Science: The Best Way to Use a Whisk (Have You Been Whisking All Wrong?)



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We’ve noticed that different cooks seem to favor different motions when using a whisk. Some prefer side-to-side strokes, others use circular stirring, and others like the looping action of beating that takes the whisk up and out of the bowl. That got us wondering: Is any one of these motions more effective than the others?

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44 Comments

  1. I haven't seen anybody here do it how I do it, which is to hold the whisk inverted with a backwards grip so the whisk is pointing towards the sky rather than towards the ground when your hands are at your side, then grab the lip of the bowl between my pointer finger and thumb and spin-rotate it in alternating directions so I don't have to change whisking motion, and then apply strong rotational force by moving by wrist counter-clockwise (for lefties it'd probably be easier to get more force the exact opposite way, so clockwise) to whisk repeatedly…seems to be the best way to get the job done, but if side-to-side worked better for vinaigrettes for instance then I may use that. It just seems a lot more awkward/more work than what I just described.

  2. What about stirring the whisk in one direction, making fast small circles, while simultaneously stirring it around the bowl in the opposite direction of the smaller stirring, in slower large circles that cover the entire inside of the bowl?

  3. It's the tool! Balloon whisks were designed to whip in air, as you showed with the egg whites and whipped cream. If you want to stir something, use a spoon or another shape of whisk. The right tool for the job is more important than analyzing whether to stir, go side-to-side or whisk! Seriously.

  4. Perhaps rather than asking the question right, how about asking the right question? Meaning: What''s the best whisk design, rather than how to use the bland, simplistic tool "most efficiently"? Ever saw one of those that you push down and they start spinning like crazy?

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