Cream chargers have a variety of uses and they are not all related to whipped cream. If you’re looking for cream supplies, then the best place to look is online. You’ll be able to quickly find a store in your area that sells these products.

Refilling your whipped cream dispenser

There are three ways to make whipped cream — buy cream and use a fork or an egg beater, buy a disposable can of whipped cream or buy a whipped cream dispenser. The dispenser needs to be regularly refilled with cream chargers which are a steel cylinder or cartridge filled with nitrous oxide and which is used as a whipping agent. Some people prefer the cream dispenser to the other two methods, because it does not use electricity and they do not have to work either (it’s heavy work whipping your own cream with a fork).

Nitrous oxide is used in cream chargers because it easily moves through the cream and does not allow the cream to oxidize while it is in the can either. The cream is made by using 1 cup of heavy cream, 2-3 tablespoons of sugar, any flavoring and then using the charger to whip up the cream.

Most chargers that you can find in cream supplies stores are for small scale operations, such as home kitchens, restaurants and coffee shops. If you need whipped cream for a high volume of customers, then you might do better to find a company who can rent or sell you a regulated tank system that can dispense massive amounts of whipped cream at a rate of 10 liters per hour.

Model rockets

Hobbyists always have a way of using things in an unintended fashion, and the model rockets scene has also taken aboard the whipped cream charger as a surrogate child. In fact, they are used in micro hybrid engines where the nitrous oxide acts as an oxidizer for fuels such as HTPB or polyethylene.

A micro hybrid rocket is simply a special type of rocket that uses propellants in two different states of matter — one solid and the other a gas or a liquid. Hobbyists have been making these for at least 100 years and this is the basis for the NASA space program as well.

Drugs

Not to be outdone by the model rocketing pioneers, recreational drug users who cannot afford anything worthwhile have also improvised with cream chargers by inhalingthe nitrous oxide, which causes psychoactive effects. Gone are the days when glue sniffing and drinking ethanol from the pharmacy was all the rage, now we have whipped cream dispensers for laughing gas!

Nitrous oxide is dangerous because the gas can deprive a person of oxygen quickly enough to cause suffocation. Unfortunately, young people experimenting with gas masks, plastic bags and cream chargers have been known to die. But cream chargers have not been made illegal in most of the USA and they are considered in the same category as ethanol, kava, San Pedro cactus and nicotine.

A fully automatic coffee machine (called Kaffeevollautomaten in Germany) is the Taj Mahal of coffee machines. This all-in-one modern marvel is a countertop version of a barista right in your kitchen. These machines will measure out the amount of water you specify, tamp down the ground beans and brew your coffee at the push of a button, or at a time you have scheduled. The fully automatic coffee machine saves space in your kitchen by combining several machines into one.

Automatic coffee machines are available in a number of styles, colors, sizes and price points. From a few hundred to several thousand dollars, you can choose the features and designs that suit you best and perform the functions you want. These machines are typically built with high-end finishes like stainless steel and most have multiple controls so the create the brew of your choice is at your fingertips.

While different brands incorporate different features, you can generally expect several advanced features from a fully automatic coffee machine. It should take you from start to finished cup with options for temperature, coffee strength and even cleaning the machine. Frequently these coffee makers include the ability to make espresso and cappuccino, as well. If you opt for a more commercial type of machine, you may be able to brew two cups at once, make lattes, and more.

Most of the fully automatic machines start the process with a coffee grinder. You pour in the beans of your choice, set the gauge for how coarsely you want it ground, and you will get freshly-ground beans with every cup. The machine transfers the ground beans to the brewing portion and brews the coffee based on your selections for strength, duration and water temperature.

Many of these automatic coffee machines offer both steam and hot water functions. Some of them hold two different kinds of beans. You can generally program your favorite combination for repeat use.

These coffee machines can prepare a single cup or a small pot of coffee, typically up to six cups. Some include warming trays so you can pre-heat the cup or carafe. If you like steamed milk, many of these machines offer that option as well. Best of all, many of these automatic coffee machines will clean themselves with just a push of a button. This is especially important for milk heating and frothing devices.

The ultimate cup of coffee is no longer the province of the local coffee shop barista. Today, you can make your own vanilla-low-fat-mocha-latte right in your own kitchen with your own fully automatic coffee machine any time you want it.