This KitchenAid balloon-style whisk is lightweight, easy to use, and easy to store, but it's slightly smaller than other balloon whisks we've tested.
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This whisk performed well during testing–its silicone handle makes it comfortable to hold while its balloon whisk head combines ingredients with ease.
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You probably think all whisks are the same, right? Well, I’m not here to tell you you need to stay up all night comparing whisk specs. But as a professional pastry chef, I can confirm that not all whisks are created equal. I’m constantly reaching for my whisks to make everything from cake batter to egg dishes, so it’s safe to say this is a crucial tool for any kitchen.
After a significant amount of testing, we found that the GIR 11-inch Ultimate Whisk
(available at Amazon for $13.35)
is the best on the market, due to its light build, comfortable handle, and ease of cleaning.
Best Overall
GIR 11-inch Ultimate Whisk
Of all the whisks we put through our battery of tests, this was the best balloon whisk due to its satisfying silicone grip and featherweight lightness. The fine wire balloon is easy to clean, and it breezes through recipes with ease.
Its shape and size make this GIR whisk incredibly versatile—plus, it made some of the quickest whipped cream I’ve ever mustered. It’s priced on the higher end for this type of utensil, but the quality certainly justifies the price.
The Winco 10-inch Stainless Steel Whisk is our pick for the best value whisk.
Best Value
Winco 10-inch Piano Whip
Winco’s stainless-steel “whip” (the brand’s clever name for a whisk) is a great deal, and you can rest assured knowing it’s the exact brand I use in my professional restaurant kitchens because it’s that durable. Narrower and a bit stiffer than a balloon whisk, I’d say this one is closer to French style, but the brand doesn’t advertise it specifically as such.
It’s a bit heavier than other whisks, which might bother some folks, but you can really knock this one around and it’ll stand the test of time. It has an additional metal ring at the bottom of the balloon, which can be a little bit of a nuisance to clean. Beyond that flaw, this simple whisk is an affordable, reliable workhorse.
Not too different from the GIR whisk, this stylish Williams-Sonoma number checks a lot of the same boxes. It has a satisfying silicone grip in a lovely shade of gray—but it’s worth noting that this is the one and only color option. It’s relatively lightweight, which allowed me to whip both heavy cream and coconut cream into pillowy peaks in about two minutes.
This whisk does well with any recipe and would look nice in most kitchens.
I love this KitchenAid balloon-style option because it’s the perfect mini whisk with a sleek and shiny black handle. It’s lightweight and is so easy to use. Just a touch smaller than the GIR and Williams-Sonoma balloon whisks—and a fraction lighter—it’s super versatile, easy to handle, and convenient to store in any drawer or hang from a tool rack.
It feels sturdy, and at $10 it’s a fantastic value. From egg dishes to cake batters, this whisk would be an excellent choice for any budding pastry chef.
This OXO Good Grips 11-inch Balloon Whisk performed almost just as well as the GIR, with an almost identical size, weight, and silicone grip. While it seems to struggle just a little bit with non-dairy whipped cream, I otherwise found this whisk to be a very strong high-quality contender, as well as a budget-friendly option.
This looker is the whisk for the cook who has everything. A flat whisk is useful in some cases, but niche and not nearly as versatile as a balloon whisk. In fact, it will fail miserably at any task that requires incorporating air, such as when whipping egg whites; I got nowhere with that.
So what does a flat whisk actually do? It doubles as a spatula, which makes it awesome for things like omelettes because it can scramble eggs well and then gently push them into the pan. Flat whisks are also great for sauces like béchamel because they glide along the bottom and sides of a saucepan with ease. Still, this whisk can’t replace a standard balloon whisk like our top pick in terms of functionality.
This silicone-whisk experience has taught me that wire whisks with a silicone coating will never be as efficient as their stainless-steel counterparts—they simply don’t have that light, easy bounce in a bowl. And while the coating is technically “non-stick” with many foods, whipped cream leaves an unappetizing fatty film on the wires which takes more dish soap than I’d like to get clean.
It’s got a great stylish look, a comfortable grip, and feels high-quality with a beautiful chrome handle, but at this price point it’s the most expensive in the bunch.
The different types of whisks include balloon whisks, spiral whisks, flat whisks, and Danish dough whisks.
What is a whisk?
There are a few types of whisks on the market:
Balloon whisk: the most common type of whisk, with a balloon-shaped top that allows for maximum air incorporation into foods
French whisk: stiff wires; more narrow at the bottom than a balloon whisk
Spiral or coil whisk: a small spiral of wires in a ball-whisk shape; these are great for whisking things like hot cocoa, gravy, or sauces
Danish dough whisk: flat wire loops used to bring together shaggy doughs
Flat whisk: similar to a wire spatula; great for béchamel, roux, and omelettes
Metal vs. silicone whisks: Which whisk is the best?
Most whisks are made from either metal or silicone, save a few outliers made from materials like bamboo. Metal whisks are typically easier to clean than their silicone counterparts. We recommend a stainless-steel whisk if you’re buying metal because it’s rust-resistant.
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
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Meet the writer
Caroline Schiff
Chef Contributor
Caroline Schiff is a chef, recipe developer, writer, and consultant based in Brooklyn, New York. She is currently the executive Pastry Chef at Gage & Tollner and the Head Chef of Slow Up.
She has over a decade of experience in the industry from restaurants and recipes to bakeries and cafes. Her first cookbook "The Sweet Side of Sourdough" will be released Autumn 2021 with Page Street Publishing.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.