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Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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This KitchenAid balloon-style whisk is lightweight, easy to use, and easy to store, but it's slightly smaller than other balloon whisks we've tested.
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This whisk performed well during testing–its silicone handle makes it comfortable to hold while its balloon whisk head combines ingredients with ease.
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You probably think all whisks are the same, right? Well, I’m not here to tell you you need to stay up all night comparing whisk specs, but as a professional pastry chef, I can confirm that not all whisks are created equal. I’m constantly reaching for my whisks to make everything from cake batter to egg dishes, so it’s safe to say this is a crucial tool for any kitchen.
If I’ve sent you into a whisk comparison tailspin, fear not—I tested nine different whisks so you don’t have to. The best whisk overall is the GIR (Get It Right) 11-inch Ultimate Whisk(available at Amazon for $12.95), while the best value whisk you can buy is the Winco 10-inch Stainless Steel Whisk (available at Amazon).
Here are the best whisks we tested, ranked in order:
GIR (Get It Right) 11-inch Ultimate Whisk
Winco 10-inch Piano Whip
Williams Sonoma Prep Tools Stainless Steel Whisk
Kitchen Aid Stainless Steel Whisk
OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Balloon Whisk
Williams Sonoma Flat Whisk
All-Clad Precision Nonstick Whisk
OYV Silicone Whisk, Set of 3 ( 8", 10", and 12")
Our Table Stainless Steel Whisk
Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
The best whisk overall that we tested is the GIR (Get it Right) Ultimate 11-inch Silicone Whisk.
Best Overall
GIR 11-inch Ultimate Whisk
This balloon whisk is an all-around winner with a satisfying silicone grip and a featherweight lightness. The fine wire balloon is easy to clean and it breezed through each test with flying colors.
Its shape and size make this GIR whisk incredibly versatile—plus, it made some of the quickest whipped cream I’ve ever mustered. It’s priced on the higher end for a whisk, but the quality certainly justifies the price.
The Winco 10-inch Stainless Steel Whisk is our pick for the best value whisk.
Best Value
Winco 10-inch Piano Whip
Winco's stainless steel "whip" (the brand's clever name for whisks) is a great deal, and you can rest assured knowing it's the exact brand I use in the professional restaurant kitchen because it's that durable. Narrower and a bit stiffer than a balloon whisk, I’d say this one is closer to French style, but the brand doesn’t advertise it specifically as such.
It’s a bit heavier than the other whisks I tested, which might bother some folks, but you can really knock this one around and it’ll stand the test of time. It has an additional metal ring at the bottom of the balloon, which can be a little bit of a nuisance to clean—the chocolate cake batter really stuck in there during testing. Beyond that flaw, this simple whisk is an affordable, reliable workhorse.
Hi, I'm Caroline, a professional pastry chef. When I'm not dreaming up new desserts and baked goods for NYC's prolific Gage & Tollner restaurant, I'm developing recipes for Slow Up and working on projects like my forthcoming cookbook on all things sourdough.
The Tests
Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
Making whipped cream was among one of our test for these whisks.
I performed a handful of straightforward tests in my home kitchen including whipping cream (dairy and non-dairy), making an omelette, and throwing together a basic key lime pie. For the top-performing whisks, I added one final test: my classic chocolate cake. In addition to measuring how well each product handled these tasks, I tested for comfort, durability, ease of cleaning by hand, and ease of storage. While a whisk is a relatively simple tool, small details can make a big difference.
What You Should Know About Buying Whisks
Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
The different types of whisks include balloon whisks, spiral whisks, flat whisks, and Danish dough whisks.
What is a Whisk?
There are a few types of whisks on the market. Here's a handy guide:
Balloon whisk: the most common type of whisk, balloon-shaped top, allows for maximum air incorporation into foods
French whisk: stiff wires, more narrow at the bottom than a balloon whisk
Spiral or coil whisk: a small spiral of wires in a ball shape, great for whisking things like hot cocoa
Danish dough whisk: flat wire loops used to bring together shaggy doughs
Flat whisk: similar to a wire spatula, great for things like béchamel, roux and omelettes
Metal vs. Silicone
Most whisks are made from either metal or silicone, save a few outliers made from materials like bamboo. Metal whisks are typically easier to clean than their silicone counterparts. We recommend stainless steel if you're buying a metal whisk because it's rust-resistant.
Other Whisks We Tested
Williams Sonoma Prep Tools Stainless Steel Whisk
Not too different from the GIR whisk, this stylish Williams Sonoma number checks a lot of the same boxes. It has a satisfying silicone grip in a lovely shade of gray—but it's worth noting that this is the one and only color option. It's relatively lightweight, which allowed me to whip both cream and coconut cream into pillowy peaks in about two minutes.
This whisk also aced our omelette, chocolate cake, and key lime pie tests and would look nice in most kitchens.
I love this KitchenAid balloon-style whisk because it's the perfect size and has a sleek and shiny black handle. It’s lightweight and was so easy to use during testing. Just a touch smaller than the GIR and Williams Sonoma balloon whisks—and a fraction lighter—it's super versatile, easy to handle, and convenient to store in any drawer or hang from a tool rack.
It feels sturdy and at $10 it’s a fantastic value. From egg dishes to cake batters, this whisk would be an excellent choice for any budding pastry chef.
This whisk from the ever-reliable OXO performed almost just as well as the GIR whisk, with an almost identical size, weight, and silicone grip. While it seemed to struggle just a little bit with the non-dairy whipped cream, I otherwise found this whisk to be a very strong high-quality contender, as well as a budget-friendly option.
This looker is the whisk for the cook who has everything. A flat whisk is useful in some cases, but niche and not nearly as versatile as a balloon whisk. In fact, it will fail miserably at any task that requires incorporating air, such as whipped cream. I got nowhere.
So what does a flat whisk actually do? It doubles as a spatula, which makes it awesome for things like omelettes because it can beat the eggs well and then gently pushing them in the pan. Flat whisks are also great for sauces like béchamel because they glides along the bottom and sides of a saucepan with ease. Still, this whisk can't replace a standard balloon whisk like our top pick in terms of functionality.
This whisk testing experience has taught me that silicone-coated wire whisks will never be as efficient as their stainless steel counterparts—they simply don’t have that light, easy bounce in a bowl. And while the coating technically “non-stick” with many foods, both types of whipped cream left an unappetizing fatty film on the wires which took more dish soap than I’d have liked to get clean.
It’s got a great stylish look, a comfortable grip, and feels high-quality with a beautiful chrome handle, but at this price point it’s the most expensive in the bunch and I don’t think it's worth the splurge.
This colorful trio is easy on the eyes, but my least favorite of the bunch from a practical standpoint. Unlike the top contenders from GIR and OXO with silicone handles and metal wires, these whisks also have silicone-coated wires, which just strikes me as unnecessary. I can’t think of an additional purpose this serves beyond preventing damage on the surface of a non-stick pan.
The 8-inch whisk is pretty cute, but not very useful for most tasks. When trying to whip cream, the silicone sort of skidded across the bottom of the bowl, and it wasn’t as smooth a ride as a metal balloon whisk. I also found the heavy cream left behind a fatty film on the silicone and required a bit more soap and sponge work. At the end of the day, these whisks can get the job done, but your money is better spent elsewhere.
This whisk has such a small handle, which makes it difficult to grip properly and as a result it was challenging to make whipped cream during testing. I think this would be a great whisk for kids who want to help out in the kitchen, but adults may struggle with the short handle. It's not the sturdiest whisk we tested, but could be well suited for a little one who’s going to bang it around.
Pros
Great for kids
Cons
Small handle makes it difficult for adults to grip
Caroline Schiff is a chef, recipe developer, writer, and consultant based in Brooklyn, New York. She is currently the executive Pastry Chef at Gage & Tollner and the Head Chef of Slow Up.
She has over a decade of experience in the industry from restaurants and recipes to bakeries and cafes. Her first cookbook "The Sweet Side of Sourdough" will be released Autumn 2021 with Page Street Publishing.
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