The 8 Best Whisks to Whip Any Recipe Into Shape

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Hello fluffy pancakes, velvety eggs, and pillowy cream.

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Food & Wine / OXO

The whisk is one of the most common kitchen tools out there for both pros and home cooks. There's probably (at least) one in your utensil holder or kitchen drawer right now. It's a handy tool for fluffy Sunday-morning pancakes, emulsifying a quick vinaigrette, and more. But whisks are not one-size-fits-all.

Whisks come in many shapes and forms — including the standard balloon you're probably thinking of along with Danish dough, coil, mini, flat, and spiral varieties, among others. These specialized tools can make tasks like perfect lump-free gravy, sourdough bread, poached eggs, or even cocktails much easier. No matter the task, we have a whisk for you.

We love the thoughtful and ergonomic design of this whisk.

The stiff wires don't offer much flex.

If you only buy one whisk, make it this OXO. It’s a perfect size, not too big or small, making it the go-to whisk for almost any task. Plus, the length is comfortable enough to control without putting too much elbow grease into it. We love the grippy silicone handle — no more slippery handles — and it’s durable enough to withstand whatever task you put it through, whether tough doughs or vigorous whipping. The stiff wire is great for tough tasks but it doesn't offer much flex for more delicate jobs. When you’re done with it, toss it in the dishwasher for a quick cleanup.

There’s a reason this whisk is a favorite of home cooks and professional chefs alike. Katie Briggs, freelance chef with Eclectik Domestic and West Philly Bunny Hop in Philadelphia, is one of those chefs. She often reaches for her OXO Good Grips Balloon Whisk for whipped coffees, quick homemade mayonnaise, and more. Briggs loves the stainless steel design because it gives more volume when whipping, and when you’re as busy as she is, time is of the essence.

Dimensions: 11 x 2 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes

This whisk is so versatile due to its unique design and perfect handle.

It's pretty expensive for a whisk.

Material's uniquely shaped whisk is unlike any other. Instead of the traditional overlapping balloon shape, the wires make individual tight loops. This effectively combines the advantages of several whisk styles to complete many specialized tasks efficiently. The small loops allow it to incorporate more air and achieve emulsifications quicker, and the balanced handle gives you enough power without being unwieldy. We also appreciate its flat bottom: It can stand independently on the countertop, eliminating drippy messes. While versatile and unique, it is pretty pricy compared to the other whisks on this list. If you only reach for a whisk to make occasional weekend pancakes, it might not be worth the extra dollars.

Dimensions: 11.5 x 2.5 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes

This whisk is comfortable to use and has the perfect coils for sauces.

We felt like the arm of this whisk was a bit fragile.

Similar to a flat whisk, a coil whisk is excellent for sauces. However, this unique design performs best with sauces and purees that benefit from a bit of aeration. We like its tight but not-too-rigid coils that flex with your pan and help you work enough air into your sauce. It works sort of like a large, manual milk frother.

The head is positioned at the perfect angle to give an ergonomic design that’s comfortable to hold and provides the most power with the least effort. Its smaller head is also great for smaller batched tasks like marinades, where you can easily stick it into a mason jar or small bowl to whisk together. We just wish the arm that connects the handle to the head was thicker and more durable.

Dimensions: 11 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes

This whisk is flexible and durable at the same time, plus its soft material perfect for nonstick pans.

The stainless steel handle can get hot quickly.

While stainless steel whisks may be the most popular choice, a silicone-coasted one is perfect for delicate nonstick cookware because it protects against scratching without sacrificing any heat resistant. We like Sur La Table's because it pairs the flexibility of silicone with the durability of stainless steel.

Unlike many other silicone whisks, this one has the head securely attached to a stainless steel body, so there’s no chance the “wire” will pop out after a few uses. At 10 inches, it’s an excellent size for a myriad of tasks, and we think it’s a great addition to any kitchen tool lineup. The only downside of the all–stainless steel handle is that it can heat up fast.

Dimensions: 10 x 2.5 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes

This whisk is perfect for sauces because it can easily scrape the bottom of the pan and get into corners.

The steel handle isn’t very comfortable to hold.

A flat whisk is great for incorporating every last bit of ingredients into sauces, and we think Tovolo's is the best of the best. The slightly bent loops create a slope perfect for wide pans and can easily be maneuvered to scrape up every last bit of browned goodness in any kind of cookware. Plus, all the loops are in a line at the tip, so getting into even the tightest corners is easy, and they don’t bend as easily as other whisks, so they can handle even something like thick oatmeal or congee. The whole whisk is incredibly durable stainless steel, but its handle is not the most comfortable handle shape.

Dimensions: 12 x 2.4 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes

This compact whisk is great for delicate tasks.

The large handle can feel unbalanced.

This spiral whisk can go easily from counter to bar cart: It’s ideal for mixing drinks, especially frothy fizzes and other egg white cocktails. And in the kitchen, the spiral format is great for more delicate tasks where brute force isn’t the right angle. Some spiral whisks are unwieldy and can make a mess, but we love this spring's rounded shape, thick wire and compact design, which is great for shallow prep bowls and can tuck away in a drawer. However, the head is quite a bit smaller and lighter than the handle, making it unbalanced.

Dimensions: 9 x 2 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes

We love this whisk’s compact size and wide balloon design.

It isn’t very well balanced.

This 8-inch whisk is small but mighty. The balloon end is larger than other mini models, and the shape is very wide, giving it stability. It’s perfect for small saucepans or scrambled eggs for one. The size also makes it great for small hands, so kids can lend a hand in the kitchen. Do note the handle is heavier than the whisk end, so you shouldn't leave it sitting in a bowl it can topple out of.

Dimensions: 8 x 2 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: Yes

This unique shape is sturdy, non-stick, and effective at working dough.

This whisk isn’t really useful for anything but kneading dough.

The interlocking loops of the Danish dough whisk look nothing like the traditional balloon style, and that's because the tool is built for a totally different purpose: kneading. The flat, paddle-like shape helps move even the stiffest doughs, while the concentric circles gently incorporate air without sticking. It's great for working butter or eggs into rich breads like challah without violently agitating and overmixing the dough.

The only downside is that it's a unitasker, not appropriate for whipping cream, combining batters, or other tasks you'd use a traditional whisk for.

Dimensions: 13 inches | Dishwasher-Safe: No

The OXO Good Grips 11-Inch Balloon Whisk is our top choice in whisks — it hits all metrics, making it an ideal tool for every kitchen. For a splurge, the Material Kitchen The Air Whisk has a unique design that makes it superb for almost any task.

There are a few different types of whisks commercially available, each suited to different tasks. The balloon whisk, with a series of overlapping wire loops in a balloon shape, is the most common and versatile. If you only want one whisk in your kitchen, it's the kind you want.

However, there are lots of specialized whisks that do better at specific tasks. Spiral whisks, for example, are perfect for sauces. The wide, flat bottom perfectly incorporates roux into milk for velvety béchamel with much less work than a balloon whisk. They’re also great for mixing cocktails, especially drinks containing egg whites or thick syrups that need a lot of aeration. Flat whisks are also good for sauces, and can double as scoopers for delicate items like dumplings or fish. Silicone whisks are best for nonstick and allow you to whisk more vigorously without the risk of scratching your cookware. Finally, Danish dough whisks aerate high-moisture bread doughs without overkneading.

What type of whisk is best for you depends on what you plan to use it for, but like with many other types of kitchen utensils, it can't hurt to have more than one on hand for whatever recipe or technique might come up.

You’ll usually find whisks made of either metal, silicone, or another type of plastic. Metal is more heavy-duty than silicone but can rust or bend, and it can scratch nonstick or glazed ceramic surfaces. Silicone and other plastics are less durable and prone to breaking, but they’re more flexible and can easily squeeze into corners of bowls. Silicone is fairly heatproof and can handle many stovetop and oven temperatures, but you should check the manual for the exact maximum for your particular whisk.

Depending on the size of your cookware and the tasks you plan to do, you should snag a few different sizes of whisks. Smaller whisks can easily get into the corners of pots, while larger whisks are better for big batches. Additionally, small whisks give you more power and control with minimal flex, perfect for very thick items or tasks like quickly incorporating milk into a roux for the béchamel in a classic lasagna. A large whisk's bigger surface area can make things like whipping egg whites to stiff peaks or making whipped cream much easier.

Neither is better in every situation, and you might want one of each. Silicone is easier to clean, more flexible, and lighter than stainless steel, but it tends to break easier and can melt in the extreme heat of a broiler or pan set on high. So if you know you’ll be whisking butter cubes into boiling-hot caramel, then silicone probably isn’t for you. In that case, stainless steel is better. But if you’re whisking in a high-sided pot with an angular corner at lower heats, stainless steel just can’t measure up to the flexibility of silicone.

The best pan for eggs is a nonstick pan, which means plastic or silicone will be your best bet to protect the surface. Even if you tend to whip your eggs in a bowl before pouring them into the pan, silicone is still ideal since it can provide gentler mixing and a better overall texture in the finished product. You can still make scrambled eggs successfully with a metal whisk; just be sure not to over-whip them, and always mix them in a bowl before going into your nonstick pan.

Most batters, especially pancake batter, are best when not over-mixed. If your batter contains wheat flour, mixing creates gluten. And while gluten is what makes a crusty loaf of bread delightfully chewy, it can turn tender pancakes, muffins, and cakes tough and stodgy. To thoroughly incorporate your ingredients without over-mixing, you want a whisk that will give you the highest payoff with each stroke. This is where stainless steel’s rigidity pays off; it doesn’t bend or flex like silicone and can quickly cut through the batter, so you won’t need to stir it as much to get that perfect consistency.

Nick DeSimone is a food writer and professional cook with nearly a decade of restaurant experience. During that time, Nick has used countless whisks in pastry and savory cooking, so they have first-hand experience with the quality and longevity of these products.