Hot take: the 'wet paper towel under a mixing bowl' trick is either genius or a lie

Wait, you whipped cream in 4 minutes? That's either a broken timer or you've got some serious arm genetics, because my cold bowl method takes like 8 minutes and I'm over here dying. But seriously, the towel thing makes the bowl colder than just being in the fridge, since the water pulls heat out way faster than air ever could. Your roommate is half right, but the towel is doing the heavy lifting, cold bowl without the wet towel is like trying to chill a drink with a single ice cube.