The discovery of whipping cream is lost in the dark. The process is easy enough that it has been discovered by accident many times in many places. A likely scenario is where someone in cold weather was making butter, but in a hurry, he churned the cream instead of churning it. A common folk tale tells of a fast horseback ride with a half-full container of cream.
The earliest known reference was when French chef Vatel created a sugared variation to serve at a reception honoring King Louis XIV in 1661. The addition of sugar is taken for granted today, but many other flavors have been added. over the years, with vanilla being the most common. Other popular scents include brandies or liqueurs and orange.
In the 1930s, British scientists began developing aeration systems for use in the food industry. They soon developed a working system using pressurized N2O (nitrous oxide). N2O is completely immersed in dairy products such as cream, creating instant whipped cream when pressure is released. Portable units suitable for home use as well as larger commercial systems were developed.
After World War II, American companies began making whipped cream dispensers. Many never developed quality systems, and some companies discontinued production. The introduction of single-use disposable cans in the 1950s led to the closure of most of the remaining ones.
Waste from disposable cans has always been considered undesirable, even in the wasteful time period in which it was developed. The nature of the system always left some cream in the can when the N2O had run out. The wastage of the can itself was not a problem at the time. Convenience was considered to far outweigh the disadvantage of waste.
In today’s ecologically conscious society, many of us are no longer willing to contribute to the waste of disposable cans. There are many quality alternatives available. Making whipped cream at home with a whipped cream dispenser is fun, ecologically safer, and less expensive than disposable pressurized cans.
