Recipe needed for half and half about to expire

[Skippy918]

The half and half I buy seems to still be good a couple months past the date printed especially if it’s ultra pasteurized. The smell test works well on this.

 

[RamblingMad]

What doesn't? That a person would decide to stop taking cream (or sugar or whatever) in their coffee? Tastes change or some people even go on jags of eating/drinking a lot of something until one day they don't. I can't count how many times I've purchased something either DH or DS has been enjoying regularly only to have them go off it for some reason and then I have to figure out a different way to use the item (or throw it out), just like @FigmentSpark.

That's weird to me. Usually when I cut something out, I cut it out entirely. If I don't like the ingredient in one thing, I'm not going to like it in another.

 

[LoveSpringsteen]

Lots of great suggestions already. I immediately thought of a creamy pasta dish that others have suggested. Also, I thought of either a broccoli cheese soup, or homemade tomato soup. I make a tomato soup, following a Natasha's Kitchen recipe, that calls for heavy cream at the end, but I usually use half and half or milk. It doesn't make it too creamy - it just offsets the acidity of the tomatoes.

 

[TwoMisfits]

That's weird to me. Usually when I cut something out, I cut it out entirely. If I don't like the ingredient in one thing, I'm not going to like it in another.

That's weird to me - my spouse has gone through so many "coffee change" phases - 1st cutting the milk, then going to 1/2 and 1/2, then going black, then cutting the sugar but adding back the milk.

Right now, we're still on the milk, no sugar phase...but he definitely hasn't gotten rid of all sugar in his diet...

 

[fly girl]

I have others but you were leaning for pasta so here are two we enjoy. It says heavy cream, but I substitute for half and half and had no issues.

This recipe you can swap salmon for chicken. I also double the sauce.
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a58412/tuscan-butter-salmon-recipe/

I accidentally purchased button mushrooms once and it still came out tasty.
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a58412/tuscan-butter-salmon-recipe/

 

[ronandannette]

I have others but you were leaning for pasta so here are two we enjoy. It says heavy cream, but I substitute for half and half and had no issues.

This recipe you can swap salmon for chicken. I also double the sauce.
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a58412/tuscan-butter-salmon-recipe/

I accidentally purchased button mushrooms once and it still came out tasty.
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a58412/tuscan-butter-salmon-recipe/

I do the Tuscan Chicken all the time - this recipe is a WINNER!! I never though of doing it for fish but there's no reason not to, or even shrimp for that matter.

 

[fly girl]

I do the Tuscan Chicken all the time - this recipe is a WINNER!! I never though of doing it for fish but there's no reason not to, or even shrimp for that matter.

Both the chicken and salmon are very good. Haven't tried shrimp ... maybe this Friday!

 

[DLgal]

Make a massive batch of French toast and freeze it. I use half and half in my French toast batter.

 

[AppleDumpling]

Mashed potatoes. Add some Parmesan cheese too if you like.

 

[georgina]

My mind immediately went to alcohol. I always have Kahlua, Bailey's, vodka, and I even have some Godiva chocolate liquer in my cupboard. Mix 'em all up with half and half, pour over ice!

 

[leebee]

Corn chowder (or clam, or potato soup, or macaroni and cheese, or... wherever milk is called for!)

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Just came home from a Disney cruise to find that DS, who stayed at home, decided this was the year to give up cream in his coffee. So... 1 pint of half and half that actually has a 'best before' date of March 19. I used a bit in my coffee today, so it's still fine, but it isn't lasting until DH and I can finish it and I have another one that has a March 29 date, so the clock is ticking on this cream.

Do I just give up and toss it? Or can I use it in some recipe? Right now, my brain only goes to substituting the milk in a Jello instant pudding with the half and half, but I don't want it to be too different or I'm the one stuck eating it.

Any ideas, thoughts or recommendations?

Mac & Cheese! We use half and half instead of cream in this recipe: https://food52.com/recipes/73636-melissa-clark-s-stovetop-mac-cheese
Easy to make and very flexible recipe!

 

[slo]

Ok….at the risk of sounding very cooking ignorant….I have a question…..

Can you use half and half in place of using milk in recipes?
Does half and half make recipes better?
Someone mentioned to not boil it - so it’s just an add in, not something to cook?
Is it good for pudding or other desserts?

My curiosity is now highly peaked

My mom never once bought half and half, so therefore I never have either - I just don’t think of it. DH and I both drink our coffee black, so there’s never any creamers here. I’m the worst when it comes to being adventurous with recipes - if it calls for milk, then I use milk. I wish I could come out of my comfort zone and try different things, but I just can’t unless I know someone that did it first and had good results.

Thanks to the OP for your original post - you may have added something to my shopping list for future meals or desserts

 

[fly girl]

Ok….at the risk of sounding very cooking ignorant….I have a question…..

Can you use half and half in place of using milk in recipes?
Does half and half make recipes better?

My mom never once bought half and half, so therefore I never have either - I just don’t think of it. DH both drink our coffee black, so there’s never any creamers here. I’m the worst when it comes to being adventurous with recipes - if it calls for milk, then I use milk. I wish I could come out of my comfort zone and try different things, but I just can’t unless I know someone that did it first and have good results.

Thanks to the OP for your original post - you may have added something to my shopping list for future meals

Yes, you can. It may make it taste richer depending upon how much is used. If the recipe called for 1/4c or less then I’d just stick to milk and forgo the extra calories and fat.

The big thing I use half and half for is a substitute for heavy cream in cooking. You’ll have a slightly less thick and rich sauce, but it will cut down the fat. (although still not healthy)

For baking, that’s a different beast. I know some things (like making a boxed cake taste better) you can use milk or half & half instead of water. However, I’m sure there are some recipes that would be ruined by it. (I’m not a baker … clearly by referencing boxed cake mix. )

 

[TwoMisfits]

Ok….at the risk of sounding very cooking ignorant….I have a question…..

Can you use half and half in place of using milk in recipes?
Does half and half make recipes better?
Someone mentioned to not boil it - so it’s just an add in, not something to cook?
Is it good for pudding or other desserts?

My curiosity is now highly peaked

My mom never once bought half and half, so therefore I never have either - I just don’t think of it. DH and I both drink our coffee black, so there’s never any creamers here. I’m the worst when it comes to being adventurous with recipes - if it calls for milk, then I use milk. I wish I could come out of my comfort zone and try different things, but I just can’t unless I know someone that did it first and had good results.

Thanks to the OP for your original post - you may have added something to my shopping list for future meals or desserts

You can, but you will have a calorie/fat swap as well to consider. Most folks use half and half in place of cream to lighten up the fat draw and calories of a recipe (if it doesn't need to get into a "whipped" state, which only cream can do). Some folks do it to replace the milk of a recipe for the richness, and accept the extra calories b/c they want the extra richness.

For the "calorie" swap - A 1 cup serving of half and half contains 315 calories and 28g fat. The same size serving of whole milk contains about 150 calories and 8g fat. And the same 1 cup serving of Heavy Cream (1 cup) contains 821 calories and 88.1g fat. Thus, why you can see why the "cooking tv encouraged" swap tends to be half and half for cream and not for milk.

 

[jo-jo]

I'm ready to run and buy half and half just for all these recipes .

 

[DLgal]

Ok….at the risk of sounding very cooking ignorant….I have a question…..

Can you use half and half in place of using milk in recipes?
Does half and half make recipes better?
Someone mentioned to not boil it - so it’s just an add in, not something to cook?
Is it good for pudding or other desserts?

My curiosity is now highly peaked

My mom never once bought half and half, so therefore I never have either - I just don’t think of it. DH and I both drink our coffee black, so there’s never any creamers here. I’m the worst when it comes to being adventurous with recipes - if it calls for milk, then I use milk. I wish I could come out of my comfort zone and try different things, but I just can’t unless I know someone that did it first and had good results.

Thanks to the OP for your original post - you may have added something to my shopping list for future meals or desserts

I'll attempt to answer all your questions as self taught "very good cook and semi professional baker."

Can you use half and half in place of milk in recipes?

Sometimes. You can do so in any recipe that doesn't require cooking OR in a recipe that has thickeners like corn starch or a roux in it. As an example, you can use it to make either instant or cook and serve pudding. It will make the pudding more rich, but also more calorie and fat heavy, so keep that in mind.

You can swap half and half for milk in things that will be boiled when a thickener is present because the thickening agent will prevent the curdling effect that you get when you do something like dump half and half into a boiling sauce or soup. For example, you can use half and half instead of milk in macaroni and cheese or any cream sauce that begins with a roux. You can bring a sauce like that to a boil without worrying about curdling.

Similarly, if you are making a custard with eggs, you can boil it no problem. In fact, the base for most ice creams is half and half, sugar, and eggs, which is heated to boiling before being cooled and churned.

Half and half is a better option for certain things over milk, for example:
French toast (I cringe when I see french toast batter being made with milk)
Bread puddings
Boxed mac and cheese or pastas that call for milk
Quiches

Half and half is NOT a suitable option for baked goods that call for milk and need to rise, like cake or cookies. Baking is a very precise science and milk contains specific amounts of protein, fat, and water, which the rest of the recipe keeps in balance when milk is present. Subbing in half and half messes up the equation, so to speak. However, so does using lowfat or skim milk. When a baking recipe says "milk", you need to use regular, whole milk. Do not use lowfat or skim, or high protein/low sugar milk like Fairlife, or soy milk or almond milk. Your recipe will not turn out as well and can be totally ruined by a milk swap. We drink Fairlife lowfat milk in our home, but I buy regular whole milk for all my baking.

If you are going to make a creamy sauce, just use heavy cream. Trying to save a few calories and fat grams isn't worth the runny sauce and potential ruin if you pour it in when the sauce is too hot. You can fix a sauce like that, usually, by adding in some cubed butter and whisking it in, but at that point you might as well have just used heavy cream.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Another for pasta sauce. You can do a lemon/garlic/cream/parsley/cheese with some chicken, and add more veggies like broccoli or asparagus if you like. We’ve also been into mushroom raviolis with onions, garlic, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, tomato paste, cheese and half and half till the sauce thickens.

ETA These are some we made recently (as listed). We’ve tried out the half and half vs heavy cream. I buy half and half most of the time if I am shopping; DH often chooses the heavy cream.

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View attachment 656534

The ravioli looks delicious. Do you have a recipe w/ measurements for it?

 

[slo]

Yes, you can. It may make it taste richer depending upon how much is used. If the recipe called for 1/4c or less then I’d just stick to milk and forgo the extra calories and fat.

The big thing I use half and half for is a substitute for heavy cream in cooking. You’ll have a slightly less thick and rich sauce, but it will cut down the fat. (although still not healthy)

For baking, that’s a different beast. I know some things (like making a boxed cake taste better) you can use milk or half & half instead of water. However, I’m sure there are some recipes that would be ruined by it. (I’m not a baker … clearly by referencing boxed cake mix. )

You can, but you will have a calorie/fat swap as well to consider. Most folks use half and half in place of cream to lighten up the fat draw and calories of a recipe (if it doesn't need to get into a "whipped" state, which only cream can do). Some folks do it to replace the milk of a recipe for the richness, and accept the extra calories b/c they want the extra richness.

For the "calorie" swap - A 1 cup serving of half and half contains 315 calories and 28g fat. The same size serving of whole milk contains about 150 calories and 8g fat. And the same 1 cup serving of Heavy Cream (1 cup) contains 821 calories and 88.1g fat. Thus, why you can see why the "cooking tv encouraged" swap tends to be half and half for cream and not for milk.

I'll attempt to answer all your questions as self taught "very good cook and semi professional baker."

Can you use half and half in place of milk in recipes?

Sometimes. You can do so in any recipe that doesn't require cooking OR in a recipe that has thickeners like corn starch or a roux in it. As an example, you can use it to make either instant or cook and serve pudding. It will make the pudding more rich, but also more calorie and fat heavy, so keep that in mind.

You can swap half and half for milk in things that will be boiled when a thickener is present because the thickening agent will prevent the curdling effect that you get when you do something like dump half and half into a boiling sauce or soup. For example, you can use half and half instead of milk in macaroni and cheese or any cream sauce that begins with a roux. You can bring a sauce like that to a boil without worrying about curdling.

Similarly, if you are making a custard with eggs, you can boil it no problem. In fact, the base for most ice creams is half and half, sugar, and eggs, which is heated to boiling before being cooled and churned.

Half and half is a better option for certain things over milk, for example:
French toast (I cringe when I see french toast batter being made with milk)
Bread puddings
Boxed mac and cheese or pastas that call for milk
Quiches

Half and half is NOT a suitable option for baked goods that call for milk and need to rise, like cake or cookies. Baking is a very precise science and milk contains specific amounts of protein, fat, and water, which the rest of the recipe keeps in balance when milk is present. Subbing in half and half messes up the equation, so to speak. However, so does using lowfat or skim milk. When a baking recipe says "milk", you need to use regular, whole milk. Do not use lowfat or skim, or high protein/low sugar milk like Fairlife, or soy milk or almond milk. Your recipe will not turn out as well and can be totally ruined by a milk swap. We drink Fairlife lowfat milk in our home, but I buy regular whole milk for all my baking.

If you are going to make a creamy sauce, just use heavy cream. Trying to save a few calories and fat grams isn't worth the runny sauce and potential ruin if you pour it in when the sauce is too hot. You can fix a sauce like that, usually, by adding in some cubed butter and whisking it in, but at that point you might as well have just used heavy cream.

Thank you to each of you for taking the time to post your reply to my questions. I definitely learned something today. Thank you again

 

[DLgal]

As a follow up, if you use half and half instead of water or milk for a boxed cake mix, your cake will not rise as much, and will have a quite dense/heavy and possibly gummy texture. The additional fat will prevent the cake from achieving that lovely airy texture.