Whipped cream problem.

[hazen]

I have a problem, but since I am from a not-English speaking country I would like to specify some words, as "cream" in English can be 1000 different things.

By "coffee cream" I mean that white diary liquid that people sometimes add to their coffee. There are different kinds, but normally it should be a bit thicker than milk and when beaten will produce "whipped cream".

When I make coffee I beat store-bought coffee cream, until it becomes whipped cream, and then gently place it on top of the coffee. The coffee obtains a topping, like that of a cake or similar confectionery.

Now, whipped cream is less dense/thinner than coffee cream so it floats above the coffee. However I have the desire to create strawberry whipped cream by using real strawberries. So far I bought some strawberries and pureed them, then filtered them through a fine strainer, so no seeds or similar product would pass through. The end product is a red jelly-like substance.

The problem arises from the fact that it is much denser and heavier than coffee and when added and mixed with coffee cream and the mixture beaten, the result is a pink strawberry whipped cream that has neutral buoyancy in relation to coffee and therefore kind of "slops" in coffee and remains completely emerged in it, while touching its surface.

Can anyone help me with that problem? I know I can just default to artificial coloring and scent, however I don't want to do that. There must be something I can add to the mixture that will make it lighter. I have tried water, milk and even vegetable oil.

As a bonus questions, can anyone tell me why is whipped cream thinner than its parent cream product? I ask as a physicist and would like an educated answer and not a guess since nothing is added to the cream, it is simply processed in a matter that does not aerate it, I wonder why it is significantly less dense?

[rajoress]

I'm sorry I can't address the "physics" part of your question ;-) but I was thinking maybe you could try dehydrated strawberries? You could crush them to a fine powder and add to your cream? They would hardly add any weight at all.

Good luck with your bonus questions!

Ruth

[Sam Carter]

You could try stabilising the whipped cream with gelatine or agar agar before folding in your strawberry puree, or simply reduce your strawberry puree with sugar to make a thick syrup and drizzle over plan whipped cream, so you still get the flavours without sinking the cream like the titanic. Nice idea, good luck.

[Smithy]

As a bonus questions, can anyone tell me why is whipped cream thinner than its parent cream product? I ask as a physicist and would like an educated answer and not a guess since nothing is added to the cream, it is simply processed in a matter that does not aerate it, I wonder why it is significantly less dense?

First of all, let me say "welcome to eGullet, Hazen!" You've asked some great questions.

I want to address your bonus question, although - allowing for the language barrier - I may still be misunderstanding you.

You state that "nothing is added to the cream, it is simply processed in a matter that does not aerate it". However, your description of beating the cream to whip it belies that description...and in American English, at least, the term "whipped cream" specifically implies the incorporation of air to "whipping cream". If you whip cream, you ARE aerating it. The density reduces because of the added air, and the whole mass will float atop the coffee as a result. Whipped cream would even float atop un-aerated whipping cream, for the same reason.

Did I understand your statement correctly - and did I answer the Physics question - or did I misunderstand something along the way?

[hazen]

Oh, wow, thanks everyone for the answers!

rajoress, that is a good idea, never occured to me!

Sam Carter, thanks I'll try your ideas as well, although I don't know if I can find agar here, first time I ever heard such a thing exists. Although, won't adding syrup to the puree make it even heavyer?

Smithy, thanks for the welcome! Yes, you understood me perfectly, just recently I noticed something, I sort of have two ways to beat cream into whipped cream and one of them beats the cream so fast (in just a few seconds) it practicly does not add air to it, it just gets really thick and not so boyant, but when beating it with a mixer for longer time it becomes aerated, I just didn't notice the difference before.

Thank you all, I will share my results, once I have got a chance to try your ideas!

[teonzo]

If you are aiming for the strawberry taste and don't care about putting aside the cream, then you can use some modernist techniques like foams (made with an ISI syphon) or a "strawberry chantilly" (strawberry juice + cocoa butter).

Teo

[SylviaLovegren]

Cream is heavy in fat and fat floats on water. If you add more water via strawberries to the cream it will have more of a tendency to merge with the water other (i.e., the coffee).

Figuring out which cream whips faster or better than another is tricky. It depends totally on where you are, what kind of cream is sold and how it's labeled. The higher the fat content of the cream, the faster it whips. I used to get Guernsey cow cream in Seattle that was so thick, it almost didn't need to be whipped. If you did whip it, it would start turning to butter very quickly. That never happens, at least in New Jersey, with supermarket cream.

[Dave Hatfield]

Maybe somebody can help with my whipped cream problem.

My problem being that I can't seem to get it to whip.

The cream I can buy here has a butter fat content of 35% as a maximum.

It just won't whip. It gets a little thicker with lots of whipping, but never to the'soft peaks' stage.

Its ultra pasteurized so maybe that the problem?

Or, is there some other kind of cream that I should be buying? (here in France)

[Derek J]

Maybe somebody can help with my whipped cream problem.

My problem being that I can't seem to get it to whip.

The cream I can buy here has a butter fat content of 35% as a maximum.

It just won't whip. It gets a little thicker with lots of whipping, but never to the'soft peaks' stage.

Its ultra pasteurized so maybe that the problem?

Or, is there some other kind of cream that I should be buying? (here in France)

As a starting point, how long have you whipped your cream before giving up? What is "lots of whipping" to you? It may turn out you are not patient enough or there may be something else going on.

[Smithy]

Maybe somebody can help with my whipped cream problem.

My problem being that I can't seem to get it to whip.

The cream I can buy here has a butter fat content of 35% as a maximum.

It just won't whip. It gets a little thicker with lots of whipping, but never to the'soft peaks' stage.

Its ultra pasteurized so maybe that the problem?

Or, is there some other kind of cream that I should be buying? (here in France)

I seem to remember hearing Lynne Rosetto Kasper say that ultra pasteurized cream wouldn't whip up well, so I went to my 2 favorite reference books to check. Harold McGee (On Food and Cooking) doesn't directly address the effects of ultra pasteurization on cream's ability to whip, one way or the other. Shirley Corriher (Cookwise) says that pasteurized and ultrapasteurized creams don't whip as readily as raw creams.

Homogenization makes the fat droplets smaller, and the smaller fat globules make the cream more difficult to whip. Is your cream homogenized? McGee does note that, in this country, ultrapasteurized cream is usually homogenized...so in a way, I think he makes the same connection as Corriher.

Both writers note that temperature is the biggest issue: your cream, the bowl and beaters, and air need to be cold - as in, put the bowl and beaters in the freezer for 15 minutes before starting. McGee recommends that the cream start out at "the low end of 40-50F/5-10C". Corriher notes that if you start with cold equipment and cold cream, but beat 90F/32C temperature air into it, you'll be heating that cream up and unable to develop a proper foam. Have you noted more trouble getting cream to whip up during the summer, or is this a year-round problem for you?

The minimum fat content for whipping cream is 30%, according to both writers, so you're probably alright there.

Corriher also notes that the breed of cow makes a difference: Jersey and Guernsey cows produce milk with large fat globules, while Holstein milk has smaller fat globules. As with homogenization, the smaller globules make it tougher to whip the cream.

So: maybe it's the ultrapasteurization, maybe it's the source of the milk, or perhaps you're trying to whip cream in too hot a kitchen. Does any of that help?

Edited: spelling, as usual. <grr>

Edited September 19, 2013 by Smithy (log)

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Maybe somebody can help with my whipped cream problem.

My problem being that I can't seem to get it to whip.

The cream I can buy here has a butter fat content of 35% as a maximum.

It just won't whip. It gets a little thicker with lots of whipping, but never to the'soft peaks' stage.

Its ultra pasteurized so maybe that the problem?

Or, is there some other kind of cream that I should be buying? (here in France)

What temperature is the cream at when you start whipping? I often use UHT cream at 35% for whipping, and it takes a minimum of overnight in the cool fridge for it to get to a whippable state.....

[Dave Hatfield]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm going to try some of suggestions & will report any success.

My cream is normally at refrigerator temperature when I start whipping. Many time the cream has been in the fridge for several days & our kitchen is reasonably cool. I'm going to try putting the cream in our other fridge as maybe it's cooler.I'll try putting the bowl & beater blades in the fridge for 1/2 hour before starting to see if that help.

Does anybody think using a

I use a hand held mixer & mix for quite a while without result. I mix at its highest speed.

I shall persevere as there are just too many things that I like to cook that require whipped cream.

[Smithy]

If you have freezer space, you might try the freezer trick instead of the fridge for the beaters and bowl. Another possibility is to nestle the bowl of cream in a larger bowl of ice while you're beating. Should be manageable since you're using a hand mixer.

Yes, do please let us know what you learn!

[tim]

Hi,

The answers come from reading the ingredients, processing methods and butterfat content.

Ingredients:

• Cream with fewer ingredients usually will whip faster.
• Manufacturer's cream usually contains cream and milk. The milk makes it thinner than whole fresh cream.
• Other creams typically contain emulsifiers and preservatives. These may retard whipping.

Processing: Ultrapasteurized cream is resistant to whipping.

Butterfat content: You can approximate this by dividing the listed calories from fat/tablespoon by 125. Note: Butter has a fat content about 82-84%.

• Cream with higher butterfat will whip faster.
• Cream from a cow can contain as much as 48% butterfat. Some breed have much lower butterfat.
• Heavy cream typically contains 35% to 40% butterfat. The calories from fat ranges from 44 to 50.
• Cream can be whipped with as little as 30% butterfat. The calories from fat is 37.5.
• Cream must have over 18% butterfat in the US; this cannot be whipped.
• Half and half must have 10.5% butterfat in the US; this cannot be whipped. Calories from fat ranges from 13 to 22.5.

Tim

[annabelle]

I'm dense, I guess. I don't quite understand what you are making. Is this a latte type of drink nor a dessert coffee?

I make lattes with foamed low-fat milk. Steam is forced through the milk to foam it.

[Dave Hatfield]

I'm dense, I guess. I don't quite understand what you are making. Is this a latte type of drink nor a dessert coffee?

Annabelle

I think I sort of hijacked the original question that started this thread. Sorry about that.

I'm having difficulty getting cream to whip at all.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Dave:

The other thing I've had great luck with, using UHT cream for whipping, is to scald it and then chill it back down in the fridge overnight, then stir gently before starting to whip with cold equipment (bear in mind that my kitchen is usually 30 C plus, and hotter in our summer months). Scalding brings the fat molecules out of suspension and makes whipping easier.

[annabelle]

I'm dense, I guess. I don't quite understand what you are making. Is this a latte type of drink nor a dessert coffee?

Annabelle

I think I sort of hijacked the original question that started this thread. Sorry about that.

I'm having difficulty getting cream to whip at all.

That's okay. I have this problem sometimes too---both the thread hijacking and the whipping cream problem.

Can you get unpasteurized cream where you are?

[Smithy]

Dave:

The other thing I've had great luck with, using UHT cream for whipping, is to scald it and then chill it back down in the fridge overnight, then stir gently before starting to whip with cold equipment (bear in mind that my kitchen is usually 30 C plus, and hotter in our summer months). Scalding brings the fat molecules out of suspension and makes whipping easier.

What a great trick. I'm eager to try that and check the difference in results!

[Lisa Shock]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm going to try some of suggestions & will report any success.

My cream is normally at refrigerator temperature when I start whipping. Many time the cream has been in the fridge for several days & our kitchen is reasonably cool. I'm going to try putting the cream in our other fridge as maybe it's cooler.I'll try putting the bowl & beater blades in the fridge for 1/2 hour before starting to see if that help.

Does anybody think using a

I use a hand held mixer & mix for quite a while without result. I mix at its highest speed.

I shall persevere as there are just too many things that I like to cook that require whipped cream.

It can take 7-10 minutes sometimes to happen. That said, I've managed to do it by hand with a balloon whisk and it didn't take much longer. Are you buying heavy cream?