Stabilized Whipped Cream: Literally Everything You Need to Know

there are countless ways of stabilizing whipped cream but which way is actually the best today i'm going to show you how to make eight different types of stabilized whipped cream and then we'll test them head to head over six hours in sweltering conditions to see which will last the longest we are looking for the cream of the crop [Music] whipped cream is delightful it's versatile and delicious a great topping for pies desserts and even as frosting for cakes the main drawback though is its lack of longevity within an hour at room temperature whipped cream already begins to lose its shape and weep out liquid potentially ruining a dessert this happens even quicker at higher temperatures that's why many recipes call for whipping cream at the very last second right before serving but sometimes this just isn't possible thankfully there are ways to stabilize whipped cream to help preserve its structure for longer the problem is that there are so many ways out there and who knows which way's the best already in the first couple results okay this one has five ways the second one is five ways as well so like with that ten different methods already how are we supposed to know which one's gonna work every single recipe claims to work and work magically but they don't actually have anything to back up these claims to get to the bottom of this we're gonna have to test these ourselves i chose eight of the most common methods that kept popping up i'll be able to score each out of five in the following categories one ease of use two taste and texture three economy so basically cost per serving and four stabilization power i'll average all of these scores to arrive at a final score in order to rank each method to find our winner first let's go through how to make all of the different whipped creams i've standardized the recipes to use 1 cup of cream and 2 tablespoons of sugar i've left out any flavoring agents like vanilla extract so that we'll really be able to taste how each technique affects the cream's flavor full written instructions for all of the methods in the description below first up good old standard whipped cream this will be our control subject make sure you're using cream that's at least 33 fat and ideally it should say that it's for whipping it's important that the cream is fridge cold otherwise it may not whip properly one cup cream goes in a large bowl add two tablespoons sugar if you're using flavoring add them here as well use a hand mixer stand mixer with whisk attachment or even just a whisk by hand start on low speed to prevent splattering once the cream is thickened a bit gradually increase the speed keep whipping until the cream starts to hold soft peaks at this point i like to switch to a whisk and finish whipping by hand this way it's much harder to over whip keep checking the consistency of the cream it won't take long before it's reached firm peaks once it's holding a peak don't whisk any further otherwise the fat in the cream will clump together creating a grainy texture if that happens and is not too far gone add a splash of liquid cream and gently stir together to smooth out the texture again yep this is the whipped cream we all know and love full of fresh creamy flavor when piped it does an all right job a little loose and not quite stiff enough to hold a clean edge as you can see the fine details are lost next up cornstarch whisk together two tablespoons sugar with one tablespoon cornstarch proceed as before gradually whipping until firm peaks the cornstarch creates a noticeably stiffer cream i can feel a slight resistance in the whisk the structure bodes well for longevity the cream is able to hold great definition when piped look at how nice those edges are my worry though is that because the cornstarch won't be cooked we'll be able to taste raw starch and feel a gritty texture sure enough right off the bat i feel that grittiness that raw starch flavor is pretty apparent as well both the texture and the flavor really linger in the mouth so yeah it's not great i probably wouldn't choose to serve this to anyone all right milk powder add two tablespoons sugar and three tablespoons milk powder to the cream whip it as usual to firm peaks the theory here is that the extra protein from the milk powder will stabilize the cream the texture is still pretty light here i can see a little bit of graininess from the milk powder when piped the definition is pretty good i'd say it sits between cornstarch and our control i'm happy to report that you can't actually feel the graininess in terms of flavor you know that cooked dairy flavor it's subtle but it is present with some vanilla it won't be noticeable [Music] it's hard to talk with the dairy coating in my mouth all right instant pudding it's crucial to use instant pudding mix and not regular the key ingredient here is modified starch modified means that the starch has been pre-cooked before being dried and ground again to a powder this way the grittiness and raw flavor has been taken away modified starch is able to thicken without heating and it shouldn't really clump add two tablespoons sugar and two tablespoons instant pudding mix to the cream whip as usual at first it feels just like whipping regular cream but gradually it gets thicker and thicker the texture is noticeably denser and firmer it's basically impossible to achieve this kind of firmness in regular cream without over whipping it the pipe definition is just wonderful look at how it's holding really sharp and clean edges in terms of eating experience uh let's see the texture is smooth so no grittiness at all that's nice but it's really thick and kind of heavy feeling it's kind of lacking that lightness of whipped cream that i really love the pudding i used was vanilla so i can taste just a tiny hint of artificial vanilla i think with pure vanilla added on top it won't be a problem at all mascarpone or is it masked mascarpone hey google is it pronounced mascarpone or mascarpone that's pronounced mascarpone or mascarpone oh okay mascarpone no that feels wrong i'm just gonna keep calling it mascarpone sorry add sugar to whipped cream whip until soft peak stage then add in 3 ounces or 85 grams mascarpone and whisk to combine keep whipping until the cream reaches the desired consistency the mascarpone has made the cream a tiny bit grainy look at how those edges are a little bit wavy the good news though is that you can't feel the graininess in the mouth at all that is purely visual it's really good the flavor is really rich and extra creamy so like decadent and luxurious it's really nice my main problem is the cost of mascarpone at least where i live it's super expensive i paid 14 for this tub that's kind of a lot uh but maybe it's all worth it it is delicious but we'll have to see how well it stabilizes cream cheese this will work pretty much just like the mascarpone except cream cheese is much much more affordable the downside depending on how you look at it is the flavor cream cheese is noticeably tangy and slightly salty depending on what you're making this could be either good or bad cream cheese is so thick that it's a bit tricky to incorporate to prevent lumps first combine cream cheese with two and a half tablespoons of sugar the extra sugar will make up for the saltiness of the cheese use the beater attachment to mix the two together until smooth then gradually add in the cream a little at a time beating until smooth after each addition all the cream has been added whip until firm peaks as you can see this cream pipes beautifully the texture is so smooth really rich and thick i actually love the taste of the cream cheese here that touch of salty tanginess really lifts the richness of the whipped cream but yeah i'd say that this does limit the versatility of the cream because it won't go with absolutely everything white chocolate chocolate or more specifically cocoa butter solidifies when it's cold adding it to a whipped cream should help set its structure first we make a thick ganache add two tablespoons cream to three ounces or 85 grams of finely chopped white chocolate stir to combine then microwave for 30 seconds give it a good stir until all of the chocolate is melted cover tightly and place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes to cool down whip plain cream to soft peaks no sugar here because all of the sweetness will come from the chocolate add the cool chocolate to the cream and whip until firm peaks i find that the chocolate kind of messes with the texture of the cream i don't know if you can tell but it's already getting kind of grainy as if it's over whipped but it's not even quite at firm peaks yet yeah this is noticeably softer than our other creams other than how soft it is it's piping very smoothly and holding definition decently well the flavor of the chocolate is definitely noticeable it kind of adds that cocoa buttery richness and a different kind of sweetness to the cream gelatin i've saved the most complicated method far last gelatin has to be melted in order to be added to the cream the problem arises when melted gelatin hits cold cream and it instantly solidifies unless this is done very carefully it can create countless small really unpleasant gluey little lumps of gelatin which are impossible to remove from the cream to be honest i've tried many times to perfect my technique and i still sometimes will fail and end up with lumpy cream sprinkle half teaspoon gelatin over 2 tablespoons cold water and let this sit for 3 minutes to hydrate then microwave in 3 second increments until the gelatin is fully melted this should only take 2-3 rounds add 2 tablespoons of cream to the gelatin to cool it down this will help temper it from seizing up when added to the rest of the cream whip together cream and sugar until soft peak stage then slowly pour in the gelatin while vigorously whipping to incorporate keep whipping until firm peeks gelatin whipped cream has to be piped and used right away once it gets cold and fully set in place it becomes unworkable and won't pipe or spread smoothly anymore this cream feels the closest to regular whipped cream i use the least amount of gelatin possible because too much and the whipped cream can end up weirdly gummy this way though it has essentially the same texture and airiness as our control yeah there's not very much flavor from the gelatin maybe if i really really look for it i can kind of taste it but that might also be my imagination essentially identical to regular whipped cream now that we've made all the creams let's put them through their paces welcome to my lab okay fine it's a spare bathroom but we're in here because i can shut the door throw a space heater on it's nice and toasty in here 29 degrees celsius the camera set up so that we can have a time lapse and this will be going for the next six hours so we're truly putting the whipped creams to the test it's past midnight now so gonna head to bed and we will see the results tomorrow morning play the time lapse let's check the results for the first half hour things are looking good it isn't until around 15 minutes that we've got our first signs of weeping plane control and surprisingly milk powder as well so much for stabilizing there the rest are holding up alright but notice how much white chocolate and to a lesser extent gelatin are spreading neither are weeping though very interesting oh just under two hours mascarpone is the next to go followed half an hour later by cream cheese now cornstarch and pudding are the only two left in the game just under three hours and cornstarch has sprung a leak ladies and gentlemen that leaves instant pudding sitting pretty in the corner barely breaking a sweat over the next couple hours things keep devolving for everyone aside from instant pudding pretty impressed by their performance there after the first test here's how i'd break all of the creams by longevity before the second test let's eliminate a few contenders first off cornstarch i know that it came in second in our test but that grittiness and starch flavor are just not it it's unpleasant to eat so it's gotta be a no for me and yeah just nope taking it out of the running next definitely milk powder because well it didn't really do anything and lastly white chocolate the softness and how much it spread is simply not cool so yeah it's gotta go after the extreme stress test the second round will be a little more realistic i'm gonna turn the temperature down to a more temperate 28 celsius or 82 fahrenheit some more modifications i made another batch of instant pudding whipped cream and reduced the amount of pudding mix in half the last batch was just too stiff and didn't taste right to me this second batch is much improved it's still thickened and sturdy but it's also lighter and more akin to actually being a whipped cream i've also decided to throw in whipped cream made with powdered sugar instead of granulated powdered sugar is about three percent cornstarch by weight some people say that this helps stabilize the whipped cream i'm curious to see if that's actually the case round two this time all the creams are faring much better it isn't until an hour 15 that powdered trigger starts weeping first followed closely after by control guess that powder trigger doesn't actually make much of a difference two hour mark and both mascarpone and cream cheese have started leaking pudding and gelatin are holding on strong no weeping whatsoever wow what a difference in gelatin's performance with a melting point of around 33 celsius gelatin clearly isn't suited for higher temperatures in more moderate conditions though it does a great job i'd still say instant pudding is slightly better at preserving structure clearly four creams have made it to the finish line let's score each of the whipped creams in our four categories cream cheese ease of use 2.5 out of five taste and texture three out of five not as versatile so i'm taking off a few points economy four out of five stability 3.5 out of 5. final score for cream cheese 3.3 gelatin ease of use 1 out of 5. there's always that chance of creating irreversible lumps taste and texture 4 out of 5. this is the closest to regular whipped cream however it must be piped right away so i'm docking a point for that economy 3.5 out of 5 stability 4 out of 5 for moderate temperatures and 2 out of 5 for higher temperatures final score for gelatin 3.1 for moderate temperatures and 2.6 for high temperatures instant pudding ease of use 5 out of 5. taste and texture 3 out of 5. this score is for the second batch with less pudding mix economy 5 out of 5 the pudding mix breaks down to only 26 cents to thicken one cup of cream that is fantastic stability five out of five final score 4.5 out of five mascarpone ease of use four out of five taste and texture four out of five economy one out of five it came to two dollars and forty cents per cup of cream that's almost ten times the cost of the pudding mix stability three out of five final score three out of five here are the four creams ranked by final score this actually really closely mirrors my thoughts instant pudding is the clear winner by far in most of the categories not only does it excel in performance another major upside is that pudding mix stores really well in the pantry so it'll always be there when you need it just don't use too much because it's a little too good at thickening cream cheese comes next because it performs pretty well i like its flavor and it's just so much more foolproof than gelatin of course assess on a case-by-case basis and decide whether the cream cheese flavor fits the occasion gelatin is good for moderate temperatures and for when you really want a light and airy texture that's as close to whipped cream as possible just be aware of the potential for failure and perhaps have extra cream on hand just in case lastly mascarpone where i live and what i can get it's just so pricey compared to the other methods perhaps it's different for you but man does it taste good if you want richness decadence and creamy creamy flavor go for mascarpone it's great for a special occasion at last we have clarity on all of stabilization methods personally i was shocked at how poorly milk powder and white chocolate performed yeah let me know what you think uh what are your takeaways from this whipped cream test anything that surprised you are there any stabilization methods that you use which i missed please comment below and let me know also let me know if there's anything else that you're mystified by in baking or cooking that you would like for me to test thanks for joining me in my kitchen my name is sheldo and i hope to see you again very soon [Music] you

Channel: sheldo's kitchen

Views: 1,778,189

Keywords: Stabilized whipped cream, stabilized whipped cream without gelatin, whipped cream frosting, whipped cream frosting no gelatin, how to make whipped cream last all day, whipped cream that doesn't melt, melted whipped cream, why is my whipped cream not thickening, how to thicken whipped cream frosting, whipped cream cheese frosting, white chocolate whipped cream frosting, fresh cream cake, how to make whipped cream, easy frosting recipe 2 ingredient, mascarpone whipped cream

Id: CwuHnPvyros

Length: 17min 34sec (1054 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 25 2022