Why does a carton of heavy cream last for 2 months in the refrigerator, but a carton of milk only lasts for about 1 week before expiration?
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There are two big reasons here:
1. Bacteria love environments with lots of water, and cream has much less water content than milk. Because it’s got a higher proportion of fat, bacteria can’t get the water that they need as easily, and they won’t grow as quickly. Cheese is the classic example when it comes to dairy – we take out most of the water, add salt, and preserve our milk for months. Cream has more water content, but still isn’t an ideal environment for bacteria, while regular milk is full of water and lactose for them to live on.
2. In the US at least, most milk is regularly pasteurized, but most half-and-half and heavy cream is ultra-high temperature (UHT) pasteurized, which makes it last significantly longer. A lot of other countries sell mostly UHT milk, and you can buy it in the US as well (a lot of organic brands do it) – it’s got a slightly different taste, but it lasts for months. Cream, since they don’t sell as fast as regular milk, is usually UHT pasteurized to make it more shelf stable
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