You Should Never Try To Re-Whip Whipped Cream. Here's Why

There are few treats more special than homemade whipped cream. Without this beautiful, fluffy, creamy, and sweet topping a myriad of desserts, including strawberry shortcake, milkshakes, and hot chocolate, would simply not be the same. But what happens when you make your whipped cream well before you plan to use it and you realize your lovely stiff, white mountainous peaks of cream have started to melt into molehills and your whipped cream is more like pools of melting ice cream? Can you break-out the mixer or beaters and re-whip previously whipped, whipped cream? 

According to ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen, the high fat contained in whipping cream is what allows us to whip up air into our heavy cream or whipping cream creating the fluffy, voluminous cream we know and love. But if you try to re-whip whipped cream, you may want to make certain you have a piece of toast on standby because the end product is not going to be dessert ready.

If you've done the science experiment with your children where you put a little cream in a mason jar along with a penny and shake it like a polaroid picture, then you know what happens. You eventually end up with butter. This is at the heart of why you cannot rewhip whipped cream or overwhip it for that matter. And don't try adding more cream in your vain attempt. It won't work. So what can you do?

ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen notes that whipped cream only lasts for about two hours at room temperature and there isn't anything you can do to prolong its life; however, there are a few things you can do to help keep your whipped cream fluffy for longer. The first to note is because of its high fat content, it does better at cooler temperatures. So before you whip up your topping, consider keeping the beaters and bowl in the fridge and only take them out when you are ready to start whipping it into those lovely, soft but firm peaks.

If you plan on sweetening your whipped cream, they suggest using powdered sugar over granulated sugar. Powdered sugar contains a bit of cornstarch and this will aid in keeping your whipped cream fluffy. They also suggest adding a protein or carbohydrate to help stabilize your whipped cream, which can also help keep it fluffy for longer. These stabilizers include cream of tartar, cornstarch, gelatin, or Dr. Oetker Whip It. Of these the Whip It stabilizer is the preference because it will not change the taste of your whipped cream.