A rather self-explanatory method, the whisking method requires the wet mixture to be whisked in order to incorporate air and body. Usually, this wet mixture is made up of eggs and sugar, which is whisked to ribbon stage.
They are not suitable for thick batters and large quantities of food. Whisks are explicitly built to blend or mix while incorporating air to make a mixture fluffy. Given this singular focus, you will get more accurate results when it comes to baking or creating unique dishes with a whisk.
Mixing involves simply combining two or more ingredients together, while beating is meant to both combine ingredients and add air into the mixture. While mixing can be done with any utensil such as a fork or wooden spoon, beating is best achieved with a whisk or electric mixers.
French whisk: French whisks are narrower than balloon whisks, which allows the thin, stiff wires to get into the corners of a small saucepan when making béchamel, hollandaise, or any of the classic French sauces. An extra layer of tines helps aerate egg whites. 3.
French Whisk
Another good all-around whisk, a French whisk is similar to a balloon whisk but more narrow. Its tapered, slimmer profile means it's better at reaching into the corners of pots and pans and, like a balloon whisk, it's great at incorporating air into eggs for a fluffy omelet or beating whipping cream.
For most sauces, it's important to whisk them on the stove to prevent clumps. The flat shape puts the whisking power at the bottom of the pan, helping you scrape up browned bits. The flat whisk's shape makes it even easier and more comfortable to maneuver than a balloon whisk.
Take some softened butter and place it in a deep bowl along with the sugar. Use an electric whisk on its slowest speed initially, then increase the speed to create a light and fluffy mixture.
Add the ingredients to the bowl, and begin beating using a metal whisk. Hold the whisk at an angle (roughly 45 degrees) to the bowl and spin your wrist in a circular motion, lifting the whisk up and out of the mixture then bringing it back down to the bottom of the bowl.
Whisking in baking is a mixing technique that uses a wire whisk to agitate wet ingredients to incorporate air. This method is often used to whip eggs into stiff peaks for meringue and macarons and for whipping cream, for desserts like pies or pavlova.
Whipped cream needs to be whisked to the right consistency. The Kitchen Vocabulary Word of the Week is Whisking. To whisk means to beat or stir in a rapid movement. The name of the tool that you use for whisking is also called a whisk.
Beating vs whisking
Whisking is usually done with a wire whisk or whisk attachment if you're using a mixer. It's the best way to add air to egg whites or to whip cream. Beating is usually done with a paddle attachment if you're using a mixer or using a wooden spoon and your own strength.
Balloon whisks and French whisks are the basic types of whisks you'll find in generic kitchen departments of big-box stores and grocery stores. They'll get the job done when it comes to combining pretty much any batter or liquid.
The most-common whisks, called balloon whisks, have a bulbous end and are particularly good at whipping cream and beating egg whites. French whisks have relatively thin frames and thicker wires, which make them ideal for working with thick mixtures.
Tips for Making Fresh Whipped Cream
Honestly any whisk will work, heck I've even whipped cream with a fork before, but a balloon whisk will work the quickest. A balloon whisk looks like a bulb and makes quick work out of whipped cream.
French Whisk
As the name implies, these whisks excel when it comes to French cuisine: from making a classic béchamel or traditional hollandaise, to mounting a pan sauce with butter, or whipping up a French meringue.
THE BOTTOM LINE
If you're making a dressing or whipped cream, whisk side to side. Getting stiff peaks in egg whites, however, will go much more quickly if you beat the eggs.
I realized that when a recipe calls for sifting, I often reach for a whisk instead, thinking—since many recipes instruct to whisk together dry ingredients—the two techniques are equally effective at breaking up clumps in dry ingredients.
It's commonplace to use a rubber spatula for folding whipped cream or egg whites into other ingredients. A wire whisk works better because it combines ingredients a lot faster without deflating them. Mix about a third of the whipped cream or egg whites into the other ingredients to lighten them.