For Thick, Long-Lasting Whipped Cream, Get Out Your Food Processor

You already know that your food processor is a magic-maker. You can make a whole cake in there! Soup, too!

And that's not all: This kitchen workhorse can also help you make whipped cream that's denser, longer-lasting, and, for the weak among us (myself included), less physically-tasking (unless you consider hauling out and cleaning the food processor a pain).

The whole process should take less than 2 minutes and there's no pre-chill necessary: The bowl and the blade can be at room temperature (though be sure the cream is very cold). There's no splashing, either.

Since your food processor will incorporate less air into whipped cream than would a whisk, you'll have something that's dense and stable enough to use as frosting (and more likely to hold up if you make it ahead of time; over on The Kitchn, their food processor whipped cream survived a warm car ride and two-hour time out in the fridge).

Food processor, we worship at your altar. We are mere mortals in your presence.

Now here's how to make whipped cream using your food processor:

1. Pour cold heavy whipping cream into the bowl of your clean food processor.
2. Choose the careful way: Baking Bites recommends pulsing the machine 6 times or so, until the liquid stops splashing, then whirring it for 20 to 30 seconds, until the cream is thick and fluffy. Add sugar and extracts, if using, and pulse to combine. (It's smart to sweeten after whipping, Alice Medrich has reminded us, because cream will taste less sweet in its fluffy state than in its liquid one).
3. Or the carefree way: Noelle Carter of the L.A. Times says all you need to do is put everything in and "process until you get the consistency you want, barely a minute or two."

Whichever method you follow, don't walk away from the food processor: Your cloud-like whipped cream will turn to curd-like butter much faster than if you were whipping with a whisk or a fork.

And let us remind you why you might not want to make whipped cream with a fork:

Oh, you want more cream-whipping tips, too?

And in the Food52 test kitchen, where we often need small amounts of whipped cream for dollops and toppings, we make it using an immersion blender and the plastic, high-sided measuring cup it comes with.

What's your preferred whipped cream density and how do you make it? Tell us in the comments!