Whipped Cream

Heavy cream must have at least 30 percent butterfat content, but 36 to 40 percent butterfat whips lighter. Heavy cream whips best when the bowl and beaters (or whisk) are chilled; the friction of whipping may warm the cream and begin turning it into butter. This is especially true for large amounts because the longer you must whip cream to reach the proper consistency, the easier it is for it to loose its chill. You may avoid this either by whipping large quantities of heavy cream over a bowl of ice water to keep it cold all during the whipping process or by whipping it in two stages: first, whipping it until the cream begins to thicken but forms no peaks and refrigerating it for up to 3 hours, and second, just prior to using it, whipping it to the desired stage of thickness. I prefer whipping any amount exceeding 2 cups in a heavy-duty mixer with the whisk attachment. For small amounts (up to 2 cups), I prefer whipping it by hand or an electric hand mixer in a chilled, deep 1½-quart bowl. A small amount of heavy cream doesn’t take long to thicken (about 2 to 3 minutes), so whipping just before using it poses no problems.