I don't even own a metal whisk. I probably should, since I cook and bake a lot, but I don't. I have several stand and hand mixers, and that's that. But when I kept seeing this whisk on the cooking series, I got really curious. Can you actually whip egg whites to a stiff peak without the benefit of electricity, and without your arm falling off? When these whisks came back in stock, I bought one immediately. I managed to wait something like a week before testing it out. I used a fresh, room-temperature egg white straight out of my backyard coop, so if you use it on a cold egg or a storebought egg, YMMV. I put the white into a bowl, and sat down to watch a video while I whipped. It really took a lot less time than I expected, maybe 15 or 20 minutes to stiff peak. Instead of just throwing it out, I added some baker's sugar and some vanilla paste and beat it some more, and then dolloped the results on parchment paper and made vanilla meringues. The whisk didn't shed, and it cleaned beautifully. And the meringues were a little odd looking since I didn't use a pastry bag, but they were otherwise terrific!
I don't think I'll give up my stand mixer any time soon, but I am now a believer that pre-electric gadgets, people could make all kinds of lovely things with whipped eggs, and whisk other ingredients without working up a sweat. Glad I bought it!
