Small gifts for ourselves make us feel comforted and can be used often. Cream whippers fit this bill as a specialty item which can be used often by home chefs seeking a treat for themselves and their families.
Why should I use a cream whipper?
Cream whippers help you prepare light whipped cream, delicious desserts, and creative sauces. By filling the container with a variety of products, then “charging” the container with a nitrous oxide (N2O) charger, you can make upscale whipped cream, desserts, and sauces faster and easier than ever before, all at the touch of a button. When ingredients are “charged up” with the cream charger, the volume is increased, making everything light and airy.
Cream whippers are a convenient tool for making nondairy toppings, mousses, mayonnaise, dressings, liqueur desserts, sauces, and more. Perfect for topping mochas, cappuccinos, lattes, or your favorite flavored coffees, a cream whipper makes fresh whipped cream with no preservatives or stabilizers in seconds.
This small luxury is easy to use and easy to clean. Cream whippers reduce waste and provide the highest possible yield. Home chefs can create a variety of products without whipping, whisking, or messy cleanup. In addition, cream stays fresh up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
Cream whippers are easy to use. To produce basic whipped cream, it’s as simple as putting one pint of liquid whipping cream into a cream whipper, charging with one charger, and shaking three or four times. Then all the home chef needs to do is turn the cream whipper completely upside down to dispense cream. The average unit yields approximately four pints of whipped topping.
How do I select a cream whipper?
Cream whippers are relatively simple to operate and have few variables between models. While the functionality makes no difference, there are three standard styles: lever, push button, and nozzle spray. When considering a cream whipper, you may want to test each version to see which is more comfortable to use. Nozzle styles are similar to disposable whipped cream containers. Lever and push button varieties provide for alternative grips when dispersing the whipped cream.
Other variables include color and size. Color selection is subjective. Home chefs may want to consider their home decors when choosing a color, others may want the more commercial appearance provided by brushed stainless steel varieties. As with other kitchen appliances and tools, white cream whippers are historically more appealing to consumers.
Size varieties range from half-pints to pints to quarts. Most quart cream whippers are sold commercially to professional chefs. Home chefs find half-pints and pints serve their needs the best. In determining which size will best serve your needs, consider how often you will serve whipped products, weighing that against the two-week refrigeration life of the cream.
Technological advances have created a new function to consider. While historically cream whippers were designed to create whipped cream and flavored whipped cream, new models are being developed to produce espuma, light and delicious whipped foams. Originally concocted by a Spanish chef, the basic components of espuma include fruit, herbs, vegetables, fish, seafood, meat, and dairy products.
Espuma whipped cream models are able to work with a variety of liquids, making cream whippers even more versatile and functional for home chefs.
How do I maintain my cream whipper?
As long as cream whippers are kept clean, they are durable items and will last for years. These are nonbreakable tools and with proper care and storage, they should last a lifetime. If you damage your cream whipper or lose a part, replacement parts can be purchased by calling the manufacturer.
Do I have to purchase additional equipment?
The only thing you have to purchase in addition to the actual cream whipper are the 8-gram nitrous oxide (N2O) compressed gas chargers. N2O chargers are often provided when you first purchase your cream whipper. Additional cream chargers are normally sold in containers prepacked with 6, 8 or 10 charger units. Each charger unit can be used only once.
Cream chargers are safe to store in your home as long as they are not exposed to extremely high temperatures. Chargers should be used according to each specific manufacturer’s directions.
