blabbergirl on How to Make Whipped Cream

stainless steel bowls or copper, which is supposed to be even better. I use my big glass bowl or sometimes a big plastic one, and I've never had trouble getting cream to whip up. But this time I did chill the bowl too.

I think of myself as a pretty good whipper, but I HAVE had trouble spattering the walls and refrigerator with little white cream splashes. So the idea of starting the mixer or beaters on low speed until you get foam, then speeding it up for whipping makes sense. I always thought starting on slow gave the cream too much time to warm up, but I guess not, because I took the ehow advice and tried it tonight.

Also, you can have spatter problems if you put too much cream in the bowl. About 1/2 the way up is good. It only takes me 3 to 4 minutes to whip the cream until the peaks are stiff. (Stiff Peaks. Sounds like a mountain range in upstate New York.)

Do you know who the best and most frequent cream whippers probably are? People like me who've been on a low carb diet and know how to make every legal whipped cream dessert known, and who make up more as they go along. Usually I whip two cups of cream at a time and set some aside in the fridge for topping, and then get creative. I add a couple of teaspoons of unsweetened Ghirardelli cocoa, plus a packet or two of Splenda, to make chocolate mousse.

In fact here are all the things I make with whipped cream:

Plain old whipped cream -- just add Splenda to taste

Chocolate mousse -- add unsweetened cocoa powder and Splenda

Vanilla mousse -- add Splenda and vanilla extract

Strawberry fluff or any other kind of fluff -- make sugarfree jello with half the liquid, let it partially jell and then layer it with sweetened whipped cream in a parfait glass or fold it in.

Crystal Light fluff – add one packet of the 'on the go” powder to the cream when you whip it.

(Note to low carbers: Whipped cream can stall weight loss if you eat it too frequently. But that's a different subject.)

I have even made low carb twinkies. Yes, it's the old Atkins recipe of revolution buns, only made with 3 oz. of cream cheese, 3 eggs and Splenda. You separate the eggs, whip the whites stiff (keep it all cold just like you do cream.) Gently fold or stir in the yolks and cream cheese mixture, and bake on 300 for 30 minutes.(Makes 6). Then when they cool, fold one in half like a taco shell and fill it with whipped cream! Voila, a twinkie with only a couple of carbs, which feels positively decadent.

My Don't's: Don't whip cream too long or you'll have butter. (I had no idea that's how they make butter. I thought cows made butter. But no, cows make milk, and cream, we make whipped cream and butter.)

Don't eat it too often or you'll loose low carb weight loss momentum.

Don't put too much unwhipped cream in the bowl, it will splatter when you beat it.

Don't start out whipping at high speed or you'll have splatters.

Don't try to freeze whipped cream desserts. They turn into rocks and when they thaw they're a weird mixture of ice and runny cream. The ehow article said you can actually store them in the fridge and if they get too liquid-y rewhip them. Who knew? I thought you just had to drink the stuff, or use it in coffee.

Well that's enough for now, time for a twinkie. Check out my pictures but note: This is not me in the pictures. This is Chef Christine of Christine's Cuisine. Turns out she's a good whipper too. I could not figure out how to whip the cream AND hold the camera.