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18 Comments
Angie
November 23, 2019
I can relate to those who say “eew” or “waaa it’s not real” because I did too, LIKE WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER. I’m fairly certain none of us can remember a time before we shopped at Whole Foods or the local farmers market, or even the Earthbound Farm near my house but grow up: you aren’t special-you’re ridiculous. I purchased some recently to make a recipe (it was a staple in my Gran’s kitchen) and you know what? It is good! Part of adulting is learning how to live a little and throw caution to the wind. Cool Whip vs Whipped Cream isn’t the reason you’re probably fat so who cares. Really.
Kathie T.
April 18, 2016
It's chemical laden crap. Not dairy free, never was, and those of us who truly love animals wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole.
Betsey
April 11, 2016
Cool Whip is delicious. No one has time to whip cream every damn day of their lives. Shut up.
Becky
April 9, 2016
Cool whip was never dairy-free! I'm 40 years old and have had a dairy allergy my entire life, sadly. I can attest to tons of products that used to have a label that said "non-dairy" but all you had to do was read the label to find whey or casein or milk-fat solids. I found out really quickly which foods were safe and which weren't.
Sarah J.
April 11, 2016
My understanding is that it was described as "non-dairy" (that's probably different than "dairy-free"!) even though it did contain caseinate. And then in 2010, skimmed milk and light cream were added to the Original Cool Whip formula. I will update the article so that it reflects that Cool Whip was, originally, marketed as being non-dairy (even if that wasn't truly the case!).
Alexis A.
April 9, 2016
I definitely always prefer real cream since its always available now; the only time I use cool whip is for jello salads, which, whatever, go big or go home lol.
MB M.
April 9, 2016
I think it's worth mentioning that Cool Whip wasn't necessarily competing against real whipped cream, so much as it was competing against other products of its ilk. Remember Dream Whip, and other powdered whipped topping mixes? I always thought they tasted like soap, but plenty of people served them. After Cool Whip came out there were other frozen, non-dairy whipped toppings too, although I can't remember any of their brand names.
Also, in my recollection, it was harder to find heavy whipping cream to make real whipped cream. My mom often made it for special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas, I remember she sometimes had difficulty finding enough of those tiny little half pint cartons of heavy cream. I buy heavy cream by the quart now at my local warehouse store, but that wasn't the case in the 1970's.
Also, in my recollection, it was harder to find heavy whipping cream to make real whipped cream. My mom often made it for special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas, I remember she sometimes had difficulty finding enough of those tiny little half pint cartons of heavy cream. I buy heavy cream by the quart now at my local warehouse store, but that wasn't the case in the 1970's.
LauriL
April 9, 2016
Fun and obviously thorough investigative report on a staple of my childhood.....then when I grew an adult brain...well, lets just say the only thing I ever use from the frozen aisle are blueberries with a splash of REAL cream.
Rachel
April 8, 2016
No matter how many chemicals people claim Cool Whip contains, sometimes it is SAFER than the real thing. Case in point, my husband and I spent Thanksgiving apart a few years ago. He asked me for my "recipe" for whipped cream in a text (not really a recipe, but okay). I told him to put a little sugar and vanilla in a bowl, pour in cream, and whip until it holds soft peaks. He then asked, "When do I put the egg in?" My response... "Buy cool whip."
Chef A.
April 8, 2016
It is a non dairy product similar to the horrendous coffee mate- all chemicals, nothing but fake empty calories. I say have the real thing and eat less of it.
Regine
April 8, 2016
I love cool whip and I am not ashamed to say it. There is a dessert I make with it that has both a PG rated and R rated name. LOL
"Better than Sex." It is layers of crushed oreos (which i spike with rum or Grand Marnier) and a creamy mixture of cream cheese, vanilla pudding, milk, and last but not least, cool whip. I make it in a 9x13
pyrex, and all my friends love it.
"Better than Sex." It is layers of crushed oreos (which i spike with rum or Grand Marnier) and a creamy mixture of cream cheese, vanilla pudding, milk, and last but not least, cool whip. I make it in a 9x13
pyrex, and all my friends love it.
ktr
April 8, 2016
We made that when I was growing up but without the rum and called it dirt cake. Of course it had to be topped with gummy worms.
ChefJune
April 8, 2016
Great article, Sarah! Yeah, I remember when it debuted. We ate quite a lot of it. And we drank diet pop too. But I wouldn't do either any more and haven't in decades. For one thing, I break out in hives from HFCS. So I have no choice but to avoid it. I do remember sticking a finger into a container of the stuff at my mom's house maybe 30 years ago and observed that I didn't remember it tasting that icky. [Really tasted "fake" to me then.]
I was one of the folks who suggested Lindsay-Jean should toss it. Now you know why.
I was one of the folks who suggested Lindsay-Jean should toss it. Now you know why.
Rachel
April 8, 2016
Lindsey-Jean, you never did tell us what you did with the extra cool whip (I am still cheering for making Cherry Coke Salad). What did you end up doing with it?
Lindsay-Jean H.
April 9, 2016
Honestly, I haven't done anything with it yet! It's still sitting unopened in my fridge, waiting to learn its fate.
Kristin T.
April 8, 2016
I loved cool-whip as a kid. The eating it frozen thing was definitely me. I know it's not really food, and I never really buy it, but I will not deny that I still find it delicious.
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