Article: The Eagle, Bryan, Texas, Lisa Fritz column: Food Files: Curdling prevented with heavy cream.

Byline: Lisa Fritz

Jul. 4--Dear Lisa: Why does the cream curdle when I add it to my vodka sauce? I can rarely get a smooth sauce. What's the secret? -- Cindy F.

Dear Cindy: Although you might suspect the alcohol to be the culprit, it's the acids in the tomatoes affecting the cream that's causing the problem.

Anytime you introduce sufficient amounts of acids to protein, the acids will denature the protein. And when milk proteins are denatured, they make curds.

The primary remedy is to use high-fat, heavy cream. With a minimum milk fat content of 36 percent, heavy cream will be stable enough to resist curdling.

Light whipping ...

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