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The best whisks

The best whisks

James Brains

Every kitchen needs a good whisk for whipping up eggs, heavy cream, batter, and more.
The OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Better Balloon Whisk is our top pick with its sturdy wires, lightweight design, and satisfaction guarantee.

Even if you only do a minimal amount of cooking, you can easily improve your kitchen experience with a whisk.

Whisks are particularly helpful for mixing up pancake batters, creating homemade dressings, preparing fluffy scrambled eggs, and breaking up salt and sugar clumps.

A wide variety of whisks are available to suit all such cooking needs, from basic everyday use to heavy-duty dense batters. We combed through hundreds of offerings to determine the best whisks, which are all rated highly for comfort, ease of use, and efficiency. Keep reading to see our picks, as well as what you should know about the different varieties of whisks to find the one that's best for you.

Here are the best whisks:

Best overall: OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Better Balloon Whisk
Best on a budget: Winco Stainless Steel Piano Wire Whip
Best ball whisk: WMF Profi-Plus Ball Whisk

Updated on 9/16/2020 to edit formatting, links, prices, add related guides, and remove our previous choice for the best whisk for bread dough, which is no longer available. We also removed references to third-party reviews and ratings because we've found them to be unreliable in the past.

The best overall

OXO

The OXO Good Grips 11-inch Better Balloon Whisk feels comfortable in your hands and makes quick work of whisking jobs without getting bent out of shape.

The OXO Good Grips 11-inch Better Balloon Whisk earned our spot for top pick thanks to its sturdy wires, lightweight design, and satisfaction guarantee.

It comes in classic stainless steel or silicone-coated style, but unless you are looking for a whisk you can use on non-stick cookware, the stainless steel whisk is preferable since it has 10 loops versus the silicone version's eight loops. Plus, the silicone-coated whisk is only rated up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit.

Regardless of which whisk style you choose, OXO's whisk has the celebrated ergonomic, non-slip handle that keeps your hands from growing tired before your task is done. The loops are strong enough to take on most whisking tasks and it's also dishwasher safe and easy to clean. If you do encounter any problems, OXO offers a standard satisfaction guarantee.

Pros: Easy to grip ergonomic handle, dishwasher safe, lightweight yet durable

Cons: Handle is susceptible to melting if left in a hot pot

The best on a budget

Winco

For about half the price of our top pick, the Winco Stainless Steel Piano Wire Whip has 12 sturdy wire loops that will make quick work of your whisking jobs.

Winco is mostly known for providing kitchen gear to restaurants, and their Stainless Steel Piano Wire Whip Whisk is a standout choice. It's made entirely of stainless steel, including the lightweight yet heavy-duty wire loops and the weighted handle. The utensil is dishwasher safe, and the handle is sealed to keep water and muck from accumulating inside.

This affordable whisk is very well made and should be able to handle any task you throw at it. Because the handle is made of metal, it won't melt, either, which is good if you're whisking very hot ingredients. Though, it may become slippery.

It's also worth noting that the handle for the 10-inch style is 4-inches long, which may feel short if you have larger hands. Instead, consider the 12- or 14-inch whisks.

Pros: Affordable, 12 wire loops, dishwasher safe, sturdy wires

Cons: Handle can get slippery

The best ball whisk

WMF

The WMF Profi-Plus Ball Whisk's design makes it easier to free ingredients from tight corners and scrape flat surfaces without bits of food getting caught between the wires.

The WMF Profi Plus Ball Whisk is the only whisk in our guide that does not have wire loops. Instead, it features a dozen straight wires that protrude from the handle for independent movement and efficient mixing.

At the end of each of the 18/10 polished stainless steel wires are miniature balls. You can choose silicone or stainless steel balls depending on whether you plan on using your whisk on nonstick surfaces or not. The silicone balls are safe in temperatures up to 518 degrees Fahrenheit, and both styles are dishwasher safe.

Ball whisks are great for incorporating cream into dishes and they're very adept at mixing dry ingredients. If you've always been annoyed with normal balloon whisks, it's worth trying a ball whisk instead.

Pros: Reaches into tight corners, food doesn't get trapped in the wires, dishwasher safe

Cons: Relatively expensive

The best flat whisk

OXO

If you need to whisk a roux, deglaze pans, or perform mixing tasks in shallow dishes, the OXO Good Grips Better Flat Wire Whisk is the one you need.

As far as materials are concerned, the OXO Good Grips Better Flat Wire Whisk is the same as our top pick, OXO's balloon whisk. The Flat Wire Whisk has four polished stainless steel wire loops in a flat configuration and the holes are sealed where the wires meet the grippy thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) handle. The flat design makes it easier to fit into hard-to-reach spots and can even be used to flip omelets.

The plastic-rubber hybrid handle is 4.25 inches long and the longest tine reach is 6 inches. It's comfortable for extended use but the handle can potentially melt after prolonged contact with high temperatures. The wires, however, are heat resistant. OXO also offers a guarantee that its products are free from defects under normal household use, so contact the company if you have any problems.

Pros: Incredibly comfortable handle, doubles as a spatula, stores easily in a drawer

Cons: Somewhat small

Different types of whisks

Most whisks are made of stainless steel and some are coated with silicone. The silicone coating is useful when you want to avoid scratching the surfaces of a non-stick receptacle. The only downsides are that silicone is not as heat resistant as steel, and over time, the coating starts to wear. In general, the more wire loops, the more efficient the mixing. But, more loops can also make cleanup more difficult.

If you are just starting to outfit your kitchen, or need an all-purpose whisk, we recommend going with the classic balloon whisk. The teardrop-shape conforms well to the curved edges of mixing bowls.

Bread dough and other dense batters can destroy most thin-wired whisks. For heavy-duty tasks, such as mixing and pre-kneading bread dough, choose an aptly named dough whisk. These whisks typically consist of a wooden handle with a couple of thick stainless steel loops.

The flat whisk, also referred to as a roux whisk, looks like a balloon whisk that someone flattened with a steamroller, though there is a slight angle to the head, which makes it ideal for use in shallow dishes or pans.

Ball whisks do not have any loops at all. Instead, they consist of several tines that are tipped with balls. With this design, you can reach into the corners of straight-sided pans more easily. Also, these whisks tend to be easier to clean by hand.

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