Be sure to chill a metal bowl,
beaters, or the whisk you’ll use to whip the cream in your freezer,
about 15 minutes for best results. You’ll find the cream will
whip faster and more fully. If, however, you don’t have time
to chill the bowl, you can immerse it in a larger bowl filled
with ice water and proceed as usual.
Use powdered (confectioner’s
sugar) to sweeten cream-it not only dissolves quickly, but also
helps stabilize the whipped cream due the fact it contains cornstarch.
If you accidentally over beat
heavy or whipping cream so much so that it begins to turn buttery,
gently stir in additional cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. Don’t
“beat” the cream again or you’ll be right back where
you began.
Remember to use a bowl that’s
deep enough, keeping in mind the cream will double in volume
when it’s whipped.
Decrease the instances of splattering
by gradually increasing the speed of the mixer from low to high.
You can also protect yourself and your clothes by draping a kitchen
towel over the bowl of an electric standing mixer to catch any
fly away cream.
A small amount of cream (less
than 1 cup) will whip better in a deep narrow bowl than one that’s
large and wide.
You’ll get more volume from
whipped cream if you hold off adding sugar or flavorings like
vanilla or liqueurs until the cream has been whipped to soft
peaks.
