, stirring with a wisk, keep adding flour until thick to approximately the same as heavy cream.
4. Set aside to cool. As it cools it will thicken a little more.
How is it healthier? It's lower cals?0 -
I always add a little milk to the flour to make a paste. Never any lumps. I've tried the butter, add flour thing but I've always had to beat the heck out of it with a whisk to get "most" of the lumps out.0
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JeffBrown3 wrote: »I always add a little milk to the flour to make a paste. Never any lumps. I've tried the butter, add flour thing but I've always had to beat the heck out of it with a whisk to get "most" of the lumps out.
Yep, I have never tried without butter.... next time I will give that a shot... much healthier without the butter.0 -
JeffArmstrong112 wrote: »
Mostly less cholesterol -- about 80 mg lower for equivalent volume, slightly lower fat and lower sat fats by a few grams. I did not claim it was healthy, just healthier than heavy cream.
Take out the butter and it is much healthier. [/quote]
I never asked you why it was healthy, but why you claimed it was healthier than the heavy cream. Your answer is "mostly less cholesterol" LOL. May want to do more research and also contemplate the fact on the context how foodstuffs fit in one's diet
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Instant mashed potato flakes to thicken a soup. Or cooked rice and a blender. The first is James Beard's "trick", the second Julia Child's0
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I would just use the heavy cream if the dish requires it. For a thickener in soups and gravies, I use corn starch. Not many calories in that and it does not take much to do the trick.0
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JeffArmstrong112 wrote: »
Mostly less cholesterol -- about 80 mg lower for equivalent volume, slightly lower fat and lower sat fats by a few grams. I did not claim it was healthy, just healthier than heavy cream.
Take out the butter and it is much healthier.
I never asked you why it was healthy, but why you claimed it was healthier than the heavy cream. Your answer is "mostly less cholesterol" LOL. May want to do more research and also contemplate the fact on the context how foodstuffs fit in one's diet
I dont often agree with you but here... 100%. Often times people replace stuff for no reason what so ever and really... how is bunch of processed butter and flour better than cream???[/quote]
It depends on the person. It would be lower saturated fat, which is recommended for many conditions. It would be less calories, which is can be good if you are trying to control weight.
Processed doesn't make food unhealthy anymore than high fat or calories does.0 -
Just use the heavy cream... I can't imagine that bechamel sauce would taste better in dishes that are supposed to have heavy cream, plus it's more work, and calories are probably similar... what's the point?0
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sheldonklein wrote: »Instant mashed potato flakes to thicken a soup. Or cooked rice and a blender. The first is James Beard's "trick", the second Julia Child's
I also white beans or even pureed cauliflower or butternut squash (depends on the soup).
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Queenmunchy wrote: »sheldonklein wrote: »Instant mashed potato flakes to thicken a soup. Or cooked rice and a blender. The first is James Beard's "trick", the second Julia Child's
I also white beans or even pureed cauliflower or butternut squash (depends on the soup).
Good idea....
I found another that uses low fat milk, chicken broth and wheat flour.... much less sat fats, and of course lower cholesterol.
http://www.cookinglight.com/healthy-living/weight-loss/healthy-heavy-cream-substitute
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Just use the heavy cream... I can't imagine that bechamel sauce would taste better in dishes that are supposed to have heavy cream, plus it's more work, and calories are probably similar... what's the point?
Heavy cream has little or no taste (unless sweetened for whipped cream deserts for example). Heavy cream, though, has texture... it is what gives soups or other puree's the 'creamy' quality.
Heavy cream is the concentrated fats from milk products which is generally all saturated as well as high in cholesterol and adds empty calories to a meal.
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What does the term "empty calories" mean? It has fat, so there are fat calories. A calorie is a measurement of energy so what does a calorie need to contain to be considered "full"? Does it mean like calories that really don't provide anything nutritional? Like eating a spoonful of plain white sugar? Since heavy cream contains fat and fat is required (just not a whole lot), it would seem to be beneficial if that shot of cream in whatever you're making is the only source of fat in your day.
So what does someone mean when they say that?
Not trying to be snarky at all, this is just something I've always wondered.0 -
MommyL2015 wrote: »What does the term "empty calories" mean? It has fat, so there are fat calories. A calorie is a measurement of energy so what does a calorie need to contain to be considered "full"? Does it mean like calories that really don't provide anything nutritional? Like eating a spoonful of plain white sugar? Since heavy cream contains fat and fat is required (just not a whole lot), it would seem to be beneficial if that shot of cream in whatever you're making is the only source of fat in your day.
So what does someone mean when they say that?
Not trying to be snarky at all, this is just something I've always wondered.
Good points, not snarky ... reasonable conversation is how I learn .... I use the term empty calories as foods that supply calories without any other substantial nutritional value. Exactly like eating a spoon full of sugar vs eating a calorie equivalent about of a sweet fruit, the latter being better of course.
Yes, we all need fats, but not all fats are the same. Dairy fats, specifically the C12 to C16 saturate fatty acids found in milk, push blood fats in the wrong directions.... i.e. raising LDLs, lowering HDLs, and increasing triglycerides. I prefer to get a mix of fats, minimizing the fats derived from animal fats and increasing those fats derived from plant fats.
Here is an example:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2926059/Based on eight recent randomized control trials of parallel or cross-over design and recent reviews it can be concluded that replacement of saturated fat mainly (but not exclusively) derived from high-fat dairy products with low-fat dairy products lowers LDL/HDL cholesterol and total/HDL cholesterol ratios.
When I see a recipe using heavy cream I cringe, I have no control over how much dairy fat I put into the dish other than using less or none at all (which I don't want to sacrifice, I love the taste and eating of food
)... if I can find something that I can use that helps lower those components or balance it in a good way I will usually test it out and, if I like it, use it. 0 -
JeffArmstrong112 wrote: »Just use the heavy cream... I can't imagine that bechamel sauce would taste better in dishes that are supposed to have heavy cream, plus it's more work, and calories are probably similar... what's the point?
Heavy cream has little or no taste (unless sweetened for whipped cream deserts for example). Heavy cream, though, has texture... it is what gives soups or other puree's the 'creamy' quality.
Heavy cream is the concentrated fats from milk products which is generally all saturated as well as high in cholesterol and adds empty calories to a meal.
.. empty calories and a lot of taste.
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JeffArmstrong112 wrote: »This is an easy, healthier (not necessarily healthy) heavy cream substitute. It is not to be used for items like deserts or in cases of whipped/aerated cream, rather it is a good replacement in recipes that ask for heavy cream to change or add consistency, such as soups.
Ingredients
1/4 cup low fat milk
1 tbs butter (not margarine)
1-2 tbs flour
Directions
1. Melt butter in small sauce pan over low heat
2. Slowly stir in milk and heat until you see steam begin to rise off the surface but not boiling.
3. Slowly sift in small portions of flour, stirring with a wisk, keep adding flour until thick to approximately the same as heavy cream.
4. Set aside to cool. As it cools it will thicken a little more.
This is basic bechamel. Heat the butter, then add the flour to make a basic roux and end with the milk, it works much better this way. It can also work with broth instead of milk. And for a fully vegetarian version, you can replace the butter with olive oil - I do not like butter anyway, so it works better for me .
For soups, a trick I have found, which I actually think it improves the taste (like I said, I do not particularly like butter/cream) is to reduce cream or replace with evaporated cream, and add in the soup a potato, which you will puree in the end. It adds a nice thick texture, and it is very simple to make.
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