I'd say it depends on the recipe. If it's for whipped cream, in a lot of cases you could but it's no substitute for just heavy cream in a recipe.

I agree........and now there is the Cool Whip Free that is supposed to be sugar free, but whether it is sugar replacement free might be another thing. I've not tried it yet so I don't know. I do have a lot of recipes that call for Cool Whip and lots of times I will use whipped cream depending on the occasion. If I want something to taste especially rich, I will use a little whipped cream instead of a lot of Cool Whip.

Coolwhip tastes artificial and "oily" to me....
Would rather have 1/4th as much real cream whipped.
I keep one of those pressurized cans of real whipped cream in the refrig....keeps for several weeks and while not as good as cream I have whipped myself and added pure vanilla to, it's always there for a "Pffft" on a cup of flavored coffee or a bowl of strawberries.

Linda C

It depends on the recipe. I wouldn't use cool whip instead of cream in a soup or for a cannelloni sauce.

But, I have a feeling you're asking about substitution in dessert type recipes. "Most" of the time you could probably substitute although taste may suffer some. Do you have a specific recipe you are considering?

I don't like Cool Whip, either, and always sub real whipped cream. Not sure I would describe the taste as "oily", but it definitely does not tast like cream to me!

Thanks, everybody. Carla, I just bought an "Icebox Pies" cookbook at a Scholastic Book Fair. Every single recipe calls for heavy cream or half-and-half; almost all dessert recipes in the Pillsbury Bake Off Winners cookbook do too. Something I learned about Cool Whip and clones: Lite has less sugar and tastes much better than fat-free [to me].
chery2

Years ago when Cool Whip first came out, whenever my mother used it she'd put a tiny amount of almond extract in the container and quickly blend it in. It was rather good! Today I use Cool Whip Light for some things and I like to add a little bit of sour cream in it when I serve it on something very sweet - it cuts the overly sweetness. I've never noticed an oily taste or texture to Cool Whip.

I don't like CoolWhip either. I substitute vanilla ice cream.

I love my ISI whipped cream maker and the cream lasts a long time in it. My daughter in law is in heaven with her love for cocoa when she comes home because there is always cream in the charger for her.

I'm sure Cool Whip is good for something but human consumption is not one of them.