by Cooking Up a Story

The Awesome Whisk (video)

They are found in almost every kitchen, but surprisingly there’s only one U.S. manufacturer. Follow us inside the Best Manufacturers plant for a rare visit to see how a whisk is made.

A factory of whisks. Wire, wire everywhere. How do they get those wires to stay in place and not come popping out. I was curious. I love to see how things are made.

Two brothers, John and Jeff Merrifield, run the place. John gave me a quick tour and explained each station. He then left me on my own as I roamed around and got, what I call, pick-up shots. All of it was fascinating, but especially, for me, the part where the wire tines are shaped to make the whip of the whisk. The magic was in the die. That’s how they do it! I watched Kham Say’s hands over and over. It satisfied the engineer in me.

I guess I’m one of those few people who don’t own a whisk. I see that it’s a simple tool, and widely used by many, but how? I called a couple of home cooks I knew and asked if they had a whisk. Both did. In fact, each had several. So off I went and watched them work their magic and listened. What an education.

Recipe from the show: Michael’s Mars Meringues

—Rebecca