Whisk \Whisk\, n. [Probably for wisk, and of
Scand. origin; cf. Icel. visk a wisp; akin to Dan. visk, Sw. viska,
D. wisch, OHG. wisc, G. wisch. See Wisp.] [1913 Webster]
The act of whisking; a rapid, sweeping motion, as
of something light; a sudden motion or quick puff. [1913 Webster]
This first sad whisk Takes off thy dukedom; thou art but an earl.
--J. Fletcher. [1913 Webster]
A small bunch of grass, straw, twigs, hair, or
the like, used for a brush; hence, a brush or small besom, as of
broom corn. [1913 Webster]
A small culinary instrument made of wire, or the
like, for whisking or beating eggs, cream, etc. --Boyle. [1913
Webster]
A kind of cape, forming part of a woman's dress.
[1913 Webster] My wife in her new lace whisk. --Pepys. [1913
Webster]
An impertinent fellow. [Prov. Eng.] --Halliwell.
[1913 Webster]
A plane used by coopers for evening chines. [1913
Webster]
Whisk \Whisk\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whisked; p. pr. & vb. n.
Whisking.] [Cf. Dan.
viske, Sw. viska, G. wischen, D. wisschen. See Whisk, n.] [1913 Webster]
To sweep, brush, or agitate, with a light, rapid
motion; as, to whisk dust from a table; to whisk the white of eggs
into a froth. [1913 Webster]
To move with a quick, sweeping motion. [1913
Webster] He that walks in gray, whisking his riding rod. --J.
Fletcher. [1913 Webster] I beg she would not impale worms, nor
whisk carp out of one element into another. --Walpole. [1913
Webster]
Whisk \Whisk\, v. i. To move nimbly at with
velocity; to make a sudden agile movement. [1913 Webster]
Word Net
whiskNoun
1 a mixer incorporating a coil of wires; used for
whipping eggs or cream
2 a small short-handled broom used to brush
clothes [syn: whisk
broom]
Verb
1 move somewhere quickly; "The President was
whisked away in his limo"
2 move quickly and nimbly; "He whisked into the
house"
3 brush or wipe off lightly [syn: whisk
off]
4 whip with or as if with a wire whisk; "whisk
the eggs" [syn: whip]
Moby Thesaurus
aerate, agitate, agitator, ball the jack, barrel, beak, bear, beat, beat up, beater, boom, bowl along, breeze, breeze along, broom, brush, brush off, bullet, bunt, carry, chuck, churn, churn up, clip, conduct, convey, convulse, cream, cut along, dab, disarrange, discompose, disquiet, disturb, eggbeater, excite, ferment, fillip, fleet, flick, flip, flirt, flit, flurry, fly, fly low, foam, foot, freight, fret, froth, go fast, graze, highball, jiggler, lather, lift, lug, make knots, manhandle, mantle, nip, outstrip the wind, pack, paddle, pat, peck, perturb, perturbate, pick, pour it on, rap, rile, rip, ripple, roil, roughen, ruffle, rumple, scorch, scum, shake, shake up, shaker, sizzle, skim, snap, speed, spume, stir, stir up, storm along, sud, suds, sweep, sweep out, sweep up, swirl, take, tap, tear, tear along, thunder along, tickle, tip, tote, touch, transport, trouble, upset, vacuum, vacuum-clean, vibrator, waft, whip, whip up, whish, whiz, wing, work up, zing, zip, zoomEnglish
Etymology
Middle English wiskenPronunciation
-
- Rhymes: -ɪsk
Noun
- A quick, light sweeping motion.
- With a quick whisk, she swept the cat from the pantry with her broom.
- A kitchen utensil, made from stiff wire loops fixed to a handle, used for whipping (or a
mechanical device with the same function).
- He used a whisk to whip up a light and airy souffle.
- A bunch of twigs or hair etc, used as a brush.
- Peter dipped the whisk in lather and applied it to his face, so he could start shaving.
- A small handheld broom
with a small (or no) handle.
- '' I used a whisk to sweep the counter, then a push-broom for the floor.
Translations
kitchen utensil
- Finnish: vispilä
- German: Schneebesen , Schaumschläger
- Swedish: visp
A small handheld broom with a small (or no)
handle
- Finnish: huisku, pölyhuisku
Verb
- To move something with quick light sweeping motions.
- Vernon whisked the sawdust from his workbench.
- In cooking, to
whip e.g. eggs or cream.
- The chef prepared to whisk the egg whites for the angel's food cake.
- To move something rapidly and with no warning.
- The governess whisked the children from the room before they could see their presents.
- To move lightly and nimbly.
- The children whisked down the road to the fair, laughing and chattering as they went.
Translations
to move something with quick light sweeping
motions
- Finnish: pyyhkiä, pyyhkäistä
in cooking, to whip e.g. eggs or cream
to move something rapidly and with no warning
- Finnish: kiidättää
to move lightly and nimbly
- Finnish: rientää
A whisk (known as Egg Beaters in the US) is a
cooking
utensil used in
food preparation to blend ingredients smooth, or to
incorporate air into a mixture, in a process known as whisking or
whipping.
Most whisks consist of a long, narrow handle with a series of wire
loops joined at the end. The wires are usually metal, but some are
plastic for use with
nonstick cookware.
Whisks are also made from bamboo.
Whisks (Egg beaters) are commonly used to whip
egg whites into a firm foam to make meringue, or to whip cream into
whipped
cream.
A makeshift whisk may be constructed by taking
two forks and placing them
together so the tines interlock and make a cage. This is far more
effective than a single fork at incorporating air into a
mixture.
Whisks have differently-shaped loops depending on
their intended functions:
- The most common shape is that of a wide teardrop, termed a balloon whisk. Balloon whisks are best suited to mixing in bowls, as their curved edges conform to a bowl's concave sides.
- With longer, narrower wire loops, the French whisk has a more cylindrical profile, suiting it to deep, straight-sided pans.
- A flat whisk, sometimes referred to as a Roux whisk, has the loops arranged in a flat successive pattern. It is useful for working in shallow vessels like skillets (in which a roux is normally prepared).
- A gravy whisk commonly has one main loop with another wire coiled around it.
- Similarly, a twirl whisk has one single wire that is spiralled into a balloon shape.
- Ball whisks have no loops whatsoever. Instead, a group of individual wires comes out of the handle, each tipped with a metal ball. The heavy balls are capable of reaching into the corners of a straight-sided pan. Since there are no crossing wires, the ball whisk is easier to clean than traditional looped varieties. Manufacturers of ball whisks also purport that their shape allows for better aeration.
Additionally, a mechanical device known as a
rotary whisk consists of 2 sets of beaters that are joined together
with a hand-operated crank and handle.
Although the modern whisk may have only appeared
at the end of the 19th century, evidence of whisk-like tools exist
even further back in history. A bundle of twigs fastened together
make an effective whisk; often the wood used would lend a certain
fragrance to the dish. An 18th century Shaker recipe calls to “Cut
a handful of peach twigs which are filled with sap at this season
of the year. Clip the ends and bruise them and beat the cake batter
with them. This will impart a delicate peach flavor to the
cake.”
whisk in Bavarian: Schnäbäsn
whisk in Danish: Piskeris
whisk in German: Schneebesen
whisk in Spanish: Batidor
whisk in Esperanto: Ŝaŭmigilo
whisk in French: Fouet (cuisine)
whisk in Luxembourgish: Schnéibiesem
whisk in Dutch: Garde (keukengerei)
whisk in Japanese: 泡立て器
whisk in Portuguese: Batedor de claras
whisk in Finnish: Vispilä
whisk in Swedish:
Visp