Making Homemade Whipped Cream
October 17, 2008
Last weekend my girlfriend brought back two pieces of pumpkin pie from home, so Tuesday night we feasted. Of course we needed whipped cream, and seeing as I’d never made it before, we walked to the nearby IGA and picked up a half pint of heavy whipping cream.
First, let me just say that cream is expensive! It was $1.69 for the half pint. I realize that a little bit can go a long way – but that was unexpected.
Anyway, I knew the basic ins and outs of making whipped cream from when I covered the science behind it. I needed to whip in air while disturbing the fat enough to create pockets. Over-whip it though, and I’d end up with pumpkin pie topped with slab of butter.
Having never made it, though, I wasn’t sure if I needed to add sugar or anything else. I remembered Katie at Chaos in the Kitchen had posted it about it, so I checked out her site and followed the recipe. Seeing as it was just two of us though, we halved it to a half cup of cream.
All I needed was my half cup of heavy whipping cream, a half teaspoon of vanilla, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. I don’t have a stand mixer, so I combined them in a bowl and grabbed my whisk.
I whipped furiously until my girlfriend pushed me out the way – she wanted a turn. We went back and forth like this a couple times to keep our arms fresh (speaking of which, whipping with your non-dominant hand is harder than you think).
After a few minutes, by my estimation, the whipped cream had soft peaks, which is what you’re looking for. My girlfriend disagreed and thought it needed another 30 seconds. Who won? The girlfriend of course – and the whipped cream tasted great after the additional half minute.
The whipped cream was delicious – actually much better than I expected. The smoothness and body of the whipped cream, in addition to the taste, was surprising, and will certainly keep me from buying the canned stuff in the future.
(Also, I ended up doubling or tripling the amount of whipped cream on that piece before eating it – I wanted the pumpkin pie to be visible for the picture.)
Tips
- Don’t over-whip it. You want soft peaks to fold over.
- It really is much better than the canned stuff.
Printable Recipe (Not that you need to print this one)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
Recipe:
- Combine ingredients in a bowl. Whip with a whisk until soft peaks form.
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October 17th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Isn’t it delicious?! Real whipped cream is amazing!! I always passed on the canned stuff, but I could eat a bowlful of the real stuff. Glad to hear it really does work with a whisk, lol!
October 17th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Oh my god that video hahahahahaha.
I’ve never made my own either, but it looks scrumptious. I probably will skip this though because Steve doesn’t like cream and I don’t eat enough sweets to use it myself.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
If you like almond extract, you can swap that for the vanilla as well. I prefer it that way – specifically for pumpkin pie.
October 18th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Wow, you did it by hand! That is impressive–I’ve never done it without the mixer!
October 18th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Andy, there are all different kinds of whisks, and they are not interchangeable. This calls for a balloon whisk – it sole job is to incorporate air into sauces, eggs, and cream.
http://www.gourmet.com/food/2008/01/whiskslide
You don’t need them all, I have been able to get by with 2 for 20 years – but since the kitchen is stocked with them I have been know to use some of the others. Check out Jacques Pepin’s Complete Techniques for some basic skill sets (like how to whisk without getting carpal tunnel). It used to be required reading in culinary school – don’t know if it still is – but it is an invaluable tool for mastering classic techniques.
October 18th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Neat isn’t it Andrew. Believe it or not, we’ve never got whipped cream in a can here. So we always do it oursleves, but with beaters. Good for you…the pie looks fabulous as well!
October 20th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
@Katie: Yep, it works with a whisk. I was pretty surprised how much better the real stuff is.
@Melissa: I’m glad someone appreciates the video!
@Calencoriel: I’ll definitely give that a try next time – sounds quite good.
@Dave: Thanks for the tip. I think I have a plain french whisk – it’s not particularly big.
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:33 am
Two items with hand whipping whipped cream.
The cream should be ice cold and put the mixing bowl in a bowl of ice.
Utensiles must be absolutely dry, no water at all.
Canned whipped cream has only one use and it involves a partner and if you are kinky or not some rope.
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:34 am
For some reason the .com in my Website above got truncated.
November 4th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Couple of tips – I have a cheap metal bowl and I toss it in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes before whipping cream. Also, toss in your whisk (or your beaters) for about the same amount of time – it will go much faster! You can also delay adding your flavorings or colorings until nearer to the end for more voluminous whipped cream.
November 6th, 2008 at 12:27 am
Thanks for the advice ntsc and Shannon about keeping the equipment cold. I didn’t do that this time, but will definitely try it next time.