I got a flat whisk for my mom and she loves using it for gravies and pancake batter. I got one recently for a friend, who also got some expensive conventional whisks this past Christmas. Those other whisks sit in the drawer and she only uses this one.

If you haven't used a flat whisk yet, you should check them out the next time you are in a cooking store. A conventional whisk is round and bulky. It's not as good for sliding under things (like roasts) or being used in smaller bowls.

A flat whisk has the same type of handle and wire, but the wire is set in a series of concentric loops. When the whisk is not in use the loops are spaced apart, but when the whisk is pressed against something the loops flatten down into a spatula-like shape, that forms a great surface for scraping gravy off the bottom of a pan or sliding under things. If you turn the whisk slightly it works great at scraping the edges of bowls or pans. (It doesn't scrape as perfectly as a Rubbermaid spatula, but I often find that it does the job well enough that I don't have to take out my rubber spatula.)

When you don't press it flat, the loops move apart, which helps them to work as a whisk. A full conventional whisk probably whips better, but I find this flat whisk to be more than adequate for batters and gravies. My friend uses it to scramble eggs. She especially likes the fact that it fits into small bowls easier than her big conventional whisk.

The nicest feature is that it is a thousand times easier to clean than a conventional whisk. It takes a few seconds for me to run my dishcloth over the wires and rinse it. Conventional whisks take me a lot longer and I sometimes later find bits that I missed.

This WMF whisk is nice because the handle is completely sealed, so I don't have to worry about food getting stuck in it, even where the wire meets the handle. I don't know if it is dishwasher safe. I wash mine by hand.

I don't know that this particular brand of flat whisk is the best. The pictures of the Rosle and Cuisipro ones look comparable, so you may be equally happy with them. I think the one I got for my mom may have been a Cuisipro. (I noticed there is a review of the Rosle Flat Whisk that you might want to also check out.)

Some features that I would recommend being aware of in shopping for a flat whisk.

-see if the handle is sealed. If the handle is hollow and open where the wires come together it will be more difficult to clean.

-see if the handle is comfortable. The handle of the WMF is a round cylinder, which is similar to my conventional whisk, so it is what I prefer. Some flat whisks have flat handles or other grips. Perhaps you will like these more--or not.

-look at the thickness of the wire. The wire of the WMF whisk is the the same thickness as my conventional whisk, so again it is what I prefer. I noticed that some other whisks have a different thickness or even fat, plastic/teflon loops (to me those do not look like they would be as effective).

-look at the shape of the whisk. Some flat whisks have their loops set in a different shape (longer or wider at the tip). Perhaps you might prefer those. I haven't used them, so I can't say for sure which is better.

-some whisks also have the loops set more in the flattened position, so you don't get the benefit of having them fluffed up when you beat or whip things.

I also have a much smaller flat whisk made by OXO/Good Grips. It has a nice, soft black handle and smaller loops. It's also less expensive and takes up less room in the drawer. The wire for the loops is thinner. The whisk comes in handy for those times when I want something smaller, but it doesn't look as durable and I generally prefer to use the WMF whisk.

I've seen the Cuisipro ones for about $20. I found the WMF whisk at a local store (which had wonderful prices) for around $12.

Recommended: Yes