Whisk

You can whisk liquid ingredients like eggs with a wire whisk (also known as a whip) but also a fork. Using whichever equipment you choose hold it in your hand with a stiff wrist and stir the ingredient(s) in a circular motion from the bottom of the bowl.  The goal is to both blend the liquid thoroughly but can also be used to incorporate air into the liquid as with whisking egg whites.

Whisks are made from loops of fine wire joined at the handle. There are a number of different sizes and shapes of whisks used for different tasks. Large balloon whisks, for example, are best to incorporate air as when whipping cream.

The French or Wire Whisk is made with stiffer wire and a more elongated shape. It is used to blend ingredients until smooth as in pancake batter.

You may find in many recipes that ‘whisk’ is often used interchangeably with the term ‘whip’.