A Flat Whisk Is the Tool That Will Change Your Kitchen Game

Ever cringe when you reach for the whisk because you know that cleaning it will be a pain? Great news: There's a new whisk in town that will make that worry obsolete. It's a flat whisk. A flat whisk! Ever heard of it? It looks a little something like this:

A flat whisk, you say? No, it's not an oxymoron. It's a genius tool that will save you time (and spare you plenty of annoyance) in the kitchen. It's so much easier to clean and can do just as much—if not more—than an ordinary round whisk. The flat version is both a whisk and a spatula, both a scraper and a slotted spoon. It's shaped like a fish spatula, but it has the agile, thin shape of a flattened-out whisk. Also, it comes in both silicone and wire, so you can take your pick of materials depending on what you like to use in the kitchen.

The flat whisk can do it all. Let us count the ways: It's great at folding ingredients together gently and dealing with eggs in all their forms, from beating scrambled eggs to treating newly poached eggs with kid gloves. If you're making an emulsion for a dressing or aioli, grab the flat whisk. It's great for gravies and roux. It pairs perfectly when you're working in a saucepan. It can also act as a spatula. In a pinch, it can also shear salmon or roasted veg from sheet pans. We could go on and on. Give it a try, and you'll never look back. (Even the Pioneer Woman loves it!)

Not all flat whisks are totally flat, as some have lifted wires in the center that make them the best of both worlds. The key is that they're not are fully rounded, like the traditional balloon-shaped design. You can find flat whisks for sale anywhere kitchen tools are sold. They're inexpensive, and they come with serious bang for your buck. Oxo has one for $7.99 (Buy it: oxo.com), Prepworks at Walmart has one with a slight curve for $9.95 (Buy it: walmart.com), and there's one at Sur la Table that's on sale for $8.98 right now (Buy it: surlatable.com). Get (flat) whisking, and thank us later.

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What's your can't-live-without-it kitchen utensil? Have you ever tried using a flat whisk?