Whisk, ca 1950

Description:

From the moment when, in 1963, Julia Child whisked up an omelet on the pilot for her new cooking show, The French Chef, Americans wanted that whisk for their kitchens, just as they came to want any tool or utensil that Julia used. Certainly, egg beaters of all sorts were common in American kitchens, and they whipped up the heavy cream and egg whites (for meringues) as well as eggs. But they didn’t have the leverage offered by the European-style whisks that Julia introduced, and they were especially successful in getting air into those soufflés and omelets they were just learning how to cook.

Although whisks varied in sizes, from tiny to giant, people loved the gigantic balloon whisks Julia had used on television, almost like props, to dramatic and comic effect. Julia loved giant tools, the more outrageous the better. Audience remembered the lessons when Julia deployed her giant whisks, blowtorches, salad spinners, and they learned that some of these tools were actually useful. Still, they especially remembered Julia AND her whisk when next they went to the kitchen store, creating a whole new market for these useful tools. This whisk, a part of Julia’s batterie de cuisine, had served her well in her home kitchen and television kitchen, in some cases the very same space.

Used: United States: Massachusetts, Cambridge

See more items in: Home and Community Life: Occupations, Food, FOOD: Transforming the American Table 1950-2000, Julia Child's Kitchen

Exhibition: Food: Transforming the American Table

Exhibition Location: National Museum of American History

Credit Line: Gift of Julia Child

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: 2001.0253.0638Catalog Number: 2001.0253.0638Accession Number: 2001.0253

Object Name: whisk

Physical Description: stainless steel (overall material)Measurements: overall: 49 cm x 13 cm; 19 9/32 in x 5 1/8 in

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a8-8bb5-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_998437

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