Sometimes visiting friends, after spending a few minutes in my very small old-house kitchen will say things like “do you really need all these whisks?” and I’m not sure if that’s a question or they’re just being—well—ridiculous.
Until I get a sense of what they REALLY mean (e.g. are they judging my choice of whisks? Is there a style of whisk they’re familiar with that I don’t have? Do they honestly think one whisk…just one whisk…would be enough? Should I tell them about the other whisks I have stored away that don’t fit on the counter?), I don’t respond.
But, inevitably, we have “the whisk” discussion. Oh, it’s not near as serious as the “your body will be changing” or any of the other cringe-worthy but necessary discussions – but it’s serious.
“Let me tell you about these whisks,” is the way the chat always starts…
First, there’s the balloon whisk with the copper handle…in case I get the urge to whip egg whites into a frenzy in my copper bowl. [Note that to date, I have not had this urge but the whisk is still up there on the coolness chart.]
Then there’s my favorite whisk made by Gerber many years ago. I love this whisk and if I were stranded on a desert island and could only have one whisk, that would be it. Black nonslip handle, not too big of a globe, yet not too small—love it.
There’s the USA made long thin whisk with the wood handle – a unique shape that comes in handy when I need to emulsify something in a measuring cup. And of course there’s the oddly shaped whisk that gets in all those saucepan corners when you’re making a crème anglaise. The flour shaker, not really a whisk but I let it reside with the others; it opens and captures a small amount of flour that you can sprinkle lovingly on your counter when making pie crusts.
My rainbow unicorn whisk made of silicone for nonstick pans and my whisk that I purchased in the kitchen shop at Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork, Ireland after attending a cookery class. I didn’t have it…I felt I needed it…
And, last but not least – thank you very much – is my vinaigrette whisk.
At the end, they either:
- Think I’m crazy but, in an attempt to salvage our friendship are keeping this opinion to themselves or
- Are truly fascinated by my collection of whisks and begin to ask me about all of my spatulas!
So – dear readers – you get the idea. I DO love gadgets…big ones, small ones…all of which have a few things in common: they must be functional and they must be easy to clean because in my old-house kitchen I do not have a dishwasher. What?!?! And that is for another discussion…
Twist and Zest and the Blues Brothers