How to Use a Danish Whisk

Using a Danish whisk, also known as a "brodpisker" in its native country, is the key to successful home baking. This simple utensil effectively blends and mixes batters and doughs without the need for an electric mixer.

At first glance, the Danish dough whisk appears to be a length of wire, twisted into differently-sized loops on a wooden handle. There's a method to this madness, however, as these loops are able to cut through baking ingredients and their resulting doughs with ease.

Excellent Control

The design of a Danish whisk accomplishes two things:

1. Quick integration and blending of all ingredients.

2. Reduces the risk of over-worked dough, which can lead to baked goods getting tough.

Easy Clean-Up

Users of Danish whisks have noted that the whisks make it easier to clean up after preparing bread or other baked goods. This is because the whisk is extremely easy to clean. Dough or batter easily rinses off.

Cooks also appreciate a utensil that can effectively knead bread dough. Mini home cooks who do not have a stand mixer with the dough hook often have to knead bread dough with their hands. This leads to dough-encrusted hands that can be difficult to clean.

Easy Storage

The Danish whisk is also easy to store: It is compact and easily fits in a kitchen drawer. Home bakers and cooks who have limited counter space will appreciate this alternative to a bulky mixer.

Other Baking Tools

There are other utensils that help home bakers achieve excellent results. These items are often found in professional kitchens as well.

Pastry Cutters

A complementary utensil for home and professional bakers is a pastry cutter. These are commonly used when preparing flaky biscuits or piecrusts which have to be handled very carefully. A pastry cutter allows Baker's to cut butter or other solid fats into the flour mixture in a way that does not overwork the dough.

Pastry cutters can also be used to crush or cut other items in the kitchen including herbs or nuts. Many cooks like using a pastry cutter because its design takes pressure off of the wrists.

Silicone Pastry & Basting Brush

Silicone pastry and basting brushes allow cooks to apply glazes and egg washes to bake goods. The advantage to having a brush made of silicone is that silicone is easy to clean, dishwasher safe and can be used on hot breads and pastries.

Cake and Pie Server

Many people make beautiful pies and cakes but end up spoiling them by cutting them with standard kitchen knives. A professional cake and pie server allows for perfectly portioned cutting of desserts and other soft baked goods, such as cornbread, without uneven sides or collapsing tops.

Cooks who want to improve their baking skills will find that there is no substitute for experience: Regular baking leads to more consistent results. However, tools such as the Danish whisk can be of significant help to those who want to produce professional-quality breads, cakes, and pastries.