What’s The Difference Between Heavy Cream And Half-And-Half? Can I Substitute Half-And-Half For Recipes Calling For Heavy Cream?

As the resident "foodie" at work, I often field food-related questions.  Today, a co-worker asked me a question that I thought was a good one and I thought I would share the answer.  The question was:  Can I substitute half-and-half for heavy cream in a recipe?

The answer to the question is no.  A recipe calling for heavy cream would be depending on the higher fat content for some reason - thickening, texture, or taste.  Using a dairy product with a lower fat content - like half-and-half, would provide less-than-desirable results.  As an example - the specific question my co-worker had was in relation to Alfredo sauce.  In this situation, the half-and-half wouldn't provide enough fat to thicken the sauce the way that you would want.

To get more specifics about fat content in dairy products, I researched them on Martha Stewart's website.  Her research shows heavy cream clocking in at up to 40% fat while half-and-half only has 10 to 18% milk fat.

Read more about the fat content in dairy products by clicking here.