Alternative to Whole/Heavy Cream for Whipping?

[Jaymes]

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.

 

It's easy to say "I would never" do this or that when you're sitting in an environment with which you are familiar and feel comfortable.

 

But the fact is that you have absolutely no idea whatsoever what you would do if the situation called for it.

 

Like if you were living in Panama for four years where fresh pasteurized milk was unavailable and you had three little kids including a newborn and a four-year-old that had been exposed to tuberculosis.

 

And I wasn't aware of NIDO. Or had any idea whether or not it was available to me.

 

Wish I had.

[GlorifiedRice]

It's easy to say "I would never" do this or that when you're sitting in an environment with which you are familiar and feel comfortable.

 

But the fact is that you have absolutely no idea whatsoever what you would do if the situation called for it.

 

Like if you were living in Panama for four years where fresh pasteurized milk was unavailable and you had three little kids including a newborn and a four-year-old that had been exposed to tuberculosis.

 

And I wasn't aware of NIDO. Or had any idea whether or not it was available to me.

 

Wish I had.

Ohhh okay... NIDO is whole powdered milk from Nestles thats abundant in South America and Mexico... I was thinking thats what you had at that time.

[Jaymes]

Ohhh okay... NIDO is whole powdered milk from Nestles thats abundant in South America and Mexico... I was thinking thats what you had at that time.

 

I'll bet I probably did.  But mostly we used US products that were shipped in.

 

Carnation powdered milk was the staple on everyone's shelves. Also Carnation canned whole evaporated milk and skim evaporated milk.

 

This was the mid-70's, so lots of things were different back then.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Jaymes (log)

[cakewalk]

I once bought light cream because I wanted to see if it would whip, thinking it might be a good, slightly less fattening, alternative to heavy cream. Well I whipped and whipped and whipped, but nothing at all happened to it. I used a hand-held mixer. So I'm surprised to read about whipping evaporated milk and powdered non-fat milk. I thought the high fat content was necessary.

[Jaymes]

I once bought light cream because I wanted to see if it would whip, thinking it might be a good, slightly less fattening, alternative to heavy cream. Well I whipped and whipped and whipped, but nothing at all happened to it. I used a hand-held mixer. So I'm surprised to read about whipping evaporated milk and powdered non-fat milk. I thought the high fat content was necessary.

Speaking just for myself, I never tried to whip nonfat milk. That surprises me as well.

[andiesenji]

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.)

And CoolWhip.  I am appalled at how many "recipes" for desserts includ this ersatz stuff.  I tasted it once and it took forever to get rid of the residual greasy (in not a good way) feeling in my mouth. 

[andiesenji]

Ohhh okay... NIDO is whole powdered milk from Nestles thats abundant in South America and Mexico... I was thinking thats what you had at that time.

Nido is available here in southern Calif. I buy it at the Mexican market and use it in some of my breads, which keep better with the addition of whole milk powder.

Evaporated milk has its place and is an important food source where fresh milk products are questionable, when available at all. My grandpa shipped cases of it to family members in England both during and after WWII when all dairy products were rationed - at least until 1950, when I remember a large shipment being crated up and hauled to the train station - included a couple of hams, sides of bacon and some canned butter (in jars that were packed in "excelsior" in a "barrel" made of fiberboard.)  As a thank-you they sent my grandpa a beautiful saddle as there were lots of saddles and no so many horses on which to put them...  I was told then and since then that English cooks could do amazing things with very little.  While we had rationing here in the U.S. during the war and for some things a couple of years afterward, it was nothing like the rationing in the U.K. 

 

Also available, now via Amazon, is a heavy cream powder which is excellent for use in cooking (not for regular whipping) and mixed with liquid low fat milk (in a blender) and allowed to rehydrate in the fridge overnight, can be FROTHED - which I have done in my electric milk frother and in my Thermomix with the "butterfly" attachment.  It doesn't have the stability of real whipped cream but for a quick topping works just fine.

[andiesenji]

Speaking just for myself, I never tried to whip nonfat milk. That surprises me as well.

Non-fat and low fat milk can be frothed and you don't need steam - I have a Froth Au Lait (Froth'N Sauce) that I bought several years ago and use occasionally - but also have a newer Mira automatic electric milk frother - which creates a lot of froth from a little milk.  In fact, I overfilled it a bit the first time I used it and had a lot of milk froth erupting from the thing. Fortunately I had put it on a tray (earlier accidents with appliances taught me this) and it contained the spill.  I have done some "experiments" with adding sugar - didn't work so well, but simple syrup mixed into the milk will still allow it to froth nicely for dolloping on desserts for folks who don't want full cream.  My friend who owns a bakery/cafe is now offering this option - he bought one with a larger capacity - Capresso Pro frother, I think.  His customers really like it.

[Lisa Shock]

I use powdered milk in breads, and I recognize that it has uses for feeding people who don't have access to fresh milk. I was referring specifically to the whipped topping recipe when I said this is something I know how to make but, wouldn't serve.

 

Sure, if it were 100 years ago and I were poor and had 5 kids to feed and regular milk was tainted, I'd feed them powdered milk. But, I seriously doubt that I'd be using rare and expensive fresh lemons (definitely not available year-round when I was a child in the 60s) and expensive sugar to whip it into a foam topping with an electric mixer chilled in a freezer. I suspect that there wouldn't be much dessert available to be topped, and not a lot of time available to spend garnishing those desserts because I'd be working 4 jobs to be able to afford to buy the mixer and frdige and keep the electricity turned on.

 

I just don't see this topping elevating any dish in the modern era. I understand that quite a few people posting in this thread believe otherwise.

 

I agree that CoolWhip falls into the category of foodlike substances which I could happily live the rest of my life without. I don't like it, it is nothing like real whipped cream, or chantilly, and I don't see how it improves anything. I am mystified by people who slather it onto every dessert they eat, I always wonder what they're trying to cover up. IMO, a great pie, or any dessert, should be able to stand on its own.

[Jaymes]

I'm with y'all on the Cool Whip. Hate that stuff.

[weinoo]

 My grandpa shipped cases of it to family members in England both during and after WWII when all dairy products were rationed - at least until 1950, when I remember a large shipment being crated up and hauled to the train station - included a couple of hams, sides of bacon and some canned butter (in jars that were packed in "excelsior" in a "barrel" made of fiberboard.)  As a thank-you they sent my grandpa a beautiful saddle as there were lots of saddles and no so many horses on which to put them...  I was told then and since then that English cooks could do amazing things with very little.  While we had rationing here in the U.S. during the war and for some things a couple of years afterward, it was nothing like the rationing in the U.K. 

 

So it was HIM!  

 

Giddyap!

[GlorifiedRice]

What do y'all think of DREAM WHIP?

 

lol

[Anna N]

I use powdered milk in breads, and I recognize that it has uses for feeding people who don't have access to fresh milk. I was referring specifically to the whipped topping recipe when I said this is something I know how to make but, wouldn't serve.

 

Sure, if it were 100 years ago and I were poor and had 5 kids to feed and regular milk was tainted, I'd feed them powdered milk. But, I seriously doubt that I'd be using rare and expensive fresh lemons (definitely not available year-round when I was a child in the 60s) and expensive sugar to whip it into a foam topping with an electric mixer chilled in a freezer. I suspect that there wouldn't be much dessert available to be topped, and not a lot of time available to spend garnishing those desserts because I'd be working 4 jobs to be able to afford to buy the mixer and frdige and keep the electricity turned on.

 

I just don't see this topping elevating any dish in the modern era. I understand that quite a few people posting in this thread believe otherwise.

 

I agree that CoolWhip falls into the category of foodlike substances which I could happily live the rest of my life without. I don't like it, it is nothing like real whipped cream, or chantilly, and I don't see how it improves anything. I am mystified by people who slather it onto every dessert they eat, I always wonder what they're trying to cover up. IMO, a great pie, or any dessert, should be able to stand on its own.

I'm not sure that anybody is suggesting that given the choice they would use anything other than real whipped cream. I am putting forth the notion that when there is no choice it isn't for the privileged (and I count myself among them now) to stand in judgment on those who must find other options.

[Jaymes]

So, Shel, I'm sure I'm not the only one eager to see what you decide to do.

 

And how it works out for you.

[weinoo]

Yes, I'm waiting with baited breath.

[djyee100]

Yes, I'm waiting with baited breath.

 

What's it baited with? Dream Whip?

 

   

[GlorifiedRice]

I dont get how all of you are saying whipping evaporated milk is about poverty. Its all about Weight Watchers and dieting.

Its something creamy to put on your sugar free Jel-Sert or fat free Junket

Edited December 23, 2014 by GlorifiedRice (log)

[gulfporter]

I dont get how all of you are saying whipping evaporated milk is about poverty. Its all about Weight Watchers and dieting.

Its something creamy to put on your sugar free Jel-Sert or fat free Junket

Even if evap is 1/2 the calories of the real deal, it's not much of a caloric saving.  I'd rather use 1/2 the amount of the real stuff.  

 

After struggling with my weight since childhood, fifteen years ago I lost 42 pounds and have kept 40 of them off.  After years of diet failures that used low-cal low-fat low-sugar substitutes, I found portion control of 'regular' foods worked best for me.  A little dab or dollop of butter, whipped cream, dessert, etc. will satisfy my hunger far better than any amount of low-cal alternatives.  

 

YMMV.

[weinoo]

Even if evap is 1/2 the calories of the real deal, it's not much of a caloric saving.  I'd rather use 1/2 the amount of the real stuff.  

 

After struggling with my weight since childhood, fifteen years ago I lost 42 pounds and have kept 40 of them off.  After years of diet failures that used low-cal low-fat low-sugar substitutes, I found portion control of 'regular' foods worked best for me.  A little dab or dollop of butter, whipped cream, dessert, etc. will satisfy my hunger far better than any amount of low-cal alternatives.  

 

YMMV.

 

I've been saying this to my dieting friends for decades.  Smaller portions. Calories in < calories out = weight loss (in many people).

[GlorifiedRice]

I think low fat low cal diets are the cause of our nations dietary issues

[Jaymes]

I dont get how all of you are saying whipping evaporated milk is about poverty. Its all about Weight Watchers and dieting.

Its something creamy to put on your sugar free Jel-Sert or fat free Junket

 

I don't think folks are necessarily saying that wanting to whip something besides full, heavy cream is all "about poverty."  Shel asked the initial question for who knows why (he didn't say exactly but implied it had something to do with fat content) and, although it certainly appears from his posts here that he is a thrifty feller, I strongly doubt that "poverty" was the reason for the question.

 

There are many possible situations where one might be in a position to want to, or have to, make another choice.

 

Poverty might be one, but only one, of those situations.

 

I'm a fan of evaporated milk for many reasons (including as a substitute for full-fat cream in recipes such as eggnog and oyster stew), but, luckily, and thankfully, poverty has never been one.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Jaymes (log)

[Shel_B]

I don't think folks are necessarily saying that wanting to whip something besides full, heavy cream is all "about poverty."  Shel asked the initial question for who knows why (he didn't say exactly but implied it had something to do with fat content) and, although it certainly appears from his posts here that he is a thrifty feller, I strongly doubt that "poverty" was the reason for the question.

 

There are many possible situations where one might be in a position to want to, or have to, make another choice.

 

Poverty might be one, but only one, of those situations.

 

I'm a fan of evaporated milk for many reasons (including as a substitute for full-fat cream in recipes such as eggnog and oyster stew), but, luckily, and thankfully, poverty has never been one.

 

Maybe it's about time I jump in here.  I've been reading the posts as they come to me via email, and have not been too interested in contributing to the conversation since, as has been noted, there is a condescending and judgmental tone running through this discussion.

 

It's not poverty, or thriftiness, that prompted my question.  Mostly, though not entirely, it was just a matter of learning more about what can be done with various ingredients.  If a decent "whipped cream" can be made with low-fat milk, which I usually have on hand, that means I may not have to make a trip to the market to buy whipping cream should I decide to make a dessert requiring it and not have any on hand.

 

In addition, we're having a big Christmas dinner later in the week - 18 people - and some are folks who have recently had bypass surgery.  If by using an alternative to heavy whipping cream I can help their health a little, then a "light" version would be nice to have on the table.

 

Finally, I just like to know things.  Should something cross my mind that I don't know about, whatever it may be - cooking, cars, astronomy, the environment, etc. - I want to learn about it.  Google is one option, as are my friends who are expert in various fields, and I have come to rely somewhat on the experts here for cooking and food questions.

[Deryn]

Shel - I would suggest you get some low-fat powdered milk to keep in your cupboard for those days when you just want to add a bit of foam to the top of an everyday dessert.

For your Christmas dinner however you might want to consider getting a can of the low calorie version of 'real whipped cream' (since it is a special occasion, it might warrant a trip to a grocery store?). If you don't want to put the can on the table (it is rather gauche at a dinner party unless it is a barbeque), simply spray some out into a bowl and place that on the table with a spoon so people can help themselves.

Advertised caloric values in the 'light' (still real cream) canned products are in the neighbourhood of 15 calories a tablespoon I think - which doesn't seem a heavy load, especially for a festive meal. If someone has a problem with the intake of any fat/calories, they are free to exercise free will and not take any topping at all. You already will have enough to do if you are feeding 18 people a large meal so why not treat yourself and them to a carefree host who can relax a bit rather than trying to whip up fake or low cal stuff at the last minute?

[andiesenji]

Going back to your original question.

The device that was once a staple on the late night sale pitch shows was similar to the Froth Au Lait I referenced in my earlier post (#27) except it was cheaply made, did not heat the milk, just had the mesh "beaters" that created the frothy milk.  Occasionally they appear on ebay, they did not work well and did not last long on the market.

 

Any of the electric milk frothers work just fine with low-fat milk and skim milk, in fact some - the little hand-held, battery operated Aerolatte worked better with skim milk than other milks - not so good with soy  but very good with almond milk and I have tried coconut milk with excellent results. 

 

Most of the ads show the frothed milk only used in hot or cold drinks - there is an eggnog drink being touted that has cold frothed milk added...

 

However, it works well with desserts, on fruit, etc.  I seem to recall a topic here on eG, several years ago about increasing the stability of milk foams by adding gelatin.  A cursory search did not get me to the thread but I will continue looking, I am absolutely sure it was here and not on one of the other forums to which I belong.

[Shel_B]

Shel - I would suggest you get some low-fat powdered milk to keep in your cupboard for those days when you just want to add a bit of foam to the top of an everyday dessert.

For your Christmas dinner however you might want to consider getting a can of the low calorie version of 'real whipped cream' (since it is a special occasion, it might warrant a trip to a grocery store?). If you don't want to put the can on the table (it is rather gauche at a dinner party unless it is a barbeque), simply spray some out into a bowl and place that on the table with a spoon so people can help themselves.

Advertised caloric values in the 'light' (still real cream) canned products are in the neighbourhood of 15 calories a tablespoon I think - which doesn't seem a heavy load, especially for a festive meal. If someone has a problem with the intake of any fat/calories, they are free to exercise free will and not take any topping at all. You already will have enough to do if you are feeding 18 people a large meal so why not treat yourself and them to a carefree host who can relax a bit rather than trying to whip up fake or low cal stuff at the last minute?

 

Just for clarity's sake, I'm not the host, rather, a participant who is doing a little of the cooking.

Usually, there's some powdered milk in my pantry. Recently, Milkman http://milkmanmilk.com has reintroduced their low-fat powdered milk, an item that I used years ago and then disappeared from the markets. Having the stuff around again in part prompted my original question. Andiesenji posted a link that drove me to this link: http://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=powdered+dried+cream

Edited December 23, 2014 by Shel_B (log)