Alternative to Whole/Heavy Cream for Whipping?

[Shel_B]

A friend has recently developed a problem digesting cow's milk dairy products. What would be a good substitute for heavy cream? Hopefully something that's not loaded with sugar and strange sounding chemical names.

[Tri2Cook]

Are you thinking of a specific application or just a general all-around substitute? I'm not sure there's such a critter as the second one. I don't think there is any one thing that could do the job of heavy cream in every application because the cream doesn't do the same job in every application.

[Jaymes]

I went to a party a while back and the hostess, who said she was lactose intolerant, served this:

Non-dairy whipped cream

It tasted pretty good. Not sure if it's exactly what you've got in mind, but it might give your friend some interesting directions to explore.

[Shalmanese]

Coconut cream does an admirable job in many circumstances if you're fine with adding an asian twist to it. A thin veloute does a good job of mimicking the texture of heavy cream in savory contexts. Egg whites sort of do the same job if you're using it as whipping cream in a dessert.

You mentioned cow's milk, have you considered using a goat's milk cream?

Ultimately, if you want the closest thing, you're probably going to be stuck with non-dairy creamer which is not abysmal but pretty close to it.

[Darienne]

I went to a party a while back and the hostess, who said she was lactose intolerant, served this:

Non-dairy whipped cream

It tasted pretty good. Not sure if it's exactly what you've got in mind, but it might give your friend some interesting directions to explore.

Do check the ingredient label on the can to see what % is fat. Some cans are labelled 'cream', but have a very low % fat. And vice versa.

However, as HeidiH pointed out in the topic "Coconut milk vs. coconut cream vs. Coconut Water", the labels on these cans are NOT to be trusted .

[Good Plain Cook]

Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen suggests using "Creamed Cashews" as a substitute for heavy cream in sauces/soups/gravies etc. It won't whip, of course, but it does provide a nice fatty depth without that distinctive, distracting, arguably vile Soymilk Taste. Basically, you just soak 2 parts raw cashews in 1 part water and puree, then throw it in as you would the real stuff.

[Shel_B]

Some years ago there was a TV commercial for some gadget or blender that showed the device whipping reduced fat, or maybe even fat-free, milk into what looked like whipped cream.  I never thought more about it until this morning as I'm thinking of making a whipped cream topping for Christmas dinner.

 

Is it possible to whip half-and-half, or regular milk, to give a result similar to regular whipped cream?  Any special technique for doing so?  Also, would manufacturer's cream whip any differently than regular whipping cream?  Might it be too "heavy?"

[AAQuesada]

At home I just use the best quality cream I can find and and stabilize it with some dr. oetker's. Will keep firm for holiday parties when the fridge is groaning full

 

http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Oetker-Stabilizer-Whipping-Packets/dp/B000NY8OLU

 

It's hard to say one thing about manufacturing cream since there is a lot of variability between brands, but often they with have stabilizer's like carrageenan  that make it easier to whip (don't put in your coffee). 

 

I've never tried to whip low fat milk but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a way. 

[Shel_B]

It's hard to say one thing about manufacturing cream since there is a lot of variability between brands, but often they with have stabilizer's like carrageenan  that make it easier to whip (don't put in your coffee). 

 

None of the dairy products I buy have additives, such as a the carrageenan you mention.

[Lisa Shock]

You can whip nonfat powdered milk into a topping. Here's a recipe.

[AAQuesada]

It's not a big deal either way, it can be a an additive to manufacturing cream (comes from seaweed) as a stabilizer/thickener. Some common brands of manufacturing creams have it and others don't like Alta Dena, they do act very differently though. We have both at work depending on the purveyor and you have to pay attention to what you are using. 

I would not use it for home use, but that's just a personal preference for cream from cows that have been pastured/grass feed. 

[Jaymes]

My mother used to whip evaporated milk all the time to make a less-fattening topping.

[GlorifiedRice]

Yes, it was a high powered immersion blender that used to whip skim milk...

 

BTW you can also whip dry Coffee Mate somehow. The directions used to be on the side

[weinoo]

None of which, of course, taste like, or have the texture of, true whipped cream.

 

I can see it now - "what's the best high-powered immersion blender for making fake whipped cream?"

[Jaymes]

Whipped evaporated milk, to which one has added a bit of sugar of one's choice, and a little flavoring such as vanilla or rum, is quite acceptable and was very popular for a number of years.

High-powered immersion blender not required. A regular ol' hand-held Sunbeam mixer worked just fine.

Which was a good thing since, when this was popular, high-powered immersion blenders had not yet been invented.

Edited December 18, 2014 by Jaymes (log)

[Lisa Shock]

This stuff falls into the category of something I know how to make but would never actually serve unless it was specifically requested.

[Jaymes]

This stuff falls into the category of something I know how to make but would never actually serve unless it was specifically requested.

 

Or was your only option, which, during several periods in our nation's history, was the case.

[Kerry Beal]

Whipped evaporated milk was a key ingredient in a lime pie that was a favourite my mother used to make.

[Lisa Shock]

Or was your only option, which, during several periods in our nation's history, was the case.

 

I seriously doubt that powdered milk whipped with sugar and lemon juice ever comprised the sole food option for americans.

 

I'd rather have no whipped topping on a dessert than something that wasn't worthwhile. I've never been the sort of person who just slaps whipped cream on top of every dessert. (Even though I grew up on a small farm where we bartered our beef and red raspberries for delicious Jersey milk and cream from the next door neighbors, and, I owned my own Jersey cow for a few years.) Honestly I'd probably never miss whipped cream if its sole function were just as a topping. (I don't drink coffee, so, the charm of those elaborate 1200 calorie breakfast drinks is lost on me.)

 

I'd rather have no dessert than a weak one and adding weird tasting whipped fluff on top won't improve anything. If I had trouble getting access to cream for whipping, I'd make make baked apples, or a cake, or a berry cobbler for dessert rather than a mousse.

 

This stuff falls into a category of fake and insubstantial foods that I could easily forgo thinking about for the rest of my life. (Other members of the category, for me, include fat-free margarine and artificial sweeteners.)

[Jaymes]

I seriously doubt that powdered milk whipped with sugar and lemon juice ever comprised the sole food option for americans.

 

I'd rather have no whipped topping on a dessert than something that wasn't worthwhile. I've never been the sort of person who just slaps whipped cream on top of every dessert. (Even though I grew up on a small farm where we bartered our beef and red raspberries for delicious Jersey milk and cream from the next door neighbors, and, I owned my own Jersey cow for a few years.) Honestly I'd probably never miss whipped cream if its sole function were just as a topping. (I don't drink coffee, so, the charm of those elaborate 1200 calorie breakfast drinks is lost on me.)

 

I'd rather have no dessert than a weak one and adding weird tasting whipped fluff on top won't improve anything. If I had trouble getting access to cream for whipping, I'd make make baked apples, or a cake, or a berry cobbler for dessert rather than a mousse.

 

This stuff falls into a category of fake and insubstantial foods that I could easily forgo thinking about for the rest of my life. (Other members of the category, for me, include fat-free margarine and artificial sweeteners.)

 

I am 100 percent positive that you are absolutely correct for yourself. 

 

However, during the food rationings days of WW2, there were many mothers, like mine, not possessed of Jersey cows, who were doing the best they could to provide a bit of frothy fun toppings for things like birthday parties for their children. And a little bit of fake butter that, in fact, they had to "mix up" to spread on toast.

[SylviaLovegren]

I am 100 percent positive that you are absolutely correct for yourself. 

 

However, during the food rationings days of WW2, there were many mothers, like mine, not possessed of Jersey cows, who were doing the best they could to provide a bit of frothy fun toppings for things like birthday parties for their children. And a little bit of fake butter that, in fact, they had to "mix up" to spread on toast.

 

Yup, very much so.  I also remember living in a family that didn't have a whole lot of money when I was little, and mom used to whip evap milk because we couldn't afford cream.  Not sure I'd do it now but then we live in much more luxurious times. 

[weinoo]

My mom used to walk miles in the snow, just to get her hands on some evaporated milk, so that she could whip it up for a topping on the cake she had to make out of cardboard.

 

Oh wait - that was my grandmother!

[Jaymes]

You know, I'm not one for artificial ingredients or weird substitutes either, but don't understand the revulsion about whipped evaporated milk.  It is milk, after all.  I remember when we lived in Panama we couldn't get fresh pasteurized milk.  We were told that we'd be very wise to avoid the local unpasteurized dairy products because many diseases were rampant there, including tuberculosis, to which my 4-yr-old son was exposed and for which he had to take a very strict regimen of medication for nine months. 

 

We got frozen whole milk and cream from the US but the texture was really weird and the cream didn't whip well.  I used a lot of powdered milk and canned milk products.  And was very glad to get them.

[Anna N]

I think it is wonderful to be able to spurn and decry food products that don't meet certain personal standards. I don't think it's wonderful however to pretend that the Great Depression didn't happen or that the Dustbowl is something of no concern or that even today in North America people are going hungry and have little choice in what they put into their mouths. I was born in the middle of World War II but food rationing lasted until I was almost 11 years old. I marveled at my grandma's ability to make something out of nothing. Sure you can do without but when you're doing without damn near everything a little fake cream can bring joy untold.

[GlorifiedRice]

You know, I'm not one for artificial ingredients or weird substitutes either, but don't understand the revulsion about whipped evaporated milk.  It is milk, after all.  I remember when we lived in Panama we couldn't get fresh pasteurized milk.  We were told that we'd be very wise to avoid the local unpasteurized dairy products because many diseases were rampant there, including tuberculosis, to which my 4-yr-old son was exposed and for which he had to take a very strict regimen of medication for nine months. 

 

We got frozen whole milk and cream from the US but the texture was really weird and the cream didn't whip well.  I used a lot of powdered milk and canned milk products.  And was very glad to get them.

 

NIDO FTW!!

 

BTW NIDO can be used to make cheese when NON UHT milk isnt available...

Edited December 22, 2014 by GlorifiedRice (log)