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Canned coconut milk and coconut cream are both made from coconut flesh and water, but coconut cream is more concentrated. It has more coconut solids and usually more fat, giving it a thicker texture and richer flavor. Sweetened cream of coconut is a different product.
Canned coconut milk is concentrated enough to thicken curries and sauces. Carton coconut beverage is mostly water and is formulated to drink like milk, often with added calcium and vitamins. The similar name hides a large difference in fat, richness, and culinary behavior.
Burrata and fresh mozzarella share a stretched-curd heritage, but burrata is built around a creamy filling. Mozzarella is uniform all the way through; burrata has an outer shell surrounding stracciatella and cream, so it is softer, richer, and best eaten very fresh.
Processed cheese is not simply “fake cheese.” It is a formulated cheese product made from cheese plus other permitted ingredients, typically heated and emulsified for a stable, uniform texture. Traditional cheeses keep more of the structure created during cheesemaking and aging.
Greek yogurt and sour cream are both tangy cultured dairy products, but they start from different bases. Greek yogurt is strained cultured milk and is usually much higher in protein; sour cream is cultured cream and is usually richer in fat and smoother under heat.
Cream cheese is dense and spreadable because it is a fresh cheese; sour cream is cultured cream and contains more water. They share dairy tang and richness, but replacing one with the other changes thickness, moisture, and sometimes how a recipe sets.
Both products remove substantial water from milk, but sweetened condensed milk adds enough sugar to become a different ingredient. That one change drives huge differences in sweetness, viscosity, calories and how each behaves in recipes.
Whey is the liquid fraction that remains when milk forms curds. It is mostly water but also carries lactose, minerals, and soluble proteins. Whey protein powder is a concentrated ingredient made from that liquid, not the same thing as a bowl of fresh whey.
Heavy whipping cream contains at least 36% milk fat in the U.S., while lighter cooking-style creams may be around 18–30%. More fat means more calories, but it is also what lets cream whip and gives sauces more body.
Pasteurized milk is heat-treated for safety but remains perishable and refrigerated. Ultra-pasteurized milk receives a higher heat treatment that extends life; truly shelf-stable UHT milk also relies on aseptic processing and packaging while the container remains unopened.
Yogurt still contains lactose, but fermentation uses some of the milk sugar and live cultures can help digest what remains. Many people with lactose maldigestion tolerate yogurt better than milk. Strained yogurts may contain less, while recipes and serving sizes make exact amounts variable.
Raw milk has not received the validated heat treatment used to kill important pathogens. Pasteurization greatly reduces that microbial risk while leaving protein, calcium, fat, and lactose broadly intact. Raw milk can look, smell, and taste normal even when harmful germs are present.