Description of thickeners for cream and recommendations for their use

Cakes and pastries covered with a lush pattern of whipped cream look beautifully displayed in the windows of pastry shops.But many housewives prefer to prepare desserts on their own and want the appearance and taste of household products to be not worse, but better than that of the purchased ones. The cream will not fall off and will keep the form, if you add a special thickener to the cream or sour cream while whisking.

Thickener (or another name - fixer) is a fine powder, packaged in packs of 8 grams, this amount is enough to make about five hundred milliliters of delicious delicious dessert. It is sold in supermarkets, in departments with spices and spices, is inexpensive. When it is added, cream and sour cream are whipped better, the cream acquires a loose consistency and volume that lasts a long time.

Feedback on this product is extremely positive. The hostesses say that a dessert or cream prepared using a thickener of cream retains its original full shape, beautiful appearance and wonderful taste. In addition, whipping time is significantly reduced. Therefore, a good mood and thanks after tea drinking will be provided.

The composition of this product usually includes the following components: modified (most often corn) starch and powdered sugar in a ratio of one to two. Fat in it does not contain at all, proteins - 0.1 grams. Carbohydrates - 93.5 grams (all this is based on the package of eight grams).

Different manufacturers may make minor changes in the composition of the thickener. For example, citric acid improves the taste of the cream, and is also a good natural preservative. If the package shows dyes, then the dessert will turn out not only sweet, but it will also be multi-colored.

There is such a situation when the hostess urgently needs to prepare a whipped cream of cream or sour cream, and the thickener is not at hand. Is it possible to replace it with something, but so that the quality and appearance of the future dessert will not suffer? Professional pastry chefs recommend using ordinary starch in this case: two hundred milliliters of cream will require a tablespoon without a slide, that is, more than a thickener.

It is better to use corn, since, according to experts, potato starch can contribute to the appearance of a specific flavor in the finished dish. Of course, you still need to remember to add powdered sugar before sifting it. Powder will need two full tablespoons, with a volume of cream 200 milliliters.

How to apply a thickener for cream is written in detail on the product packaging. But, apart from the general provisions, there are still some secrets.

Cooks advise: in order to get a beautiful and lush dessert, it is important to follow a few simple rules:

• use cream fat content of at least 33%;
• to cool them as much as possible by putting them in the refrigerator for eight to ten hours (you can leave them all night);
• use only clean and degreased appliances - whisk and bowl for beating;
• before starting work, they are also cooled by placing in the refrigerator for an hour or two;
• then the inner surface of the bowl must be carefully wiped with a towel to avoid condensation;
• beat in small portions, no more than 300 milliliters at a time;
• first turn on the blender at the minimum speed, smoothly increasing them to maximum values;
• thickener for cream (or its substitute) to add in the middle of whipping, after the appearance of a steady volume;
• at the end of cooking again reduce the speed of rotation of the nozzle to a minimum;
• cream is usually whipped for seven to eight minutes;
• one of the indicators of the good quality of the resulting product is that the trail from the rim on the surface does not blur;
• packing thickener (8 grams) is added to half a liter of cream or sour cream gradually, for two or three times;
• Ready cream can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

As already mentioned, at home it is quite possible to prepare a full-fledged thickener substitute. This will require products that are in the kitchen of any hostess - starch and powdered sugar. You can mix them in advance in the ratio - one part of starch and two parts of powder sifted through a sieve.

If the powdered sugar is not in the house, you can simply grind the required amount of granulated sugar in a regular coffee grinder. It should be remembered how much cream is supposed to be whipped, and for a volume of two hundred grams take, respectively, two full tablespoons of powder and one spoonful of starch.

The second additive, with which you can whip the cream perfectly, is plain gelatin. The most important thing - do not overdo it, just keep the proportions and the time of preparation of the cream. Otherwise, instead of a gentle, lush dessert, you can get elastic jelly.

For cooking you need to take one teaspoon of gelatin and three glasses of fat (at least 33%) cream. Gelatin (powdered or granular) pour one cup of dairy product and let it swell for twenty minutes. Then place the dishes with the creamy gelatin mixture in a water bath (or microwave) and keep at low heat until completely dissolved. Then remove from heat (remove from microwave) and put to cool at room temperature, while avoiding gelation.

The remaining two glasses of cream, beat with a mixer (gradually increasing the speed of rotation) until a steady volume appears. Then gently, gradually add the cream with gelatin, while continuing to whisk until the cream thickens.

There is another, third way of whipping and fixing the cream - add a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Here, as with gelatin, it is important to respect the ratio of products. On the amount of cream or sour cream 500 milliliters (with fat content of 33-35%), you need to put no more than half a teaspoon of juice. Excessive amounts of acid can degrade the taste of the finished product.

Thus, we can conclude that the thickener for the cream must be present in the kitchen. With it, the preparation of whipped cream or dessert does not take much time. A tea party with beautiful and delicious cakes will bring a lot of positive emotions.

How to make a thickener cream at home, see below.