# Recommend a substitute for cream in coffee **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** coffee\ **Created:** [January 17, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676 "2009-01-17T00:17:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/21 "2009-01-17T17:24:47Z")
**MacTech** , I’ve been using French Press for something like 20 years, and I usually buy _good_ strong coffee (French roast, or Dark roast). Given that I normally use five tablespoons of it for each cup, I still need something to… soften the blow, so to speak:). And I agree with you 100%: French Press IS light years away from drip machine. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/22 "2009-01-17T17:40:54Z")
How much of a pain in the ass is a french press? I have been wanting to buy one but I don’t have much time in the morning to devote to pressing coffee. I like hitting the button and it’s done. I’m a five minute shower and out the door kind of girl. Will a french press crimp my style? If I end up buying one, do I have to capitalize it? ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/23 "2009-01-17T17:44:24Z")
> [@omni-not](#): > > When I was younger (and less savvy!), I used evaporated milk. I am quite sure I would find it to be nothing short of yucky, should I use some today. I didn’t know better, way back then…😃 Evaporated milk is actually quite good in coffee. I always keep a few cans around for those days I run out of half and half and am not up for an early morning trip to the grocery store. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/24 "2009-01-17T18:19:27Z")
Don’t cut it completely out or you’ll end up going back to it. Mix some half&half with non-fat and fiddle with the proportions until it tastes right to you. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/25 "2009-01-17T18:50:37Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Unless you’re dumping a cup or so of cream in your coffee, you’re not getting a huge amount of cholesterol. So cut it elsewhere This is what I would think. I mean, every little bit counts, I suppose, but a tablespoon of heavy whipping cream (which is heavier than what most people use as coffee cream) only has about 20mg of cholesterol. For comparison’s sake, a single egg has over 200 mg cholesterol. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/26 "2009-01-17T18:52:34Z")
I use Silk soy creamer, which has zero cholesterol. It does a better job than regular soy milk in coffee IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/27 "2009-01-18T02:21:39Z")
All I can say is that I hope none of you ever find yourselves in Australia or NZ for an extended period- there’s no half & half here at all, so your coffee whitening options are: 1. Milk 2. Powdered Whitener 3. Incredibly expensive flavoured liquid whiteners 4. Go without 5. Milk I’ve tried putting cream (whipping and dollop) in my coffee here and it never, ever works properly- it ends up going sort of clumpy in the coffee. Unless the “Cream” you’re talking about is some kind of special coffee cream, I’m not sure why you guys keep talking about putting it in your coffee because, IME here, it doesn’t work. When I was last in the US I used to have to explain to the staff at restaurants that I wanted actual milk- as in, from a cow- with my coffee, and not those little pottle-sachets of Whatever It Was that were in bowls on the table. This was apparently a Very Odd Thing To Want, as apparently it had never occured to them that someone might want actual milk in their coffee. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/28 "2009-01-18T02:27:45Z")
We use International Delight French Vanilla. It’s yummy and comes in a fat-free version that ain’t so yummy. Sometimes I do half that and half skim milk. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/29 "2009-01-18T02:35:10Z")
> [@ShelliBean](#): > > How much of a pain in the ass is a french press? I have been wanting to buy one but I don’t have much time in the morning to devote to pressing coffee. I like hitting the button and it’s done. I’m a five minute shower and out the door kind of girl. Will a french press crimp my style? If I end up buying one, do I have to capitalize it? I’ve been using a French Press for years, and I love it. You put the ground coffee in the press, boil water in a tea kettle, pour it in and let it sit for 5 minutes (while you’re in the shower!). Then you press down the filter part, pour it into a mug and you’re done. I’m a five-minute shower and out the door kind of girl, too, and it’s not a pain at all. I start the water, make my lunch and by then the water’s ready. I pour it over the ground coffee, and head to the bathroom to put on my (minimal) makeup. By the time I’m finished, so is the coffee. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/30 "2009-01-18T03:34:48Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > I’ve been using a French Press for years, and I love it. You put the ground coffee in the press, boil water in a tea kettle, pour it in and let it sit for 5 minutes (while you’re in the shower!). Then you press down the filter part, pour it into a mug and you’re done. > I’m a five-minute shower and out the door kind of girl, too, and it’s not a pain at all. I start the water, make my lunch and by then the water’s ready. I pour it over the ground coffee, and head to the bathroom to put on my (minimal) makeup. By the time I’m finished, so is the coffee. +1 **Shelli** It’s simplicity itself. Plus you don’t have to mess with paper filters. Your meshed filter can and will last for years and can be easily cleaned. No other ‘maintenance’ required. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/31 "2009-01-18T05:49:14Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’ve tried putting cream (whipping and dollop) in my coffee here and it never, ever works properly- it ends up going sort of clumpy in the coffee. Do you have something called “half cream” or “single cream” in the antipodes? That’s basically half-and-half. Half-and-half is milk/cream with a 10.5%-18% butterfat content. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/32 "2009-01-18T06:56:25Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Do you have something called “half cream” or “single cream” in the antipodes? That’s basically half-and-half. Half-and-half is milk/cream with a 10.5%-18% butterfat content. Not that I’ve seen, no. You’ve either got whipping cream, dolloping cream, or you’ve got milk. Those are your options, AFAIK. Having said that, I’ll have a look in the supermarket next time I’m there, just in case. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/33 "2009-01-18T10:00:15Z")
IME the “half and half” stuff in the US was near enough in taste to actual milk to make me think it was just milk with a funny name (I think I was offered something called “light half and half” or something like that? Half cream half skimmed milk IIRC. Is that possible, or am I misremembering?). I suppose the OP has passed over “whole milk” in their cholesterol-reducing quest on the grounds that it still has saturated fat in it. But I don’t think you can “de-fat” your diet in one fell swoop like that - it’s like reducing salt. You put a little bit less one day and a little bit less the next until it tastes normal to you. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/34 "2009-01-18T13:15:55Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’ve tried putting cream (whipping and dollop) in my coffee here and it never, ever works properly- it ends up going sort of clumpy in the coffee. I dunno about Australian cream, but 'round here, if the cream goes clumpy in your coffee, it’s a sign that it’s old. And FYI, cream gets clumpy LONG before it goes sour, so it can taste fine but still clump up. Does it clump the day you bring it home from the store? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/35 "2009-01-18T19:25:12Z")
Baileys. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/36 "2009-01-19T01:11:26Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > I dunno about Australian cream, but 'round here, if the cream goes clumpy in your coffee, it’s a sign that it’s old. And FYI, cream gets clumpy LONG before it goes sour, so it can taste fine but still clump up. Does it clump the day you bring it home from the store? Yes, it does. And the expiration date on the stuff is a week or two in the future, so it’s not like it’s been sitting in the supermarket for ages, either. > [@Great Dave](#): > > Baileys. This works surprisingly well, actually. Provided you don’t have to drive anywhere or work somewhere that takes a dim view of staff with alcohol on their breaths. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/37 "2009-01-19T01:18:43Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > This works surprisingly well, actually. Provided you don’t have to drive anywhere or work somewhere that takes a dim view of staff with alcohol on their breaths. 🙂 Just how much Bailey’s are you adding to your coffee? Seriously, though, Bailey’s is mostly cream, so if the OP is set on avoiding cream, I’m not sure Bailey’s is going to fit the bill. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/38 "2009-01-19T01:42:17Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Just how much Bailey’s are you adding to your coffee? Seriously, though, Bailey’s is mostly cream, so if the OP is set on avoiding cream, I’m not sure Bailey’s is going to fit the bill. About 30ml or so, maybe more. But only of an evening, when I’m not working or likely to have to drive anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/39 "2009-01-19T03:13:42Z")
Thanks guys! I think I’ll buy one soon. You know, I got a neti pot because of the dope too. I feel like there’s a tag line in this somehow that involves pouring liquids into all my cephalic orifices. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676/40 "2009-01-19T18:48:28Z")
> [@ShelliBean](#): > > Thanks guys! I think I’ll buy one soon. > > You know, I got a neti pot because of the dope too. I feel like there’s a tag line in this somehow that involves pouring liquids into all my cephalic orifices. **Bodum** is, IMHO, the best known of the French Press brands, although since its introduction in the U.S., several (cheaper?) ones have appeared. I remember buying the one I am using now on a trip in the U.S. some 20 years ago, on sale at $8.99 if I remember correctly. It was fairly new in the U.S. at the time and either very few Americans had heard of them or would care about buying them. In other words, they were on sale. I knew about them, and took advantage of the opportunity – they were selling at around $30 at the time in Canada. Needless to say, Americans have made great strides as far as quality is concerned since then.🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-substitute-for-cream-in-coffee/481676.md?page=3)