New Product: Trader Joe's Shelf-Stable Whipping Cream Product Review

Item: Trader Joe's Shelf-Stable Whipping Cream
Price: $1.29 for 8 oz
Overall Impression: It has its downsides, but all-in-all it's a handy, serviceable way to be sure you have cream in your pantry.

Whipping cream is not an everyday ingredient in my kitchen, so it's not something I usually keep on hand. When I do buy cream, it's for a special occasion or a specific dish, and that probably happens maybe two or three times a year. Still, it would be nice to have cream tucked away for those times when it sneaks up on me in a recipe or when unexpected guests stop in and I'd like to fancy up the dessert. So I was intrigued when I spied Trader Joe's newest product: a shelf-stable whipping cream in an aseptic box. Read on for my review.

The small box is reasonably priced at $1.29 for 8 oz (or 1 cup) of cream. It is not organic, which is a bit of an issue for me since I try to keep my dairy as organic as possible. The box contains cream and carrageenan (a natural seaweed-based additive that promotes viscosity.) I purchased my cream on September 22 and, according to the stamp on the box, it should be good until February 4, 2013.

Taste
I tasted the cream at room temperature, and again after it was refrigerated for three hours. At room temperature I would give it medium marks for flavor. It wasn't horrid, but it wasn't divine either. There was some nice dairy flavor but was muted, and it was missing some of the natural sweetness of cream. After it cooled, I found the taste even more muted which chilling can do. The lack of flavor is not a surprise, however, because in order for the cream to be shelf-stable, it needs to be exposed to a very high heat which kills of much of its subtle and complex flavor compounds. But be fair, I am used to purchasing local organic cream so the bar is set very high.

Texture
The texture was very nice and quite velvety. I'm not sure if it was my imagination, but the cream seemed to thicken up in the refrigerator (maybe this is another function of the carrageenan?). It produced a lovely, silky base for a quiche I made using Emma's ratio of 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup cream to 3 eggs.

But Does It Whip?
Yes, but it took a lot of work. I whipped the cream by hand (which I am used to) and was surprised at how long it took to form soft peaks (at least twice as long as it usually does). The directions on the box say that the cream needs to be refrigerated for 6 hours before whipping and I suspect that the chilling here is even more important than with regular cream. I ended up putting the cream in a glass bowl with the whisk in it and put the whole thing in the refrigerator so that everything was chilled. Even then it was quite the wrist workout. I did not try it using an electric mixer which would of course be easier and more efficient.

Would I Buy It Again?
Sure, especially with the holidays coming up. I would use it more as an ingredient than whipping cream, however, since the flavor is very important in whipping cream and it didn't score high marks in that area for me. Also, since the box needs to be chilled for several hours in order for it to whip, it doesn't quite work for last minute emergencies. (I suppose you could just store it in the refrigerator.) But all-in-all this is a handy, serviceable way to be sure you have cream in your pantry. And obviously it would travel well, too.

Now, can we move on to solve the real heavy cream dilemma: What do you do when you just want a tablespoon or two of fresh cream but you have to buy a whole carton?

Related: Basic Technique: How to Make Whipping Cream

Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf.

(Image: Dana Velden)

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Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Recall Expands To Include Other Nut Butters Food Safety News

Last Friday Trader Joe's announced it was recalling its Salted Valencia Peanut Butter because of reports it was contaminated with a rare strain of salmonella. Now Sunland, Inc, the company that makes Trader Joe's peanut butter, says it is recalling all the nut butters in its product line, including those made for Target's Archer Farms and Earth Balance.

The Trader Joe's products affected by the recall include:

Trader Joe's Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds, Crunchy and Salted, 16 oz
Trader Joe's Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter with Sea Salt, 16 oz
Trader Joe's Almond Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds, Crunchy & Salted, 16 oz.

See the full list of products affected in Sunland's official press release. If you have one of these butters in your pantry, you should a) obviously NOT eat it, and b) take it back to the store immediately for a refund.

Read More: Peanut Butter Recall Widens To Other Nut Butters After Salmonella Outbreak The Salt

Related: Unsafe Food Handling: Do You Say Anything To Your Host?

(Image: US Food Safety)

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Is Shelf-Stable Whipping Cream Safe? Good Questions

Q: I saw a new item at my Trader Joe's: whipping cream that doesn't need to be refrigerated until opened. The ingredients are cream and carrageenan. The expiration date is February 2013. Is this safe? Does anyone have any experience using this particular (or a similar) item?

Sent by Jessica

Editor: My guess is that this milk is ultra high temperature pasteurized (UHT). This keeps milk shelf-stable and "fresh" for several months when stored in an airtight container at room temperature (much like this organic milk). The carrageenan is likely there as a thickener to make the cream easier to whip. In short, the milk is definitely safe to use, but it also depends on how your feel about UHT-treated milk. Here's a little more info:

Food Science: What's the Deal with Ultra High Temperature Pasteurization?

Readers, what do you think? Have you tried this whipping cream?

Next question?

Related: What Is Vat Pasteurized Milk?

(Image: Jessica)

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Have You Ever Made Tortillas by Hand? Share Your Tips and Recipes!

Having spent almost 20 years living in or near San Francisco's Mission District, I've never bothered making tortillas at home since there was ample opportunity to buy delicious fresh tortillas made by people who obviously really know what they are doing (La Palma on 24th and Florida, if you're curious). Now I live a little father away and the closest tortillas are Trader Joe's Truly Handmade, which aren't bad but not quite the same either. So I've been curious about trying my hand at making my own from scratch. Do you have any advice?

I was really inspired by Magdalena Martinez Baustista in the video below but I'm almost sure that she's being making tortillas for dozens of years, which allows her to function with a grace and ease that makes it look easier than it really is. Plus, I don't have her amazing set up: the grinding stone, the press and the wood fire comal. Not to mention the nephew with a molino to grind my corn or even a metate for home grinding! Even her children take a short cut these days by purchasing already prepared dough.

Of course, Magdalena is making corn tortillas which requires masa harina (corn treated with lye) and a press to get them really thin and even. Perhaps making flour tortillas is a little easier and can be made with ingredients I usually have one hand such as flour, salt, baking powder, canola oil. Plus, flour tortillas can be rolled out by hand, so a press isn't required. So maybe that would be a good place to start? Sarah Rae makes it seem pretty easy in this recipe from a few years ago.

So please help me out here, Kitchn readers! What advice do you have for making good tortillas at home? Should I just go to Trader Joe's and pick up a package of their Truly Hand Made or is it worth it to make them from scratch? Do you use lard or canola oil in your flour tortillas? Rolling pin or press? Any experience with a wood-fired comal?

Related: Yea and Nay: Making Homemade Tortillas Without a Press

(Image: Your Homebased Mom)

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