Let's play a game of kitchen Bingo, shall we? First, mark your card if your arsenal includes several kitchen knives. Yes? Okay, now cross off a box if you own multiple serving utensils. Great, you're on a roll. Next, check a square if you have more than one whisk. Ah, your streak has ended? I'm sorry to hear that — not because you would have gotten a prize by winning this imaginary game, but because you're missing out on all of your mixing potential by not having different types of whisks at your disposal.
Can you imagine slicing through steak with a butter knife? No ribeye is that tender; that's why steak knives exist. The same goes for whisks: If your kitchen does possess one, I'm willing to bet it's of the balloon variety; it's the first kind many of us think of when it comes to whisks, and it can be a valuable tool. That said, I used to bake professionally, and I've learned that your standard balloon whisk isn't the right option for every job. For instance, it's not the one I'd reach for to mix bread dough or stir sauce in a skillet.
What would I use? Well, there are six main types of whisks I think are worth considering for all of your mixing, aerating and emulsifying needs. I've broken down which tasks each variation is suitable for so you'll be able to whip it good — no matter what "it" is.
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Much of the mixing we do happens in bowls, which is precisely why the balloon whisk has become sort of the poster child for this category of kitchen tool. Its rounded shape is suitable for a bowl's rounded edges, and because there's usually a good deal of space between the tines, your doughs and batters are less likely to get trapped. I reach for this kind of whisk when I'm mixing dry ingredients together, stirring custards, making pancakes or whipping cream by hand.
If you're in the market for a balloon whisk, I can't recommend this one enough; it's the exact one I use in my own kitchen, and I love its soft-grip handle, which helps keep my hand from feeling too much mixing fatigue. Plus, the silicone tines don't scratch nonstick cookware.
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The balloon whisk's less-bulbous cousin, the flat whisk, excels when it comes to stirring pan sauces or gravy. Its slimmer profile allows it to lie against the bottom of the pan, which provides more surface area for scraping up all of those stuck-on bits — because you don't want to let any of that flavor go to waste.
It's also flexible enough to double as a spatula if you need to flip things and don't want to dirty up another utensil. This one cleverly doubles as a balloon whisk with a twist of the handle to save space in your drawers.
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If you've ever wished your voluminous balloon whisk was better at getting into the corners of your pots and pans, the French whisk is here to answer your prayers. Its narrow shape allows it to access tighter spaces, making it ideal for smaller cooking vessels.
Because its tines are closer together, you won't want to use it on dense mixtures that are likely to get stuck inside, but it's a champ when it comes to emulsifying and aerating. This brand is a favorite of Ina Garten's and one chof360 editor who also happens to be a culinary school grad.
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Here's a fun little doodad for you: The Danish dough whisk is, as its name implies, designed to navigate bread doughs thin and thick. Because it has larger openings, it won't trap dough as much as other types of whisks, making it easier to clean. Plus, it's efficient at mixing fairly quickly without deflating, and its series of round loops won't get all twisted up.
It's not just for bread doughs, though — it can be used to mix things like oats, quick breads and mixtures that need to be folded.
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So long, lumpy gravy. Sauce whisks, like this one, have a unique coil design rather than overlapping tines, meaning there's no getting tangled up. It's efficient at breaking up clumps for smoother roux, soups and sauces, and its angled head makes it easier to get into corners of pans.
This whisk is on the smaller side, so you could also use it to whip up eggs or powdered drinks in small bowls and cups.
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Last, but not least, this fun-looking device is probably the most effective when it comes to scraping bits from cooking vessel corners. Because it's super flexible, you can also spread the tines out to cover more of your pan's surface area at a time.
The tips of this whisk are made of silicone, making it a fabulous choice for scrambling eggs in a nonstick pan.
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