How long should I keep something in the freezer to chill it? I once placed a can of beer in the freezer for an hour. It did not freeze, and it was great.

However, now I need to cool some whipped cream (un-whipped), and the packet says I need to keep it in the fridge for 24h. But I don't have that long; and I'm worried that keeping it for 1h might be too long.

Is there a rule of thumb (perhaps in relation to weight), or do you have experience with how long I should keep this in the freezer?
One could probably figure it out, but imagine the variables:  (a) temperature of the liquid before entering the freezer, (b) volume of liquid, (c) shape of container, (d) temperature of freezer, (e) air circulation in freezer, (f) desired final temperature...I would eye-ball it.  Give it 30 minutes, check, and proceed one way or the other.