FOOD NEWS
14 Types Of Whisks And How To Use Them
BY FRED DECKER
Balloon Whisk
These whisks have thin wire loops of differing lengths set into a handle in a circular pattern. The wires form a basket-like, bulbous shape at the end.
They're used for whipping, frothing, and aerating. Reach for one when you want to beat eggs, whip cream, or beat egg whites into the perfect egg foam.
Double Balloon
These whisks make basic whisks more efficient. Inside their protruding end is a small ball of spirals that provides additional aeration to better whip eggs or cream.
Whether or not they offer a functional improvement over standard balloon whisks is up for debate, but their increased number of wires definitely makes them harder to clean.
French Whisk
The French whisk is similar to the standard balloon whisk, except it's narrower and more tapered. It can reach tough corners of your pots and pans for better mixing.
They're also often made with heavier gauge wire and are ideal for stiff batters or thick soups that would put a strain on the thin wires of a balloon whisk.
Roux Whisk
Roux whisks are flat whisks that look almost like a standard whisk changed from three-dimensional to two-dimensional. They have fewer wires arranged in a flat pattern.
Mainly designed to whisk items in a shallow pan, flat whisks flex so you can press down and bend the wires, immersing their length in a pan's shallow liquid for effective mixing.
Bar Whisks
Bar whisks are mini whisks frequently used by bartenders to froth egg whites or other ingredients into cocktails. They're ideal because they don't need much space.
The small size of these whisks makes them perfect when cooking for one or two people, or performing tasks such as making a cornstarch slurry or thickening a sauce.