Ford On Food

Pavlova wouldn’t be half the experience without lashings of whipped cream. And, in the absence of whipped cream an ice-cream sundae would be just… a bowl of ice-cream.People have been whipping cream in Europe for centuries, and now-days it has found its way into the cuisines of most cultures.But, whipping cream is not quite as straight forward as you may think, there is some important science involved in the process.To begin with, pure cream has to contain at least 30% fat or it will be unable to hold air bubbles. To make lower fat creams whip successfully, the manufacturers add thickening agents.Basically, while whipping cream (by hand or machine) the fat droplets connect into a network that collects and holds the air bubbles being incorporated during the whipping process.This method is referred as ‘aeration’, and results in a thick, fluffy mixture approximately twice the volume of the original cream.However, if you continue whipping for too long the fat droplets will stick together and begin forming butter.