What to use instead of heavy cream
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Whipping to hold air
Above about 36 percent fat, the fat crystals link into a scaffold around each air bubble. Below roughly 30 percent there is not enough fat to build the wall.
Coconut cream, the solid skimmed off a chilled canPlant-based
1:1
Whips stiff and holds for hours in the fridge. Tastes clearly of coconut, softens fast at room temperature and can turn grainy if overbeaten.
Mascarpone loosened with milkRan out
3/4 cup mascarpone + 1/4 cup milk per 1 cup cream
Thicker and tangier and it holds its shape for days, which suits a piped filling. It breaks into grains if you beat past soft peaks.
Evaporated milk, chilled to near freezingRan out
1 cup evaporated milk + 1 tsp lemon juice
Whips up in about 4 minutes and collapses back within half an hour, so fold it in immediately before serving. Tastes cooked and slightly caramel.
What doesn't work: Half-and-half or a light whipping cream. Under about 30 percent fat there are not enough fat crystals to hold a bubble, so it foams up and falls back to liquid inside a minute whatever speed you beat it at.
Enriching a sauce so it will not split
High fat and comparatively little protein means it can sit at a simmer with wine, lemon or tomato and stay smooth.
Creme fraicheRan out
1:1
Tangier and even more stable in heat, and it thickens the sauce more. It can taste sour under delicate fish.
Full-fat canned coconut milkPlant-based
1:1
Thickens hard as it reduces and holds against acid. The coconut sits well under curry spice and badly under garlic and parmesan.
Evaporated milkRan out
1:1
About a third of the fat, so the sauce is thinner and tastes cooked, but it resists curdling, which is why old chowder recipes use it.
Cashew creamPlant-based
1 cup raw cashews soaked 4 hours, blended with 3/4 cup water, per 1 cup cream
Thickens further on standing and tastes faintly sweet and nutty. If the blender is weak it stays grainy and no amount of cooking fixes it.
What doesn't work: Sour cream or plain yogurt stirred into a simmering pan. Their fat-to-protein ratio is far lower, so the casein clumps the moment the sauce goes above a bare simmer and the whole thing goes to curds and whey.
Fat in a set dessert such as ganache, ice cream or panna cotta
The fat is what keeps the set soft. Take it out and the same recipe freezes rock hard or sets rubbery.
Coconut creamPlant-based
1:1
Sets firmer than dairy because coconut fat is hard at fridge temperature, so cut the gelatin or chocolate slightly. Tastes of coconut.
Whole milk plus melted butterRan out
3/4 cup milk + 1/4 cup melted butter per 1 cup cream
Works in anything cooked. It will not whip, and if it cools without stirring the butter can rise and set as a greasy layer.
Evaporated milk plus butter, for ganacheRan out
1 cup evaporated milk + 2 tbsp butter per 1 cup cream
Sets softer and duller, so it spreads well and will not hold a sharp piped edge.
What doesn't work: Milk on its own in a ganache. There is not enough fat to carry the emulsion, so the chocolate seizes into a grainy paste and weeps cocoa butter across the top.