Cream of the crop: Illinois graduate invented world’s first instant cream-whipping machine

By Tom Harte

A recent issue of the University of Illinois Alumni magazine, a publication to which as a graduate of the institution I am automatically subscribed for the rest of my life, ran a feature on Charles Getz, who received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Illinois.

To earn extra cash while in school, Getz got a job at the dairy bacteriology department and began experimenting with ways to sterilize milk.

He tried infusing pressurized gas into the milk but discovered the gas merely made the milk foam.

Though he failed at his objective, he had a brainstorm.

Cream, when whipped, becomes one of the most decadent of ingredients at a cook's disposal.TOM HARTE

Having worked in his youth at an ice-cream shop, Getz knew it took valuable time to whip cream, so he expanded his experiments and started using cream instead of milk.

Ultimately, he determined nitrous oxide was the perfect gas for whipping cream and built the world's first instant cream-whipping machine.

There's nothing particularly surprising about this story -- which just goes to show hard work, a good education and a bit of serendipity can produce excellent results -- except I can't quite understand how despite the fact that over the years my alma mater has produced some 23 Nobel laureates, Getz is not among them.

Whipped cream, after all, is one of the most decadent preparations of all time. For that matter, even when not whipped, cream, as an ingredient, cannot be beat.

Well, actually, it can, of course. Whipped to a froth, cream soars to new heights. Truly, the easiest way to turn something ordinary into something extraordinary is to apply a generous quantity of whipped cream.

Thanks to the pioneering research of University of Illinois scientist Charles Getz, instead of whipping cream by hand, you can now buy Reddi-wip, the most famous brand of whipped cream in a can.TOM HARTE ~ photos@semissourian.com

Charles Getz, to be sure, did not invent whipped cream. He just figured out how to speed up the process.

The discovery incorporating air into cream containing at least 35 percent fat would cause the fat molecules to trap air bubbles and produce what chemists call a colloid roughly double in volume was probably an accidental one, just like Getz's discovery cream could be whipped instantly with nitrous oxide.

When or how the invention of whipped cream occurred is anybody's guess. Perhaps it was the result of a hurried attempt to make butter that simply did not go far enough. According to folklore it might have occurred when a horse carrying a half-filled container of cream rode at full gallop and inadvertently agitated the cream to the whipped stage.

Thanks to the Oxford English Dictionary, we do know that the term "whipped cream" first appeared in 1673, while the French term for it, "crème fouettee," appeared even earlier, in 1629.

Recipes specifying what is earlier, in 1629.

For those who love whipped cream, a professional cream whipper is as essential as any kitchen tool.TOM HARTE ~ photos@semissourian.com

Recipes specifying what is essentially whipped cream but was called "milk snow" appear in cookbooks around the turn of the 16th century, however.

In its earliest incarnation, whipped cream was likely produced using tree branches as beaters.

We've come a long way since then with the development of the whisk, rotary beater and electric mixer.

Today you can buy Reddi-wip, whipped cream in a can, a product using Charles Getz's research.

You can even buy a home version of Getz's invention, a cream whipper with replaceable nitrous oxide cartridges.

However you do it, cream, when beaten, results in peaks of perfection.

Flavored Whipped Cream

It might be gilding the lily, but when you're looking for something beyond plain whipped cream, consider these recipes, adapted from GourmetSleuth.com.

Brown Sugar Whipped Cream: combine 1 cup chilled whipping cream and 1 tablespoon brown sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

Spiced Whipped Cream: combine 1 cup chilled whipping cream, 1 heaping tablespoon powdered sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and ground ginger and beat until soft peaks form.

Mocha Whipped Cream: combine 1 cup chilled whipping cream, 1 teaspoon espresso powder, 1 tablespoon cocoa, and 1 tablespoon powdered sugar and beat until soft peaks form.

Lavender Whipped Cream: combine 1 cup whipping cream and 1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender and bring to a simmer. Strain cream and chill 2 hours. Add 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and beat until soft peaks form.

Peppermint Whipped Cream: combine 1 cup chilled whipping cream, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon powdered sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Fold in 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy.