What Is Whipping?
Whipping means beating an ingredient, most often cream or egg whites, vigorously and continuously until it traps enough air to hold a defined shape, like soft or stiff peaks.
More detail
As a whisk or mixer repeatedly moves through cream or egg whites, it traps tiny air bubbles that get stabilized by the fat (in cream) or proteins (in egg whites), gradually building volume and structure. Soft peaks droop over when the whisk is lifted; stiff peaks hold their shape upright. Whipping past stiff peaks turns cream grainy and eventually into butter, and turns egg whites dry and clumpy, so most recipes specify exactly how far to take it.
Where it's used
Used for whipped cream (as a topping or folded into a mousse or no-churn ice cream base) and beaten egg whites (for meringues, soufflés, and some cake batters).
Substitutes
A hand mixer or stand mixer speeds this up considerably; by hand with a whisk it's possible but takes several minutes of steady effort to reach stiff peaks.
FAQ
Why won't my cream whip up?
It's almost always temperature, cream whips fastest and holds its structure best when it's cold, along with the bowl and beaters. Warm cream takes much longer and can go straight to grainy or buttery without ever holding a clean peak.
What happens if I overwhip cream?
It turns grainy and separated, and if it goes further, into butter and buttermilk. There's no way to bring it back to smooth whipped cream once that happens, only to stop and start over with fresh cream.
