cream

thumb|A bottle of unhomogenised milk, with the cream clearly visible, resting on top of the milk Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. The butterfat, which is less dense, rises to the top and is skimmed off; that is gravity cream. The industrial production of cream instead uses centrifugal separators to make separator cream. Cream is often sold in grades defined by their butterfat content. It contains high levels of saturated fat.

Cream skimmed from milk may be called "sweet cream" to distinguish it from cream skimmed from whey, a by-product of cheese-making. Whey cream has a lower fat content and tastes more salty, tangy, and "cheesy". In many countries partially fermented cream is also sold as: sour cream, crème fraîche, and so on. Both forms have many culinary uses in both sweet and savoury dishes.