Taking whipped cream to holiday meals is great, but depending on what time you arrive at a party and what time dinner is served, it often deflates or weeps all over your dessert in the refrigerator. Sure you can make it seconds before you're serving, but you might not always have the ability to do so. Instead, try this small trick to make it stand through the night and even into the next few days.
Although there are many uses for unflavored gelatin, it often rears its head during the fall and winter months, usually about the same time you start busting out vanilla marshmallows — or candied sweet potato marshmallows!
Unlike your storebought Whipped Topping, freshly whipped cream has the tendency to deflate and lose a little luster over time (and by time, we mean the next 60 minutes). If you're looking to keep things perky and upright no matter how long your party goes, or even into the next several days, then all you need is a little gelatin. Here's how:
First Step
• Place 1/4 cup of cold water in the bottom of a small sauce pan, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin. Let the gelatin soften and absorb all of the water (4 minutes or so). Note: Unless you are buying in bulk, this won't be quite all of one packet from a box of Knox, so make sure to seal the end back up tight so no air gets in for later use (we've even been known to tape ours).
Second Step
• Place pan over low heat and stir until gelatin dissolves. Let it cool off the heat while you complete the next step.
Third Step
• Using a handheld or stand mixer beat 1 1/2 cups cream and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar until soft peaks form. Slowly pour in warm dissolved gelatin and remix until soft peaks reform. You won't ever get stiff peaks like you might from traditional whipped cream, but instead you'll get soft fluffy mounds perfect for putting on top of pies and all types of after-dinner desserts. This mixture is enough to top an entire pie, but if you're making it for people to add to their own pie, we suggest doubling things as no one can resist it and will always take a little extra!
Storage
• Keep unused whipped cream in the refrigerator. It should last several days (if you can keep that stray spoon out of it!). Because of its longevity, it will allow you to make a dessert that's topped with whipped cream or has it as an ingredient in it a full day in advance, meaning at the last second before you rush out the door you can actually be getting ready instead of doing frantic things in the kitchen!
Related: Kitchen Hack: Make Whipped Cream in a French Press
(Image: Flickr member various brennemans licensed for use by Creative Commons)
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Fourth step: be sure to inform any vegetarians and diners who keep kosher so they know that a usually meat-free ingredient is possibly problematic for them.
Agreed -- I'm not vegetarian anymore but when I was I avoided gelatin...so many people don't think of things like that (becuase they choose not to, no problem there!) but if youre going to add a "meat" product into a dairy one, let people know :)
If you're concerned about vegetarians, just use agar agar instead.
Or if you can, use an ISI canister.
Or whip it to soft peak before you head out, and finishing whipping it by hand after dinner.
when i used to make whipped cream in my stand mixer, it remained stiff in the fridge for more than one day (all i added was sugar & vanilla). Now that I make it out of cashews, it is a bit looser but I don't mind that at all.
I'd love to know more about using agar agar by the way.
Or you can whip cream as usual, then put it in a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a bowl. Cover tightly and pop it in the fridge; it will keep for a day or two, since the re-liquifying cream will drain into the bowl.
It seems a shame to add meat by-product to a dish that any reasonable guest would assume was meat-free, especially when (in just a few minutes and with just a little thought) Kitchn readers were able to contribute so many ideas for avoiding the possibly problematic ingredient.
There is absolutely not need to do this. Whipped cream with a bit of sugar and vanilla will last for two days. Just gently stir before serving. Adding gelatin kind of grosses me out.
Gelatin feels like a whole thing to me- if I'm frosting a cake or using it for a cake filling or want it to last I just add anywhere from a few spoonfuls to a packet of instant pudding (white chocolate is the most neutral flavor) and it gets the same effect without having to bloom gelatin.
Another vote for "ick gelatin".
It might fall out a little, but it takes a few flicks of a whisk to get it right back to normal. If I make a pie, I'll do enough whip to last a few days and just fluff it up as needed.
I've heard that adding pectin to the whipped cream will make it last longer. I'm not sure if it is true, but it may be worth testing out.
meh, I've masked cakes with whipped cream and it never sank or ran or anything like that. No gelatin, just cream of tartar.
if you don't want to buy cream of tartar (not like it goes bad or anything), just adding sugar should keep it somewhat stable. Especially if you're just using it to plop onto pie slices.
I always add 1 Tbsp of instant vanilla pudding sprinkled over 1 pint of cream. Then you whip it as usual with sugar if you wish. It works great in a piping bag and keeps it's shape for days in the fridge. I can't remember how long I've been doing this but it's probably around 15 years or so.
whipped cream takes like 5 minutes to make. why would you need to make it ahead? whip it up while the coffee's brewing. mm coffee & pie.
Using powdered sugar does the trick without gelatin as well. I just did this and two days later my whip is still whip!
Equal parts mascarpone and cream whipped together works, tastes good and stays stable.
If instant pudding works, cornstarch should work as well - that's the main ingredient in instant pudding, at least in Europe. And sugar, of course. Must give this a try. I don't mind gelatin at all, but somehow it feels like cheating...
Yeah here in the German speaking world you commonly add Sahnesteif to whipped cream to help it hold up. It's sweet thanks to the added sugar, but otherwise it's basically cornstarch.
I wouldn't do this, as you never know if you are going to have "extras" invited - and some may be vegetarian. Slipping gelatin into food probably not so cool for these folks.
Adding a bit of powdered sugar seems to work well also. I don't know how long it would hold, but I've had it last a few hours OK with minimal slippage.
I would like to a caution for cornstarch as well. I am allergic to corn so seeing fresh whipped cream (no corn syrup) would allow me think I could have it. My caution is just to let people know if you've added something that isn't traditionally one of the ingredients to any food.
to caution^
The cake decorators' trick for making stabilized whipped cream is to add a small amount of piping gel. I'll admit I have no idea what piping gel is made out of (could be gelatin involved) but most craft store chains carry it.
Personally, unless it's going to be in a warm place for hours or you need it to frost the sides of a cake, I don't think there's any need to stablize whipped cream. I made some to go with a pie recently, and it kept in the fridge all week without deflating.
Like someone else said, whipped cream keeps for 2 days fine. I add either icing sugar (I think its called confectioners sugar in America) or raw caster sugar (have no idea what its called in America) plus a little vanilla extract. Its either whipped using a stand/hand mixer or my food procesoor with the whipping blade, takes about a minute in the food processor.
I feel sorry for the writers of these posts, just trying to help but actually complicating a rather simple process.
I've had whipped cream last a long time in the fridge. The trick was stirring in a spoonful or so of lemon curd. Gives the whipped cream an extra zing of flavor (but not so much it's overwhelming), and stiffened it up enough to keep if from separating.
I typically just add sugar and vanilla and it keeps for a couple of days - it may keep for longer but it's typically consumed by then :)
@Zora - I really like the idea of combining it with mascarpone. Sounds delicious.
i would add a little dash of sugar