The One Tool You Really Need For Smoother Pasta Sauces

With over a dozen types of whisks available for cooks to choose from, it is clear all whisks are not all created equal. While balloon whisks may be the go-to device for whipping up ingredients like egg whites and cream, flat whisks have their own merits. Flat whisks are named appropriately, as the metal rings are flattened unlike the spherical shape of other more familiar whisk variations. These flat tools are ideal when you're making sauces and gravies from scratch since they can easily reach into cooking vessels and smoothly combine wet and dry ingredients.Plus, the spatula-shaped utensil can help cooks of all levels scrape any residue that stubbornly clings to a pot or pan's surface during the cooking process.

The flat whisk may become your new favorite kitchen tool as you whisk homemade Alfredo sauce into creamy, smooth perfection or prepare a deliciously simple pasta sauce made with egg and butter. Flat whisks aren't only helpful in whipping up smooth sauces, either, as the slotted tool can help fish out ingredients that have been plopped into vats of boiling water to cook. 

Choose the right whisk to use according to the cooking vessel you are using for your culinary projects. For taller pots containing a greater volume of ingredients, a French whisk can help cooks dip into the bottommost crevices of pots and pans. Though a flat whisk might be challenging to wield when combining ingredients in a bowl, the spatula-like shape can come in handy if you're cooking several separate items in a single pan, like a rich curry sauce and medallions of grilled steak, for example. 

Once your cooking is done, you'll be pleased to discover that instead of having to fidget with the tines of a balloon whisk, the flattened shape of a flat whisk is much more convenient to clean. Before you know it, you may be reaching for the flat whisk to not only build smooth sauces but also to flip filets of fish, serve stacks of pancakes, and place poached eggs neatly onto pretty plates to serve.