Thursday, July 18, 2013

Gadgets: WhipStir 2-in-1 Whisk

Everyone needs a whisk, right? And these days, it's not a bad idea to have a coated whisk for use in nonstick cookware.

There are plenty of whisks from so many different gadget manufacturers. And they're pretty much all the same, right?

Mostly.

What makes the WhipStir 2-in-1 Whisk ($14.99) from Chef'n different from the competition is that it's a double-sided whisk. Instead of a traditional handle, the smaller end is a hard plastic whisk while the larger end is flexible coated wire.

My first thought when I saw this was that it might be awkward to hold. Actually, since the smaller end is hard plastic, it's not different than holding the handle of any other whisk.

Holding the larger end to use the small whisk doesn't feel odd either. It might be less comfortable than a traditional handle if you're whisking something for a long time. But seriously, when I'm using a small whisk, I'm not making whipped cream. Usually I'm mixing some cornstarch and water in a small bowl, or mixing a small amount of dry ingredients. It doesn't take long to do that.

It's hard to muster up a lot of enthusiasm for a whisk, either pro or con. Whisks have been around for a long time, and unless you do a lot of hand whisking, there's probably not that much difference between them once you've decided whether you need a coated whisk or not. The bonus here is that you get two whisks in one tool - nice for starter kitchens, people with limited storage space, or who need an extra whisk and like the idea of two tools in one.

The product was supplied for the purpose of a review on Serious Eats; this was previously published on Serious Eats.
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