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I’ve whipped a lot of cream in my day, and I’ve always done it by hand. I like the control that hand-whisking allows. Just one or two strokes too many and you’ll go from soft peaks fit for summer’s finest shortcakes to stiff and grainy cream that coats your mouth instead of melting perfectly. It requires finesse and I want to do the finessing.
I’ve also owned a lot of whisks, from the wire-handled models you can buy for a few bucks from the grocery store that pinch your fingers to a handsome brass model that is fit for a kitchen much fancier than my own. That’s all to say, I’ve spent a lot of time whisking, and I know that a whisk is a simple tool where the details really matter.
A good whisk feels balanced in your hand and comfortable to hold for long periods of rapid arm and wrist movement. A well-balanced whisk is also less likely to flip out of a bowl or pan it's resting in and spray little bits of food all over your kitchen. Its wires should be thin and springy enough to create vibrations that help aerate ingredients like heavy cream and egg whites faster. On the other hand, if the wires are too wimpy they’ll have a hard time scraping brown bits off of the bottom of a saucepan or cutting through thick batter.
Whisks come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, from minis that are a few inches long and perfect for small tasks like mixing up a single serving of sauce to 18-inch monsters best left for industrial-sized baking projects. The bests whisks are ones that can handle everything from whipping a bowl of cream to perfect peaks, to emulsifying a pan sauce to silky perfection, to bringing together a lump-free stovetop pudding or béchamel.
To find the best, I gathered nine all-purpose whisks to put to the test. To streamline testing and focus on the best all-around contenders I chose whisks between 10-12 inches long with stainless steel wires. I avoided any unusual shapes like ball or flat whisks and whisks with coated or plastic wires. I also went for whisks that had 10-12 wires, which according to research online were the most efficient for most tasks.
The Best Whisk Overall: OXO Better Balloon Whisk
The OXO Better Balloon Whisk took the title in this test, and in every other whisk ranking I could find online. It is truly the most well-designed whisk I have ever used, and it passed every test I could throw at it with ease. It whipped cream like a dream, emulsified salad dressing, and whipped up a deliciously smooth batch of stovetop pudding. Its ergonomically designed rubber handle was comfortable to hold in either hand in any grip I tried, even for long periods of time—in fact, it's this superior handle comfort that truly sets this whisk high above any other I tested.
The OXO felt well-balanced and lightweight, especially compared to many of its competitors. The handle isn’t heat proof so you do have to be careful not to let it rest on the side of a hot pan, but that’s a small sacrifice to make for a super comfortable handle and a whisk that strikes the perfect balance between light, airy whipping for perfect whipped cream and the high-quality, well-balanced heft you want for something like a pan sauce. Plus, this whisk, at a suggested retail price of around $10, is inexpensive. It was at the lowest end of the price spectrum that I tested.
A Note on Balloon Whisks vs. French Whisks
For this test, I eliminated any odd whisk shapes and tested only French and balloon style whisks. Balloon whisks have a round, bulbous shape made from thin, springy wires and are great at aerating thin liquids like heavy cream, beating eggs, and whisking dry ingredients.
French whisks have a long, thin shape made from wires that are generally thicker and stiffer than the wires of a balloon whisk. Their skinny shape makes them great for getting into the corners of saucepans and emulsifying ingredients for salad dressings and sauces. Their heavier wires also make French whisks a great choice for stirring heavier batters and custards.
The OXO is a balloon whisk, but it is on the skinny end of the balloon spectrum with wires sturdy enough to handle all of the tests I threw at it. Combine that with its super comfortable handle and it truly was the best of all worlds.
Testing Method
To test the whisks, I whipped 1 cup of cream in a large bowl, and rested for a few minutes in between each batch to ensure that I wasn’t getting fatigued from the task. Each batch took roughly the same amount of time (within a 30 second window) to whip to stiff peaks, but there was a difference in how some of the handles felt in my hand, and as a result how tired my arms and wrists felt after each batch. Since each whisk performed relatively well in the first task, I put every model further to the best by using them to make e a batch of thick pancake batter, and a classic vinaigrette. Finally, I made a batch of vanilla pudding to test how each whisk performed on the stovetop and navigated into the corners of a pan.
Factors Evaluated
The handles are what really set great whisks apart from the purely functional ones, and the handle material made a big impact on comfort in this test. I tested whisks with handles made from rubber, silicone, molded metal, straight metal, and wood. Some handles were made with loops for hanging which seemed like a handy function, but actually prevented me from being able to hold the end comfortably when I was stirring hot, bubbling liquid on the stovetop.
Does the handle feel heavy compared to the wire end? Does it seem too long, too short or just right? When I’m stirring hot liquid on the stovetop, is my hand far enough away that I feel safe? When I leave the whisk in a bowl or pan and walk away, does it fall out and fling food all over the kitchen?
Does a higher price equal better design or functionality? Whisks in this test ranged from about $10–$40.
Other Whisks We Tested
Best Manufacturers Standard French Whip was my favorite all-metal, French-style whisk. The wires were thin and springy enough to whip cream quickly and the narrow shape was great for getting into the corners of a saucepan. It was well balanced overall, but the handle just wasn’t as comfy to hold as the rubberized OXO handle.
The Rösle Balloon Whisk had a nice compact balloon shape that performed well in all tasks, but the handle felt unnecessarily heavy and the hanging loop on top made this whisk uncomfortable to use for an extended period of time and tricky to use on the stovetop.
The GIR Ultimate Whisk was the only other soft-handled model in this test besides the winning OXO. Its silicone handle was comfortable to hold, but it’s chunkier shape was ultimately a bit heavier and less ergonomic than the OXO. This whisk’s wires were springy, excellent aerators and it performed well in all of the tasks I threw at it. It also comes in an array of colors to match your kitchen decor which is a bonus for the design-minded consumer. A few Amazon reviewers have commented that their GIR whisk broke after minimal use which didn’t happen to me during my testing, but it’s something to consider especially if you will be washing it in a dishwasher.
The Best Manufacturers Balloon Whip had thick, rigid wires and a large balloon that was less successful in getting into the corners of the saucepan when I whisked up a batch of and pudding. Its thick handle was also pretty cumbersome to hold for long periods of whisking.
The Williams Sonoma house brand whisk has interestingly textured wires that are flattened at intervals, but after all of my tests I didn’t notice any significant effect on its whisking ability. Its molded metal handle was also not super comfortable to hold for long periods, and it was at the pricier end of the spectrum.
Like the Rösle, the Kuhn Rikon Balloon Wire Whisk had a narrow balloon with bouncy wires that whipped cream and scraped the edges of a saucepan efficiently, but it’s heavy handle and hanging loop on the end made this whisk feel unbalanced and uncomfortable to hold after extended periods of whisking. It was also a little short for my liking and my hand felt a little too close to the surface of hot liquid when whisking on the stovetop for my liking.
The Jamie Oliver Stainless Steel Balloon Whisk looked great with it’s painted wood handle, but the large balloon made it tricky to get in the corners of the saucepan when I was stirring pudding and it was a little overkill for mixing up a batch of vinaigrette. The large balloon made from thin wires also made this whisk feel unbalanced and was likely to fall out of a bowl or saucepan if I walked away for a moment, flinging cream all over the kitchen. I imagine the paint also wouldn’t hold up through very many trips through the dishwasher.
At nearly 40 dollars at the time of writing, the All Clad Precision Balloon Whisk was one of the most expensive of the bunch and one of my least favorite. The narrow balloon was a nice size for all of the tasks I tried, but it’s heavy molded metal handle was tricky to hold comfortably for long periods and the weight distribution just felt off.
The Takeaway
All of the whisks I tested are capable of stirring and aerating, but the OXO Better Balloon Whisk truly stood out from the pack because of it’s incredibly comfortable handle, well-balanced design, and sturdy, but not-too-sturdy wires. It’s capable of handling heavier tasks like a batch of thick pancake batter or stovetop pudding while also being small enough to scrape the corners of a saucepan, and its thin bouncy wires aerated cream easily. Even if you’re an infrequent whisker, I’d pick one up. At only around $10 it’s a great kitchen investment that might motivate you to whip up a batch of fresh cream to top summer berries or some creamy vanilla pudding.
