Light cream - available in your area?

Question

I got into a tangential discussion on another board about the availability (or not) of light cream. Here in New England it's a standard supermarket item, pretty much anywhere you go you can find half-and-half, light cream, heavy cream, and whipping cream, often several brands of each. But a poster from the midwest (KC area) says she hasn't seen it in markets there for 20 years.

I'm wondering if it's a regional thing - New England has a thriving local dairy industry, and the product is in demand locally, so they produce it (or they produce it so people have gotten used to buying it and using it - it's a chicken and egg thing, who knows which came first?)

So, Chowhounders from various parts of the country, a quick poll: where do you live and is light cream readily available in your area?

Answer

In Southern California definitely not. I'm originally from New England so I looked up the fat percentages and every once in a while I mix up my own.

Answer

Thanks for starting this topic, Bob. To clarify, I haven't lived in KC for over twenty years, but haven't seen light cream any of the places I've lived since I was quite young. The last time I remember buying it was at a Kroger when I lived in central KY, and that was over twenty years ago. I've been in TX, NC, CA, KY, and KS, and not found it anywhere in all that time.

Answer

Here in NYC light cream is generally available everywhere. Where I shop, 1/2n1/2, light cream, and heavy cream (a couple of brands each) are stocked. My father always ate summer blueberries in a bowl with light cream. I had no idea light cream was a regional thing.

Though I'm not sure I've ever seen something called "whipping cream". I just thought that was what heavy cream was. Then again, I've never looked either.

Answer

Oakland, CA. here. That's a big negative on the light cream. Never seen it outside of NJ/NY. Heavy cream out here is a whopping 40% fat and "whipping" cream is usually 36%. Whipping cream has gums & stabilizers added. Heavy cream; ingredient-cream. Is light cream radically different from 1/2 n' 1/2?

Answer

We don't have light cream in England. We have reduced-fat creme fraiche, which is great for cooking. I'm wondering if light cream is the same as single cream over here? Heavy cream, which is used for whipping, is known as double cream.

Answer

Although it's available in Mexico, in Puerto Vallarta none of the major grocery chains American like Walmart or Mexican like Soriana stock coffee cream or half and half. So for coffee drinkers who can't do without it we buy whipping cream and dilute it with water.

Answer

We have something called Light Cream in Canada that's commonly found in grocery stores (Ontario anyway) but I don't know if it's the same thing that you're referring to. It's 5% if I remember correctly. I used to buy it but then I noticed that it's list of ingredients is much longer than the higher fat percentages. It mainly for coffee for people who want something between whole milk and half-and-half.

Answer

I never truly understood what the differences between light and heavy cream. I have always seen it in supermarkets in NYC. Even my lousy local grocery store has it. I've never bought it, my grandfather used to put in his coffee before he started to use Farm Rich. I see it in the canisters at Au Bon Pain instead of half and half.

Answer

Can't find it in AZ. I've contacted the local dairy farm and they don't/won't make it. IN philadelphia it's everywhere.

Answer

Ann Arbor, Michigan. Over the last 15 years, it's gotten harder and harder to find. I'm down to one source--and that only in December. Which works out, because that's when I need it to make hot fudge sauce for gifts. I have had years where I couldn't find it all and had to mix my own from heavy cream and half and half.

Answer

In my area of New Jersey, not every store carries it; but it is pretty readily available. The main brands are Shop-Rite's (store brand) and Welsh Farms. I love that the Shop-Rite brand comes in quarts.

Answer

So, to sum up: the land of light cream extends through New England, NY, and NJ, into parts of PA. Our only respondent from the Great Lakes region (MI) says it's fast disappearing there (though I'd still like to get some responses from WI or MN). And it's apparently non-existent in the South, Midwest, and West.

I'm still scratching my head as to why this would be, but them's the facts.

Answer

Wisconsinite here -- No light cream available whatsoever. I live on the border of MN/WI and been to every possible grocery outlet/farm and light cream hasn't seen the light of day. I think our cheese/butter makers are too protective over their butterfat.

Answer

When I was growing up in New York, light cream was a standard grocery item. Somewhere along the way, they started calling it half & half (i.e., what was called light cream in my childhood is the same thing as what is now called half & half).

In today's Toronto, "light cream" is widely available, but it isn't the same thing. In Ontario, all dairy products are sold by butterfat content and things such as "light cream" and "half & half" are marketing jargon.

The available cream products are:

5% (called "light cream" on the label)
10% (called "half & half")
18% (called "coffee cream" by some brands and "table cream" by others)
32% (sometimes called "whipping cream")
35% (sometimes called "whipping cream")
40% (sometimes called "double cream")

The additives in some cream products are likely because of UHT Pasteurization. My understanding is that UHT creams without additives are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to whip, irrespective of their butterfat content. I can't say this with certainty, but the local 32-35% creams that do not contain additives are also not UHT processed. I do not understand why the lower butterfat creams would need additives.

The 40% cream is very thick, and very delicious, but it does not whip. It does not resemble the "double cream" I've had in Europe.

The designations for milk products seem similarly regional. We have milk that is 0%, 1%, 2%, 3.25%, and 3.28%. Both 3.25% and 3.28% are considered to be "whole milk".

Whole milk is generically called "homo". Some niche brands that are not homogenized would still be called "homo". All lower fat (1% and 2%) milk products are homogenized, but are not "homo".

Answer

I saw light cream in the cooler at the Dominick's near me in Chicago when I was picking up some heavy cream for next week. Its probably always been there, but I never really noticed it until after reading this post.

Answer

The Kroger in Georgia just discontinued their store brand of light cream a few weeks ago, and never had another brand to compete or replace it with. 

Some Bi-Lo stores (not around here) carry their "Southern Home" store brand of light cream, and Harris Teeter (North Carolina) also has a store brand.

Dunkin Donuts and Carribou coffee always used it for their creamer, and have even bought a few quarts from Dunkin before. 

I can't understand why it is so hard to come by, when there is not even a close comparison to half and half as a coffee creamer.

Answer

Light cream when we were in MA or Okinawa. Half and Half here in our home state of California.

Answer

Here in Az It's impossible to find. People don't even know what it is... Even those in Dunkin and Starbucs, as both use Half and Half out here...

Every market I go in I play the same game, do you have Lt Cream not H&H and the employee takes me over the the diary section and shows me H&H and calls that lt cream~~~it's the dumbing down of America of America... I can see not having it, but not even knowing what it is~pathetic... BTW: I sometimes do this to the same employee more than once, my wife gets mad at me for playing with the poor things... 

I wonder if in Seattle they have real light cream~and they call themselves coffee connoisseurs?

Answer

I think it's probably due to the many new milk products~2%, 1%, etc. The diaries just can't make that many products~especially when the consumers have no idea as to what the differences of those products are~because they are pathetic... So you snooze you loose...

Answer

Indiana and no light cream available. I moved here from Boston area almost 13 years ago and this has always baffled me. I wish I could get it shipped to me because coffee just doesn't taste the same with half and half.
Thanks,
Mark

Answer

I live in Delaware and light cream is readily available in all WAWA convenience stores. WAWA is in PA NJ DE MD. However I travel to Nevada at least 2 times a year and have been very frustrated at not only not being able to find Light Cream but as someone else has mentioned, people don't even know what it is and always suggest half & half (not even close). By the way for the coffee connoisseurs out there, for a real treat try some Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee with Light Cream, ( to die for )

Answer

Since I got an update that someone else posted about Light Cream at Wawa, I'd also add that Stop & Shop seems to carry their own brand as well, and it's substantially cheaper than at Shop-Rite.

Answer

Late to the party, but my two cents: we have, in all the grocery stores, light cream, half & half, whipping cream, and heavy cream. It's always been this way as long as I've been cooking, and I'm not a spring chicken. :)

Answer

Ohio - No. We just don't have it here. So I make my chowders with heavy cream - but they still taste really good.

Answer

I was recently out in Colorado, and they sold it in the Pueblo area, and I have also been able to find it in Virginia (near DC)...but the only place in the South that I have found it is the Publix grocery store chain (located in Alabama, Tenn., Georgia, and Florida), and they sell it under their store brand name labeled "Coffee Creamer"....but the ingredients say it's light cream.

Answer

I just moved to Michigan from suburban Philadelphia. My local Acme store in Paoli had it, no problem... I use it to make lobster bisque.

So I assumed it was available nationwide...WRONG!! Can't find it. So, I'll just have to make my own by diluting heavy cream with milk.

As an aside, sauerkraut balls are unknown on the East Coast, but are popular in Ohio and Michigan. Sorry for the diversion. Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Answer

Not available in the Clearwater, FL area for the past several months. Sweet bay use to carry it but has gone out of business. Publix has a product they call "coffee creamer" which they claim to be light cream but it seems to spoil very quickly.

Answer

I live in southwest Florida no light cream....I want my cream

Answer

Just moved to Las Vegas and can't find Light Cream anywhere!!! I could even get Light Cream at local 7 Eleven's in Massachusetts, but can't find it anywhere out here. If anyone is in the Las Vegas area and have found Light Cream somewhere, please reply and let me know where! Thanks!

Answer

I moved to Orlando Fl from Connecticut about 12 years ago. For the 1st year here I was able to find and purchase light cream from Albertsons and 7 eleven. About a year or two in, 7 eleven stopped caring it, and all the Albertsons began to close. I don’t understand why? Publix, Winn Dixie, Fresh Market, Whole Foods, Super Target, they all carry heavy cream, whipping cream, half n half and a hundred different coffee creamers......BUT NO LIGHT CREAM!!!!! If you’re from New England and you’re a fan of Dunkin Donuts, then you know they use light cream as their staple creamer. Wawa offers it as an option at their self serve coffee bar! But you still can’t buy it from either place!!!!! UGH! So frustrating. WHY???

Answer

Wisconsin has a thriving dairy industry. I never see it. I'm fine with heavy, though.

"Light" and "cream" sounds a bit off to me.

Answer

I just moved from New England to California and there's no light cream, even though CA is the country's #1 milk producer. I'm surrounded by dairy cows and live in a part of town called "the Creamery District", so it appears that you need more than a "thriving dairy industry" to have light cream on the store shelves. From big supermarket chains down to local co-ops, I've counted 14 different brands of milk -- but none of them make "light cream".

This is CRAZY. Not only have I spent my life putting light cream in my coffee, my daughter and I cook with it all the time (pasta sauces etc.). I'll have to mix some heavy cream with whole milk and hope it doesn't chunk up in my coffee. :(

FYI, the top 10 milk producing states as of 2013: 

1. California
2. Wisconsin
3. New York
4. Idaho
5. Pennsylvania
6. Texas
7. Michigan
8. Minnesota
9. New Mexico
10. Washington

https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/dairy/uploader/docs/CDR%20MAR.pdf

(Note: These are state TOTALS. I assume some New England states would make the list if it were per capita.)

Answer

I live in Crestview Florida and light cream is not readily available. I usually get it at Winn Dixie but they have not had any for over a week!!!

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