I've been making more desserts this year, and dressing them up with whipped cream. Often I use whatever version of whipped topping the recipe calls for. But I got to wondering which was cheapest, thinking maybe I was wasting money not making this from scratch.
So I did the math based on prices in my area. I relied on how many servings the packaging said was in the container... I did not empty a whole can of Redi-Whip to see if the packaging claim was accurate. This is what I came up with for the per-cup price of prepared whipped topping:
Whipping cream plus a little sugar.... 57 cents per cup
Redi-Whip(canned topping)............. 46 cents per cup
Store-brand whipped topping........... 38 cents per cup
Dream Whip(powdered stuff) plus milk.. 38 cents per cup
Interestingly, this appears to be one of the few cases where the scratch version is not the cheapest. Likely this is because whipping cream is perishable, and also the cheaper the whipped-topping product, the longer the list of artificial ingredients. However, since we're just using a dollop of topping on some fattening unhealthy dessert, the nutritional differences of the whipped-topping options is kind of a moot point.
What I concluded is that if you're a purist, spend the extra for whipping cream. For me, it's a little inconvenient as it comes in a pint container, and I use just a cup at a time. So I have to come up with another use for the remainder of the whipping cream (such as in quiche) before it goes bad. Since I don't keep whipping cream on hand, I have to make a special point to buy it if I am planning a dessert with whipped cream.
The canned stuff is economical if you just want a little squirt at a time... it's instant. It's uneconomical because teens like to fill their mouths straight from the can.
Frozen whipped topping needs several hours to thaw before it can be used, and I have often forgotten to thaw it in time to serve my dessert. But otherwise there is no preparation time.
I decided, though, that Dream Whip deserves a place on my shelf. It is the cheapest option, and tastes good enough to me. But because of the unlimited shelf life, it is a staple. It means that if I ever need a quickie dessert, I can mix up some of this stuff in about five minutes.
There is another option. The Carnation dry-milk box has a whipped-topping recipe that uses powdered milk, gelatin, powdered sugar and vanilla. This would be the least expensive and most healthy option. However, I tried it and found it unsatisfactory. I would prefer to use no topping at all.
