Instructions

1. Pour the cream into a sauce pan that holds a volume three to four times greater than the amount of cream. If you are boiling 1 quart of cream, use a 3 quart or 1 gallon pan. A large pan prevents the cream from boiling over, which commonly occurs even after boiling for a short period of time. Choose a pan with a heavy, thick bottom to avoid scorching the cream.

2. Heat the cream uncovered over medium to medium-high heat. If you're following a recipe that calls for boil cream, it might say to boil lightly, which would be better set at medium-low, while a rolling boil can be achieved at medium-high.

3. Stir the cream at least once every two minutes, using a wooden spoon or wire whisk. While cream doesn't separate and curdle as easily as milk, it can break if you don't stir it frequently. You might prefer to stir it continuously while you bring it to a boil, but you should only stir slowly and lightly to avoid making whipped cream.

4. Remove the pan from the heat when it begins to boil if you only need to heat it to boiling. If you must boil it in order to reduce and thicken the cream, reduce the heat to slow the boil, stirring frequently, until it reduces by as much as half. Avoid thickening cream by more than 50 percent because the texture becomes too heavy.