Question for Expert Dessert Makers Re: Whipped Cream

[Imzadi]

Well, it all went bad. The pie shells did not come up to the top of my muffin tin and baked up weird, but I didn't give up. The mousse came out okay, but the stabilized whipped cream. It failed. Obviously one packet per one cup of cream was too much. I couldn't even pipe it out of the bag. It was so thick and, well, stable. All in all, it as just kind of gross. Threw it all out. Not taking anything in because I've run out of time--even to go to the store.

Aw. I hope you took pics to show as evidence that you did spend the time and tried to bring something in.

 

[AppleDumpling]

Well, it all went bad.

Sorry to hear this. You had such good intentions. But stuff happens.

Perhaps you can bring a treat on another day when you’re not so busy.

 

[Christine]

Aw. I hope you took pics to show as evidence that you did spend the time and tried to bring something in.

I did get a picture. Not of the whipped cream though. Oddly the mini-pie crusts (new product from Pillsbury) has an oddly salty taste.

 

[DLgal]

Well, it all went bad. The pie shells did not come up to the top of my muffin tin and baked up weird, but I didn't give up. The mousse came out okay, but the stabilized whipped cream. It failed. Obviously one packet per one cup of cream was too much. I couldn't even pipe it out of the bag. It was so thick and, well, stable. All in all, it as just kind of gross. Threw it all out. Not taking anything in because I've run out of time--even to go to the store.

Bummer. At least you tried.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Sorry to hear that. I guess you should have gone with the Moon Pies.

 

[BayouQueen]

Well, it all went bad. The pie shells did not come up to the top of my muffin tin and baked up weird, but I didn't give up. The mousse came out okay, but the stabilized whipped cream. It failed. Obviously one packet per one cup of cream was too much. I couldn't even pipe it out of the bag. It was so thick and, well, stable. All in all, it as just kind of gross. Threw it all out. Not taking anything in because I've run out of time--even to go to the store.

Oh no! I was so excited to hear about the stabilizer product that I have some ordered and on the way. How disappointing to do all that work and then have to chuck it out.

Everyone will understand, though. We've all had baking disasters.

 

[DLgal]

Oh no! I was so excited to hear about the stabilizer product that I have some ordered and on the way. How disappointing to do all that work and then have to chuck it out.

Everyone will understand, though. We've all had baking disasters.

Don't be discouraged. I use that stabilizer all the time and it works great. I have a feeling the cream was over whipped. You have to be very careful not to do that. It basically turns into butter. Whip it only to the soft peak stage. Don't go beyond that. Check it frequently. You also have to stir in the powder BEFORE you start whipping. I stir it in a glass measuring cup with a whisk and then pour into my mixing bowl.

If you will use powdered sugar to sweeten, reduce the stabilizer by an equivalent amount. I prefer to use simple syrup or just granulated sugar to sweeten.

 

[gmi3804]

From America’s Test Kitchen, re: stabilizing whipped cream:

There are many methods for stabilizing whipped cream. Adding dissolved gelatin, cornstarch, powdered egg whites, meringue powder, cream cheese, and instant vanilla pudding were among the recommendations we found. Other sources suggested exchanging the standard granulated sugar for confectioners’ sugar or for corn syrup. On the wilder side, marshmallows (soaked in the cream or melted) were touted as a stabilizer thanks to their gelatin. Using our standard whipped cream amounts—1 cup cold heavy cream, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract—we tried each method and refrigerated the various whipped creams for 24 hours.

We’re happy to report that one of the easiest solutions—replacing the granulated sugar with confectioners’ sugar—proved our overwhelming favorite. You’ll need 1½ tablespoons confectioners’ sugar (as opposed to our usual 1 tablespoon granulated sugar) per cup of cream for the proper texture and sweetness. The small amount of cornstarch in the confectioners’ sugar helped produce a silky, weep-free cream, with none of the pastiness of cream stabilized with pure cornstarch.

THE BOTTOM LINE Confectioners’ sugar is our new go-to for fluffy, lightly sweetened stabilized whipped cream.

 

[BayouQueen]

Don't be discouraged. I use that stabilizer all the time and it works great. I have a feeling the cream was over whipped. You have to be very careful not to do that. It basically turns into butter. Whip it only to the soft peak stage. Don't go beyond that. Check it frequently. You also have to stir in the powder BEFORE you start whipping. I stir it in a glass measuring cup with a whisk and then pour into my mixing bowl.

If you will use powdered sugar to sweeten, reduce the stabilizer by an equivalent amount. I prefer to use simple syrup or just granulated sugar to sweeten.

Do you follow the package directions for proportions?
I have a cake we really love that I've been frosting with whipped cream just before serving. The stabilizer would really help.

Edit: Oh I see you kind of addressed that question in your post -- about reducing if using powdered sugar. Makes sense.

 

[BayouQueen]

From America’s Test Kitchen, re: stabilizing whipped cream:

There are many methods for stabilizing whipped cream. Adding dissolved gelatin, cornstarch, powdered egg whites, meringue powder, cream cheese, and instant vanilla pudding were among the recommendations we found. Other sources suggested exchanging the standard granulated sugar for confectioners’ sugar or for corn syrup. On the wilder side, marshmallows (soaked in the cream or melted) were touted as a stabilizer thanks to their gelatin. Using our standard whipped cream amounts—1 cup cold heavy cream, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract—we tried each method and refrigerated the various whipped creams for 24 hours.

We’re happy to report that one of the easiest solutions—replacing the granulated sugar with confectioners’ sugar—proved our overwhelming favorite. You’ll need 1½ tablespoons confectioners’ sugar (as opposed to our usual 1 tablespoon granulated sugar) per cup of cream for the proper texture and sweetness. The small amount of cornstarch in the confectioners’ sugar helped produce a silky, weep-free cream, with none of the pastiness of cream stabilized with pure cornstarch.

THE BOTTOM LINE Confectioners’ sugar is our new go-to for fluffy, lightly sweetened stabilized whipped cream.

This is really interesting. I've always kind of randomly sometimes used powdered sugar and sometimes granulated sugar. When it's held together longer, I always attributed that to just differences in cream or how long I whipped it.

You learn something new every day on the Dis. Thanks.

 

[ronandannette]

Well, it all went bad. The pie shells did not come up to the top of my muffin tin and baked up weird, but I didn't give up. The mousse came out okay, but the stabilized whipped cream. It failed. Obviously one packet per one cup of cream was too much. I couldn't even pipe it out of the bag. It was so thick and, well, stable. All in all, it as just kind of gross. Threw it all out. Not taking anything in because I've run out of time--even to go to the store.

So sorry Christine...I've had stuff like this happen to me, too, and in honesty, it's always when I've over-thought it and tried too hard. Pre-made tart shells, chocolate mousse and the canned whipped topping and Bob's your uncle. There's always next time.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Shame that happened after putting in the effort like you did.

 

[DLgal]

From America’s Test Kitchen, re: stabilizing whipped cream:

There are many methods for stabilizing whipped cream. Adding dissolved gelatin, cornstarch, powdered egg whites, meringue powder, cream cheese, and instant vanilla pudding were among the recommendations we found. Other sources suggested exchanging the standard granulated sugar for confectioners’ sugar or for corn syrup. On the wilder side, marshmallows (soaked in the cream or melted) were touted as a stabilizer thanks to their gelatin. Using our standard whipped cream amounts—1 cup cold heavy cream, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract—we tried each method and refrigerated the various whipped creams for 24 hours.

We’re happy to report that one of the easiest solutions—replacing the granulated sugar with confectioners’ sugar—proved our overwhelming favorite. You’ll need 1½ tablespoons confectioners’ sugar (as opposed to our usual 1 tablespoon granulated sugar) per cup of cream for the proper texture and sweetness. The small amount of cornstarch in the confectioners’ sugar helped produce a silky, weep-free cream, with none of the pastiness of cream stabilized with pure cornstarch.

THE BOTTOM LINE Confectioners’ sugar is our new go-to for fluffy, lightly sweetened stabilized whipped cream.

Eh. I don't agree with this when you are frosting a cake or want the cream to hold a piped shape. It absolutely will NOT hold for 24 hours. This works fine if you just plan to put the whipped cream in a container and spoon it out.

My best advice is to NOT buy "whipping cream", ironically. Buy HEAVY cream, and try to find one that is not "ultra pasteurized." You want to start with the thickest cream possible. I use this nondescript Heavy Cream from Trader Joe's on an opaque white bottle with a blue label. It makes fantastic whipped cream.

 

[sdk1231]

Well, it all went bad. The pie shells did not come up to the top of my muffin tin and baked up weird, but I didn't give up. The mousse came out okay, but the stabilized whipped cream. It failed. Obviously one packet per one cup of cream was too much. I couldn't even pipe it out of the bag. It was so thick and, well, stable. All in all, it as just kind of gross. Threw it all out. Not taking anything in because I've run out of time--even to go to the store.

So sorry to hear! You were going to a lot of effort to participate in your work event! I hope that sometime in the future this becomes one of your fond, funny "work stories". One of those "Remember when we had Pi Day at work and..." In the meantime, you helped some of us out. I was previously unaware of Pillsbury mini pie crusts and I did not know there was such a thing as the whipped cream stabilizer - which I will try. So despite your disappointing outcome, thank you for this post.

 

[gmi3804]

Eh. I don't agree with this when you are frosting a cake or want the cream to hold a piped shape. It absolutely will NOT hold for 24 hours. This works fine if you just plan to put the whipped cream in a container and spoon it out.

My best advice is to NOT buy "whipping cream", ironically. Buy HEAVY cream, and try to find one that is not "ultra pasteurized." You want to start with the thickest cream possible. I use this nondescript Heavy Cream from Trader Joe's on an opaque white bottle with a blue label. It makes fantastic whipped cream.

I’ve had great success with this method with whipped cream frostings on cakes and pie toppings, though whipped cream in general needs to be kept reasonably cool because of the nature of dairy fats. Whipped cream will never be as sturdy or stable as a buttercream frosting.

 

[Christine]

Don't be discouraged. I use that stabilizer all the time and it works great. I have a feeling the cream was over whipped. You have to be very careful not to do that. It basically turns into butter. Whip it only to the soft peak stage. Don't go beyond that. Check it frequently. You also have to stir in the powder BEFORE you start whipping. I stir it in a glass measuring cup with a whisk and then pour into my mixing bowl.

If you will use powdered sugar to sweeten, reduce the stabilizer by an equivalent amount. I prefer to use simple syrup or just granulated sugar to sweeten.

Yeah, not sure what happened here with the stabilizer. I put the 1 cup of heavy cream in the bowl and added the powder. I whipped for what was a fairly short time. Just until when I lifted the beaters they just started to peak. I stopped right away--it still seemed a little loose and I was doubtful and as I was transferring it to the plastic bag, I thought "wow, this stuff is feeling sturdy." As I started to squeeze it, as I was doing it, it seem to get stiffer and thicker and thicker. I just figured next time I'd only need half the package maybe.

 

[40ariel]

I am sorry your dessert didn't work out. I think we have all been there!
I hate the pressure of potlucks when there are guidelines around dishes having to be homemade. I think people should just bring what they are comfortable bringing including store bought items, pizza, fried chicken etc. Everyone will enjoy the food anyway.