How do you make whipped cream?

[MoonGod]

I've gotten it into my head that I want to make fresh whipped cream. How do I do it?

All I've got is a whisk, no mixer or anything fancy like that.

[wtmusic]

1. Grab a whisk and whip your ass off

Actually put the sugar (to taste) in first.

MoonGod -- whatever happened to your GF and her accident in Burbank?

[MoonGod]

8. Not quite what I was hoping for...

... I'm not particularly kitchen-literate, so you must be gentle with me...

I was hoping for something along the lines of:

1 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp. sugar

Whisk 40 times or for 3 minutes...

:)

As far as the g/f goes... she's doing alright and seems to be mostly over the accident... chest still hurts where the seatbelt bruised her, but it doesn't seem any more serious than that.

The rental is nice... air-conditioned... CD player... So I'm rather enjoying this little adventure. Not sure if it will be worth the price tag, but hey, I guess that's all part of the adventure, right?

[wtmusic]

12. Glad she's OK

This thing about the Santa Monica Farmer's Market is unreal -- 8 dead

[DianeK]

2. you will have to really work the wisk

and put in just a bit of sugar..not too much..for a pint i would suggest maybe a teaspoon and a half..just wisk till it is of the consistancy you like

[dawgman]

3. go with confectioner's sugar and I like to add a dash of almond extract

and vanilla extract and of course heavy whipping cream

[kixot]

4. Make sure the cream is COLD

The colder cream whips faster that way.

[SOteric]

5. Sweetened?

Put in up to 2 Tbl spoons powdered or superfine sugar per pint of cream. You can also add a small amount of brandy, (1/2 oz) which makes Creme Chantilly, and is very nice in an after dinner coffee.

Or you can fold a little sour cream into the finished whipped cream, which is heavenly with fresh fruit.

The idea with the whisk is to make sure bowl and whisk are scrupulously clean and slightly chilled. Then you beat as much air into the cream as possible. You can't accomplish that if you stir or fold, so, you want to be pulling the whisk in and out of the cream briskly.

[DianeK]

7. whoa

i defer all other cooking advice to you..you really sound like you know what you are talking about!

[MoonGod]

11. How sweet will that make it?

I love for my whipped cream to have just a hit of sweetness... I find most of the store-bought stuff to be just way too sweet (not to mention the texture is all wrong)...

So, is 2 tbsp/pint the way I should go, or should I trim that a bit?

(Sorry, I probably should have mentioned that from the beginning)

[DianeK]

14. i am not real fond of an oversweet whipped cream either

so as i posted before, i would not do more than a teaspoon and a half for one pint

[SOteric]

16. That would be fairly sweet.

If you like less, then I would go with Diane K's suggestion, then dip a clean teaspoon into the cream to see what you think of the taste.

Add a little more if you need to. If you use powdered sugar, you can incorporate more sugar while whisking. If you use granulated or superfine you should put all the sugar you intend to use into the bowl before you begin whipping.

[DianeK]

6. if you choose to add extract

(i don't generally do that) be sure it is no more than a couple of drops to a pint

[Must_B_Free]

9. Laughing gas helps

you need compressed N2O to make the real thing.

and even then you may as well just inhale all the N2O and forget all about the whipped cream, as you'll be experiencing the answer to everything - and answer you'll soon forget.

[no_arbusto]

29. Oh yeah.

I used to have a "whipped cream maker" back in high school that I bought at Lechter's (were they a regional or national chain?). It held 4 "whipped cream chargers". I killed many brain cells with that thing and never actually made any whipped cream. Oh well.

[AnnabelLee]

10. Chill the whisk first, too

I don't know if that actually helps, but that's what I was taught in 7th grade home economics class.

[tridim]

15. Yep, Chill the whisk, the cream and the bowl

and don't whisk too much or you'll end up with butter (which isn't really a bad thing).

[tridim]

13. One word of advice

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT eat the entire batch yourself no matter how good it tastes. I know from personal experience. :)

[The Blue Flower]

17. Did anyone mention

chilling the bowl first? Cuts your time in half.

[maxanne]

18. the best way

is to flog the cow unmercifully. ;-)

[DFLforever]

19. I don't usually sweeten whipping cream

I whip it either by mixer or hand in a chilled bowl with a chilled whip until it's just thick enough so it can be poured, rather than spooned. I don't sweeten it because I usually use it with fruit desserts and I like the contrast of heavy, bland cream to sweetened fruit.

[enough]

20. That's beautiful guys

It's great to know that all that good old knowledge still exists and is all distilled right here on DU, available at a moment's notice the minute someone needs it.

I love DU.

[MoonGod]

23. I was thinking the same thing...

... DU is a great community.

[TreasonousBastard]

21. You've already got good advice...

but I'll add that whipping by hand is the best (some say only) way to whip cream.

Everything chilled, and you whip it with large strokes until it's the proper consistency-- gentle peaks form as you drop the glops off the whisk. You can add various flavorings and extracts-- vanilla is very common, but almond could be interesting, or various cordials or brandies. A citrus extract or cordial can be very interesting.

There is no law against adding things like chocolate chips, nuts, lemon or orange zest, or even cocoa powder or fruit preserves (try to get most of the liquid out). You might find chocolate almond raspberry whipped cream to be a treat. Add chunky stuff toward the end when the cream is almost fully whipped.

If you have time to make vanilla sugar (a vanilla bean stuck in a small jar of sugar for a few days) that works very well.

Note-- if you're really into it, and your arm holds out, you can actually make butter. That's a hint you've whisked it a little too long. But, it could be really great butter.

[morningglory]

22. One other little thing

Don't make it up too far ahead of time. Get your fruit in the bowls, spoons out, or pie on the dish, and so on. Then whip it. It loses bubbles when stored in the fridge.

[MoonGod]

24. Mmm... it came out great...

... perfectly fluffy with just a hint of sweetness. Just finished eating some w/strawberries.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

25. Well get yourself a little handheld blender..they're cheap

then, the next time you get the urge, you can blend the berries right into the heavy cream with a tad of your favorite sweetner, some vanilla or almond extract and throw it on a piece of your favorite pound cake! Yummy! :D

[MoonGod]

26. Hehe... cheap has a whole new meaning for me these days...

... unemployed... back in school... I haven't even bought myself a CD in at least 6 months, probably a year.

Sounds great, though...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

28. Aww I have a spare I can send up to ya!

Sorry about that, I didn't know.

[MrScorpio]

27. Apologies to Devo

Crack that whip
Give the past the slip
Step on a crack
Break your momma’s back
When heavy creme comes along
You must whip it
Before the cream sits out too long
You must whip it
When something’s going wrong
You must whip it

Now whip it
Into shape
Shape it up
Get straight
Go forward
Move ahead
Try to detect it
It’s not too late
To whip it
Whip it good

When a good time turns around
You must whip it
You will never live it down
Unless you whip it
No one gets away
Until they whip it

I say whip it
Whip it good
I say whip it
Whip it good

Crack that whip
Give the past the slip
Step on a crack
Break your momma’s back
When heavy creme comes along
You must whip it
Before the cream sits out too long
You must whip it
When something’s going wrong
You must whip it

Now whip it
Into shape
Shape it up
Get straight
Go forward
Move ahead
Try to detect it
It’s not too late
To whip it
Into shape
Shape it up
Get straight
Go forward
Move ahead
Try to detect it
It’s not too late
To whip it
Whip it good