Do you love homemade whipped cream? Wondering what’s the easiest way to make a batch? Here are 2 methods for making whipped cream at home – the sweet complement to ice cream and pie. Or maybe you just like to keep a bowl in the fridge ready to swoop up a spoonful.
Hot chocolate practically demands a dollop of homemade whipped cream. Photo: Shutterstock
I got thinking about the subject of homemade whipped cream when I discovered a Kilner gadget called the Shake and Make. Advertised as a 30-second way to make whipped cream, I bought it on the spot. Did it stand up to my tried and true whipped cream method?
First Step: Have Heavy Cream on Hand
Whipped cream is an essential condiment in my house. It transcends the seasons. Summer strawberry shortcake needs whipped cream. Pumpkin pies in the fall must have a dollop of whipped cream. What doesn’t need whipped cream during the holidays, I ask? And, frankly, my winter coping strategy is lots of ice cream with…whipped cream.
My method of keeping whipped cream on hand is not buying a dozen cans of ReddiWhip at Stop and Shop. When I say whipped cream I mean the homemade stuff, what Germans call schlag. Sounds terrible. Tastes delicious.
All you really need is cream, heavy cream that is – the essential ingredient for making homemade whipped cream. Photo: Cathy Bennett Kopf/The Open Suitcase
How do I make this delicious and necessary treat? Well, first there’s the need to have heavy cream on hand. The carton might say whipping cream. Cream is the layer of milk fat skimmed off before homogenization. The Kitchn has a great article about the difference between half and half, light cream and heavy cream, if you want to know more.
Use Your Stand Mixer to Make Whip Cream
My stand mixer is great for making whipped cream when outfitted with the whisk blade. Photo: Cathy Bennett Kopf/The Open Suitcase
My tried and true method for making whipped cream is to use my stand mixer. I put the bowl in the freezer and let it get good and cold. There’s a bit of science to the making of whipped cream. The colder the milk fat, the better it traps air, and that’s what makes the cream fluff. Who knew?
Attach the whisk blade on your stand mixer, remove the cold bowl from the freezer, pour the cream in and turn it on. I set mine at speed #8; if you go higher, make sure you put the splashguard on or you’ll get doused. It takes 2 minutes, 3, tops. If the peaks of cream stand at attention, you’re good to go. Whipped cream whipped too long becomes butter. If you’re interested in a lengthier look behind the science of this process, I refer you to this Serious Eats post on the subject.
Depending on what I’m using the whipped cream for, I may toss in some confectioner’s sugar and vanilla right at the end and mix just long enough to incorporate. You’ll sometimes see sweetened whipped cream referred to as Chantilly cream. Isn’t that fancy?
Alternative Method for Making Whip Cream Using Kilner Shake and Make
The Kilner Shake and Make promised me homemade whipped cream in 30 seconds. Did it deliver? Photo: Cathy Bennett Kopf/The Open Suitcase
This method works but I store my stand mixer in my pantry and lugging it out is a bit of a chore. So I’m always on the lookout for a new method and I thought I found one when I saw the Kilner Shake and Make at my local Bed Bath and Beyond.
It’s a mason jar with a handle, a lid and a metal whisking ball. The directions, illustrated clearly on the jar, instruct the user to drop the ball into the jar, pour in heavy cream and shake for 30 seconds for practically instant whipped cream.
The Kilner website even has a video that shows the process.
The only problem was that my cream wouldn’t whip.
I shook it for 30 seconds. I shook it for 3 minutes. I shook it so long I started to feel like I was in one of those Shake Weight commercials. But I got nothing, Well, not exactly nothing. The cream got thicker, but it was still pourable not spoonable.
A cat would enjoy this bowl of cream but my strawberry shortcake would not. Photo: Cathy Bennett Kopf/The Open Suitcase
I put the whole contraption in the freezer to chill it, thinking that might help things set up. But it didn’t produce any better results than the first time.
I shot an email to Kilner in the hopes of getting a response. They’re a British company. I was wondering if perhaps I needed some form of fancy English cream to make this work, like on the Great British Baking Show. I have not received a reply.
Another disappointing thing about the Kilner is that the directions printed on the jar came off in the dishwasher. I’m not pitching it, despite my disappointment. I think it might make a handy tool for whisking salad dressings.
So for now, I’m back to schlepping the stand mixer out of the pantry to make homemade whipped cream. Between that and doing the Kilner shake, I might be able to go sleeveless this summer.
Do you prefer homemade whipped cream, Cool Whip or the canned stuff?
