1. Unhomogenized milk naturally separates into a small layer of fatty liquid (called cream) and a layer of nearly fat-free liquid (called skim milk). Skimming off the top layer produces the dairy product cream. Modern techniques of cream production involve separating whole milk through the use of centrifuges, greatly speeding up the process.

2. To beat ingredients until they are uniformly smooth and creamy in texture. Often used to describe the action of beating sugar into butter.

3. Unhomogenized milk separates into two layers, the rich-in-fat top layer that is cream, and the almost fat-free bottom layer that is skim milk. Cream varies in fat content - light cream commonly contains ~20% fat and heavy cream ~40% fat.