JackSteven:
'heavy' or double cream is just thicker than single cream, no more calories. The thinner stuff is more like milk so could be easier to drink.
Curveman:
Sorry Jack but I can't let this go unchallenged. Double cream has about 48% fat whereas heavy cream has about 36% and single cream around 18%. There is a correspondingly huge difference in calories too. You are of course correct in that in general the runnier it is the easier it is to drink. I have found a big difference between brands in Double Cream in the UK. For example the Jersey stuff I get from Spar tends to be thick whereas the double cream from Sainsburys or Tesco tends to be quite runny. Same fat content though at 48-50%.
JackSteven:
Going off the label on Tesco's Double and Single cream they are the same calories. Maybe the label is wrong or maybe we're not talking about the same thing.
Are you sure you didn't miss also looking at serving size?
In the U.S., for heavy cream the label typically says 50 calories a serving. But a "serving" is only 1 tablespoon, or half a fluid ounce. Whereas for half & half, it says 40 calories per serving, which while that's not much below 50, is for 2 tablespoons, or 1 fluid ounce. So to really compare apples to apples, you have to convert serving sizes, proportionally.
Thus, 100 calories per fluid ounce of heavy cream (36%) vs. half & half which is 40 per fluid ounce (10.5%).
I kind of wish we had double cream that was runny, as it would be easier to either drink or mix into shakes.
The U.S. does have something called "manufacturing cream" which is 40%, and 60 calories per tablespoon, or 120 calories per fluid ounce. But almost no one sells it. Wish I knew where to get some.
