For such a simple pleasure, the perfect whipped cream is often elusive. Sometimes it's whipped too much, other times it falls or seeps. Apparently, Nancy Silverton never has this problem.
Author, cook, and restaurant owner, Nancy Silverton insists that with her method you can even whip the whipped cream hours before a dinner or event and it still won't deflate. You don't have to fuss with gelatin or cornstarch, each of which people have said stabilizes whipped cream. You don't even have to stress too terribly much about the exact temperature of the heavy cream.
Instead, you have to break out a little crème fraîche. That's the secret! Food 52 reported that crème fraîche has a higher fat percentage than heavy cream, so it's going to hold firm. You wouldn't want to use all crème fraîche because it'll weight down the whipped cream. But a little goes a long way towards silky, billowy whipped cream each and every time.
Related: Kitchen Hack: Make Whipped Cream in a French Press
(Image: Flickr member Elana's Pantry licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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brilliant tip!
True, this is a good tip but it's still something extra to have to add to the whipped cream to stabilize it. Plus, I'm not a big fan of creme fraiche so I never have it in the house.
iSi Gourmet Whip,
whip cream in a few seconds.
and not a uni-tasker, i have used it to make amazing cakes batters, for cocktails, soups and espuma!
"it'll weigh down"
#corrections
Another and cheaper way to do it is to melt 2 large marshmallows in the microwave and add those to the cream while whipping.
Creme fraiche adds a tanginess that isn't always desired.
That link has a recipe that says to use either Creme fraiche or substitute sour cream. Even full fat sour cream only has around 20% butterfat.
Anyone remember that article on here couple months ago about "commercial cream" or something that had a super high butterfat content? Need to make whipped cream out of that!
I recommend vanilla pudding, actually. In any case where you're going to add vanilla extract to your whipped cream anyway, toss in two tablespoons (with a ratio to 1 pint of cream) of dry, instant vanilla pudding mix. It'll stabilize things every time and remove the extra step of tossing in the vanilla extract.
noirraven- thats exactly what I do everytime. It's just a stabilizer without the fuss of blooming gelatin.
The pudding trick is new to me and brilliant.
tried both. using/adding dry vanilla pudding works much much better than using/adding creme fraiche.
Vanilla pudding, brilliant! Totally trying that next time.
Vanilla pudding mix tastes like nasty chemicals and binders.
Creme fraiche, whipped on its own or added to whipping cream, is crazy delicous. And a real food.
Oh, and funny but that can't be a Nancy Silverton picture. That cream is way overwhipped compared to Nancy's soft dreamy clouds. I've been eating her desserts for long enough to say that for sure!
JudiAU,
If you look, the photo is never credited as a Nancy Silverton photo/dessert. (Though for the life of me I've never even heard of her, and I know a lot about pastry chefs)
I recall a recent post on manufacturing cream... yes, here it is. If I need whipped cream to hold, I typically add a small amount of melted butter (cooled) to the equation - it adds the butterfat AND tasty goodness.
I use marshmallow cream. It lightly sweetens and stablizes.
Martha Stewart has the best fail proof recipe with real cream and butter. I always use this recipe and they have never come out over whipped or gummy.
I had never thought to add melted butter to cream. That is so friggin easy, I'm going to try that and get my hands on some crunchy organic instant vanilla pudding mix. Seems both would work - you guys are the best!
Just let me get my tub of crème fraîche out of the fridge... oh wait. I never have crème fraîche in the fridge. I like the vanilla pudding or melted butter ideas much better.
ironically it kind of looks like it's overwhipped in the photo, lol.
Interesting topic, though. Usually I sweeten the whipped cream anyway and even masking a cake with it, it doesn't go anywhere. :S
I tried this last night but used Devonshire cream instead (58% bf) worked great.
I used about a tablespoon in 500ml of cream and I'm pretty sure the cream is stronger than the cake I made. Haha.
Awesome tip, thank you!
I think the key to good whipped cream is using high quality heavy cream. My concern with putting in butter, creme fraiche, etc. is that I think there is a different mouth feel if you add more fat to the cream.
hmm. i have yet to see creme fraiche in any store i have been to. i read about it constantly, but have never seen it. of course, i also haven't ever had problems with whipped cream not turning out. so i guess this is not a loss to me.
I agree. Using real whipped cream makes a huge difference. Most cream labels out there are reconstituted cream with added stabilizer and thickener. I never use those. I use Avalon cream which is so thick that it hardly wants to come out of the bottle. It is the only real whipped cream I can find around Vancouver BC. The rest is unusable for me. And with Avalon cream, I never have any trouble making whipped cream (nothing added to it) and it will last in the fridge till the date expires.