Why won’t the cream whip?

Cream is used by practically all of us to prepare many dishes, soups, cakes and desserts. Sometimes its whipping puts our patience to the test. Why is it so difficult?

During baking it is often necessary to whip cream. This applies to the preparation of cream for cakes, pies or desserts. The main task is to make the cream stiff. And only on the surface it seems simple. Despite many attempts, it happens that we are not able to achieve a satisfactory effect. Why does this happen and what should we do?

The right product is important

The basis for the preparation of any dish, including cream, is the selection of ingredients in the right form and consistency. Also important is the choice of cream, its type and fat content. Here we should remember that we can give up cream other than 30%. We can only whip such cream. What is more, the most common cause of cream turning sour is the temperature. It is necessary to ensure proper cooling in the fridge, which will take at least several hours. It’s also a good idea to chill the container you’ll be using to whip the cream. It is also wrong to use a low speed mixer. By increasing the time it takes to whip the cream, we increase the risk of it “breaking through”.

So how do you whip cream?

Whipping cream is based on a few simple rules that will make sure that you win every time you try.

• Selecting the right cream, i.e. one with 30 or 36 % fat content.
• Chill the cream in the refrigerator for several hours (you can also put it in the freezer for a while).
• For whipping, use a mixer with two blades.
• Whip the cream on high speed. First of all, remember that we start with the highest speed, and only at the end can we reduce it. However, you should wait until the cream begins to thicken. The whole process takes about 5 minutes. However if you want to obtain a buttery consistency, you can easily spin longer.

What about additives?

What about additives when whipping cream? If you use lemon, cocoa, sugar or other additives, you should follow these guidelines. This will ensure that you don’t spoil the result.

• NEVER add hot additives to whipped cream, such as chocolate;
• Sugar – regular sugar should be added at the beginning of whipping, icing sugar can be added at any time;
• Lemon juice, cocoa, coraba – these additives are best added in the middle of whipping cream. Adding them at the beginning will significantly prolong the whipping of the cream, and at the end can cause it to curdle.
• Gelatin – add this when you want to enrich the cream with fruit or fruit purée that lets the juice out. Gelatin should be poured into the whipped cream and preferably under the paddle of the mixer, but not directly onto it.

When is the cream whipped?

We follow all the rules, but when can we know that our cream is whipped? First of all, we should carefully observe how its consistency changes during mixing. It should gradually go from watery to runny and slightly aerated. Further on it should start getting thicker

At the next stage, removing the paddle from the pot should leave chunks of cream on the mixer, and scooping the cream with a spoon will leave a fine trail. The next several seconds or so will bring us to the end of the process. If you notice that the cream is beginning to curdle (the surface texture is starting to look like someone sprinkled salt on it), you can add 2-3 tablespoons of 18% cream or other sour cream. After blending for a while, the cream will return to its proper state.