We use a stabilized version of whipped cream because it can last up to 2 days in the refrigerator and it will hold up at your 4th of July party or summertime BBQ, as long as you don't have it sitting right out in the hot summer sun. Stabilized whipped cream is a sturdier, home-made whipped cream. Regular whipped cream will often start to melt or deflate a short time after being made. Stabilized whipped cream has something added to it to give it more stability. In this recipe we use gelatin, but other recipes use ingredients such as corn starch, xanthan gum, cream cheese, or meringue powder. This isn't a 1:1 substitution so if you prefer one of these you'll need to find an exact recipe for it. We don't recommend letting it sit out for more than 2 hours since it is a dairy product and can spoil.