I Found “La Crème de la Crème” Lurking Inside My Heavy-Cream Carton — Don’t Throw It Away

Today I was making ice cream for a small project and, as I often do, I checked the pull-seal under the heavy-cream carton’s round spout. There was a thin film of thicker cream trapped underneath. Cream can separate a little, of course, but I realized I had never actually opened the carton fully and inspected the inside. If I had, I would have found tablespoons of thick cream clinging to the top of the carton — bits that gentle shaking doesn’t free. It’s the kind of richness our grandmothers might have spooned off fresh-delivered milk into their coffee. While some people might celebrate the calories they “didn’t” eat, I felt robbed. Imagine how much richer whipped and heavy-cream confections could have been all these years if we’d known this was hiding up there. La crème de la crème really does exist — and most of us have missed it.

So from now on: when using heavy or whipping cream, open the carton completely and scrape any thicker cream that has separated into whatever you’re making. Not every brand will have this layer, but if yours does, don’t let what could be called “the best of the best” go to waste.

• A small confession: the “project” isn’t tiny and ice cream is hardly innocent — so eat all the vegetables you can this week before I set it upon you, hopefully in a week’s time.

** I was using Organic Valley brand heavy cream.

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