The Kitchen Tool Julia Child Would Never Use For Whipped Cream

American Chef Julia Child is commonly praised for bringing French cuisine to American tables after becoming a household name in the 1960s. In 1961, she published "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" alongside fellow food fanatics Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, which would eventually become renowned as one of the best cookbooks of all time, and still remains on the shelves of bookstores to this day. Child's impact on the way that chefs around the world approach cooking cannot be understated, as many of her tips are still used by chefs today (like elevating an otherwise basic tuna sandwich with more unique ingredients or simmering bacon in water before incorporating it into a quiche Lorraine). However, those who haven't read her iconic cookbook may not know that there is a kitchen tool that she particularly avoids when it comes to whipping cream: the electric beater.

The electric beater, now more often referred to as an electric mixer (one of the essential baking tools everyone should own), can absolutely make mixing a whole lot easier. It is undeniable that an electric mixer can help you avoid arm fatigue while still providing a perfectly whipped egg white, but Julia Child will be the first to tell you to avoid it.

In Chapter 10 of "Mastering The Art Of French Cooking," which is dedicated to desserts and cakes, Child states that in order to most effectively beat an egg white, air should be incorporated into the process. She explains that the same principle can be utilized to dish out a delicious whipped cream, and an electric mixer is not recommended due to its inability to churn out a smooth product. Instead, whipped cream should be beaten with a wire whip (known more modernly as a whisk) and can be whipped to the perfect texture in only two to three minutes.

However, for those who just can't keep their hands off an electric mixer, Child won't be too mad at you. Instead, she tells those who are avidly anti-whisk to begin by beating slowly with an electric mixer and gradually pick up speed, with the main concern being to lift air into the cream.