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/kreem/, n.1. the fatty part of milk, which rises to the surface when the liquid is allowed to stand unless homogenized.2. a soft solid or thick liquid containing medicaments or other specific ingredients, applied externally for a prophylactic, therapeutic, or cosmetic purpose.3. Usually, creams. a soft-centered confection of fondant or fudge coated with chocolate.4. a purée or soup containing cream or milk: cream of tomato soup.5. the best part of anything: the cream of society.6. a yellowish white; light tint of yellow or buff.7. cream of the crop, the best or choicest: a college that accepts only students who are the cream of the crop.v.i.8. to form cream.9. to froth; foam.10. Informal. to advance or favor only the wealthiest, most skilled or talented, etc., esp. so as to reap the benefits oneself: Management is creaming by advancing only the most productive workers.a. to have an orgasm, esp. to ejaculate or experience glandular lubrication of the vagina.b. to be overcome, as in rapturous admiration or delight.v.t.12. to work (butter and sugar, or the like) to a smooth, creamy mass.13. to prepare (chicken, oysters, vegetables, etc.) with cream, milk, or a cream sauce.14. to allow (milk) to form cream.15. to skim (milk).16. to separate as cream.17. to take the cream or best part of.18. to use a cosmetic cream on.20. Slang.a. to beat or damage severely; lambaste.b. to defeat decisively.c. to accomplish, esp. to pass (a test or course), with great ease and success: She creamed the math test, getting the highest grade in the class.adj.21. of the color cream; cream-colored.[1300-50; ME creme < AF, OF cresme < LL chrisma CHRISM]
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Yellowish part of milk, rich in butterfat, that rises to the surface naturally if milk is allowed to stand.In the dairy industry, cream is separated mechanically. Cream is graded by percentage of fat content. In the U.S., half-and-half, a mixture of milk and cream, contains 10.5–18% butterfat; light cream, commonly served with coffee, contains no less than 18%; and medium and heavy creams (the latter including whipping cream) contain about 30% and 36% respectively. Commercial sour cream, about 18–20% butterfat, is inoculated with lactic-acid-producing bacteria. See also ice cream.* * *
yellowish component of milk, rich in fat globules, that rises to the surface naturally if milk is allowed to stand; in the dairy industry cream is separated mechanically (see cream separator). Homogenization of cream reduces the size of the fat globules, and the resulting product is less suitable for whipping.In the United States commercially produced cream is graded for use according to the percentage of fat content. Half and half, a mixture of milk and cream, contains from 10.5 to 18 percent butterfat. Light cream, the type commonly served with coffee, generally contains no less than 18 percent butterfat. Medium cream contains from 30 to 36 percent butterfat. A fourth grade called whipping cream, or heavy cream, contains no less than 36 percent butterfat. The grades and standards are slightly different in the United Kingdom. So-called clotted cream, a specialty of Devonshire and Cornwall, is gathered from fresh milk that is allowed to stand for a period and then slowly heated.Commercial sour cream is made from light cream of from 18 to 20 percent butterfat which, after pasteurization, is inoculated with lactic-acid-producing bacteria. The cream is ripened 14–16 hours at 72° F (22° C), then chilled and aged 12–48 hours. The bacterial action thickens the cream into a semisolid and adds a tangy flavour. Sour half-and-half is a similar product made from 10.5 to 18 percent butterfat cream. Crème fraîche is a French product of nearly 40 percent butterfat that is reinoculated with naturally occurring ferments and lactic acid after pasteurization to initiate a “natural” fermentation. Crème fraîche has a nutty rather than sour flavour. It is used in cooking and is often eaten with fruit.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
