National Whipped Cream Day

The story

In 1948, Aaron “Bunny” Lapin, the creative genius behind Reddi-Wip whipped up something remarkable when he invented Reddi-Wip, now a beloved name in the world of aerosol canned whipped creams and non-dairy alternatives. This holiday honors him because he brought us the delight of sweetened whipped creams.

Whipped cream is a sweet treat that we’ve been creating for centuries. As air is beaten into milk with a high enough fat content, the fats trap the air in tiny bubbles. With enough bubbles, the cream loses its liquid qualities and starts to hold its shape.

The earliest recipes for whipped cream date back to Italy in the mid-1500s. An Italian Renaissance cook, Cristoforo di Messisbugo, listed whipped cream as an ingredient in one of his recipes. His cookbook, Banchetti, Composizioni di Vivande e Apparecchio Generale, refers to something called “milk snow,” which is believed to be a primitive form of whipped cream.

The English word “whipped cream” first came about in 1673, and today it is also called crème chantilly. Whipped cream is often sweetened or flavored with vanilla, sugar, coffee, chocolate, or oranges, and some whipped creams include egg whites. Whipped cream is used to top fruits, pies, and ice cream—such as sundaes, cupcakes and cakes, milkshakes, jello and puddings, hot chocolate and coffee, and waffles. It is also used in recipes such as layered cakes and cream puffs.