Which Whisk is Which?

How to choose the right tool for the task, whether you're making a thick, rich sauce or a light-as-air soufflé.

01.15.08
Julia Child introduced whisks (or whips, as she called them) to American kitchens in the 1960s, and we've been enamored ever since. They're multi-tasking utensils that can aerate, emulsify, deglaze, and mix. Yet anyone who's shopped for a whisk recently knows that they come in an overwhelming array of designs these days. In this exclusive slideshow, Gourmet demystifies the wide world of whisks.

French Whisk

If you only invest in one whisk, this should be it.  The most versatile, it does just about everything you want from a whisk, like mixing, emulsifying, aerating, deglazing, enriching, beating, and scraping. Its tear shape does a good job of getting into the corners of shallow skillets for roux and custards. We liked the handle on OXO's Good Grips version because it doesn't absorb heat from the pan and burn your hands, and it's nicely weighted so it remains in the mixing bowl without tumbling out.

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