Can you substitute heavy cream for skim milk when cooking?

Usually it won’t work. Sometimes you can substitute skim evaporated milk. Also, sometimes you can use half and half or even whole milk, but skim has so much less fat that in many things it will make what you are cooking taste and actually be watery. You are more likely to get away with that sort of subtitution in cooking, but when baking (meaning baking sweets) the chemical combination of ingedients matters a lot.

With creamed spinach I think you could try your recipe using some evaporated skim milk and some half and half instead of cream and cut the calories by half maybe? Or, just use half and half instead of the cream, still cuts some calories. Why not just eat plain spinach?

You can substitute, of course. However the result will be different. Whether it is still nice, you’ll need to find out.

Heavy creme is very rich on fat, skimmed milk has none. Go figure.

Usually not; skimmed milk is much more watery than cream. You can use low-fat yogurt instead though. You can also get non-dairy cream which is also lower in fat. Silky tofu works well. The flavour will be different but the consistency is right.

There is also fat-free half and half which might work. Or you can use light cream.

I would not use skim milk. Usually the cream is essential to the consistency. My mom always used to “doctor” her recipes this way, and they usually fell apart.

Sure. Your meal will be very delicious and rich.

It is a similar substitution to using butter or oil to substitute for water.

Here’s a recipe that makes it easy;

http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/creamed-spinach-a-recipe.htm

Here are 94 recipes for creamed spinach w. skimmed milk (and other odds and ends);

http://www.yummly.com/recipes/creamed-spinach-with-skim-milk

Definitely depends on the recipe. Milk will curdle under certain conditions that won’t affect cream because milk (especially skim) has a much higher protein content. Some foods contain enzymes that will do this; so will acidic cooking conditions.

The other factor, already mentioned, is consistency. Cream gets thicker as it cooks down, milk doesn’t. So the juices in the milk-based dish will be much runnier.

And besides all that, hey, cream tastes like cream.

^^^ Unless it is skim milk masquerading as cream..)

Things are seldom what they seem, @gailcalled.

It will curdle like fuck. I can not even use sour cream instead of creme fraiche, because sour cream curdles, too.

Nope, won’t work. I’ve tried it in some recipes earlier on. The other people are right.

Yogurt is a good substitute know some recipes.

If its all you’ve got, try reducing the skim milk for a while in a sauce pan and add some flour.