While whipping cream for strawberry shortcake the other day, I was reminded of a helpful prep tip that I always employ: stay cool. Using refrigerated cream helps produce stiff peaks, but it's important to chill your mixing bowl and beaters — and even keep the kitchen frigid, if possible. When cream is whipped at a lower temperature, fat globules stick together to support the foam created by whipping in a large amount of tiny air bubbles. Therefore, beating cream at a cooler temperature will produce the largest amount of volume.
What are your best suggestions for whipping heavy cream?
Austin Reed
Pussy Deluxe
DKNY
Use a clean, dry glass bowl! I don't have any cool scientific facts to support that one, but it does something.
1Use a mixer. Either a hand mixer or a kitchen aid, use one. I don't have a mixer of any sort at my apartment and have been whipping cream the old fashioned way with just a whisk and bowl.
Though it is a good arm workout
2Are you sure about that? In school I was taught that whipping at room temp produced a higher volume, but less stable product, while whipping at a lower temp produced somewhat less volume but more stable product.
...Of course, now I'm trying to find information somewhere that says I learned it correctly and can't, so I have no idea who is right.
3Use a stainless steel bowl and stick it in the freezer...it'll get jet-cold and help to stabilize the cream. Also, I add a tiny bit of Equal to mine...it somehow makes it more stable.
4What really helps is using a large bowl. (if you're doing it by hand) If the bowl is too small you can't get enough air in your strokes and it'll take FOREVER to whip it.
5Yes, I was familiar w/ this trick. That's the only kind of whip cream we ever had (real thing! No coolwhip). Always used chilled stainless steel bowl & chilled beaters.
6I always chill the bowl, the beaters and the cream in the freezer. I don't know about the eventual volume, but doing this avoids that awful moment when well whipped cream becomes churned butter.
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