Our Choux au Craquelin recipe requires whipping just 1 cup of cream, which hardly warrants dragging out the stand mixer. But whipping cream by hand can be a real chore (and make a mess) if everything isn’t just so. Follow these simple guidelines and you may decide to take the manual route more often.
Recipes
Four Tips for Faster, Easier Whipped Cream by Hand
If your arms grow tired at the mere thought of whipping cream without your mixer, consider refreshing your technique.
Published Feb. 2, 2021
1. Choose a really big bowl
Use a much bigger bowl than you think you’ll need (at least eight times the volume of the unwhipped cream); this will give you the freedom to whisk with abandon. Choose stainless steel or glass, which stay colder than plastic does.
2. Make sure both cream and bowl are thoroughly cold
The colder the cream, the faster it whips. Chill the cream—and the bowl, too—in the freezer until it’s thoroughly chilled. (If the bowl doesn’t fit, chill it in the fridge.)
3. Whisk side to side
Whisking from side to side is easier to execute quickly and aggressively than stirring or beating. It’s also more effective because it causes more shear force to be applied to the liquid.
4. Use your sink
Transfer your bowl/cream/whisk setup to the sink; it’s easier to whisk at this lower angle, and the sides of the sink will catch any errant drops.
The Cream of the Crop
When you’re whipping cream by hand, it helps to use top-notch tools. Here are the winners that stood up to our rigorous testing.
Our Favorite Mixing Bowls
VOLLRATH ECONOMY STAINLESS STEEL MIXING BOWLS
The broad, shallow shape of these inexpensive bowls put food within easy reach and allowed for wide turns of a spatula.
Our Favorite All-Purpose Whisk
OXO GOOD GRIPS 11" BALLOON WHISK
With an ergonomic Santoprene rubber handle and a balanced, lightweight feel, this whisk was like an extension of a hand.
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Start Free TrialAbsolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too. I've done this using a rimmed sheet pan instead of a skillet and put veggies and potatoes around the chicken for a one-pan meal. Broccoli gets nicely browned and yummy!
Absolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too.
Amazed this recipe works out as well as it does. Would not have thought that the amount of time under the broiler would have produced a very juicy and favorable chicken with a very crispy crust. Used my 12" Lodge Cast Iron skillet (which can withstand 1000 degree temps to respond to those who wondered if it would work) and it turned out great. A "make again" as my family rates things. This is a great recipe, and I will definitely make it again. My butcher gladly butterflied the chicken for me, therefore I found it to be a fast and easy prep. I used my cast iron skillet- marvellous!
John, wasn't it just amazing chicken? So much better than your typical oven baked chicken and on par if not better than gas or even charcoal grilled. It gets that smokey charcoal tasted and overnight koshering definitely helps, something I do when time permits. First-time I've pierced a whole chicken minus the times I make jerk chicken on the grill. Yup, the cast iron was not an issue.