Whipped cream is perhaps the easiest and most obvious way to use whipping cream. The cream is beaten in an electric mixer along with powdered sugar and vanilla extract to taste. Heavy whipping cream forms stiffer peaks because the higher fat content means more that converts to solids, but regular whipping cream works well as a topping for desserts that will be eaten right away. Heavy whipping cream is best if the whipped cream needs to hold its shape, but even it can eventually lose its shape. If you want to frost a cake with whipping cream, for example, it must be stabilized by mixing 2 tablespoons of piping gel for every cup of whipping cream.

More fat means more flavor, so try substituting whipping cream in any recipe that calls for milk to add an extra richness to your recipes. Consider the difference between using whipping cream and half-and-half in your coffee. Half-and-half contains 10.5 to 18 percent milk fat, but whipping cream and heavy whipping cream are more than double that amount, to make coffee even richer. Try substituting whipping cream for milk in recipes such as mashed potatoes, quiche, potatoes au gratin and oatmeal. Whipping cream also works in place of milk in your favorite bread recipes, such as biscuits, cornbread or scones. You can even use whipping cream to make ice cream and butter.

Whipping cream is more stable than milk so you can boil it without curdling, allowing you to make savory and sweet sauces. To make a cream sauce for meat, deglaze the meat pan with a few tablespoons of wine, stir in some stock, and swirl in a few tablespoons of whipping cream. Simmer for a few minutes to create a creamy reduction sauce for drizzling over the meat. Alternatively, you can make a sweet sauce, such as a chocolate ganache, to pour over cakes and cookies or to use as a filling for desserts. Bring 1 fluid ounce of heavy whipping cream per ounce of chocolate to a boil, pour it over chopped chocolate, and stir it to create an emulsion with the melted chocolate.

Whether you want to make cream of broccoli soup, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup or any other creamy soup, whipping cream is the star ingredient for turning a clear broth soup into a rich cream soup. There is a wide range of recipes, but the basic technique is the same, which makes it easy to adapt any favorite soup recipe into a cream-based soup. The vegetables and meat are sauteed in butter or oil until soft. Next, cover the soft ingredients with chicken, beef or vegetable broth and bring it to a simmer. Stir in 1 cup of whipping cream for every 2 cups of broth and heat to a low boil to finish the soup. Try stirring in some grated cheese after adding the cream, if desired.