From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
1. (n.) a component of milk in which the fat globules have become more concentrated than usual. For general purposes, cream is classified as coffee or whipping cream, depending on fat content. Coffee cream or table cream usually contains 18 percent fat and is sometimes known as light cream in the U.S. In Canada, light cream refers to a cream with just 5 percent fat. Whipping cream contains approximately 35 percent fat. In the U.S., there is also a light whipping cream that contains 30 to 36 percent fat. Half-and-half is a mixture of equal parts milk and cream and is 10 to 12 percent fat. See also double cream, heavy cream. 2. (v.) to mix and beat one or more foods (such as butter, or butter and sugar) for a cake or cookies by hand or with a spoon, fork or other mechanical tool until soft and fluffy.
