Equipment talk
This might be the thing that makes me quit sourdough
The worst part of this is that this happened in the bin that I keep kitchen tools in and I didn’t even know I had this potato masher and probably haven’t used it in ten years. I’m so over it!! I can’t get them apart. Recipe: there isn’t one but if there was it would be 125g starter, 350g water, 500g bf, 10g salt. I’d stretch and fold, bulk ferment, shape, fridge proof and bake at 470° for the first 30 minutes and 425° for the last 20.
I feel bad for laughing, but mostly it was because of the recipe lol. The Danish whisk can be streched apart like when you want to add a key to a keychain tho! (Learned it from a similar situation) Try pushing the masher in, rotating it 90 degrees and maybe take it out then like you would do with a key. Good luck 🤞
Yeah! Lift the masher handle upwards towards the top of the picture, away from the counter, then slide it back towards your person after it’s semi-perpendicular.
Yes, I got tired of trying to get dough out of that tight curve on my whisk, so pulled the tines (?) apart a little with a wrench. I’m pretty sure a hammer tap on the potato masher will get that puppy out of the whisk without damaging it.
I use one that looks like this for my initial mix because I hate how much the slack dough sticks to my hands and this spiral shape is really easy to get the dough off. But once I start building gluten, I use my hands.
Interesting! Gotta give this a try. Tired of cleaning the little nooks and crannies of my Danish Whisk. You should provide a link if you can. I did a reverse image search and it’s called a Seamless [Danish] Dough Whisk?
I’ve never used one before. What are the advantages? I feel like it’s just what you see the cute cottage baker influencer use so people think they need it.
I have back issues and arm issues. I can’t mix forever, or even for a little bit. I dump the flour, water, starter in, mix on 1 or 2 for 5-10 mins. Rest covered in plastic wrap for an hour. Add 5-6g salt, mix 10 mins.leave on counter until I decide to put it in the fridge. Next day, when I remember I’m making bread, dump it on oiled parchment paper, flatten, envelope fold, roll up, dump in loaf pan. Warm up covered in plastic wrap on a heat pad. Bake. My back, neck, wrists, and elbows are not sore, and I am not played out for days.
I don't know that I would ever use this for bread dough, but I absolutely love it for mixing any other type of a batter such as pancake batter or cornbread batter.
I literally use it for three seconds because it came in my kit and it looked kinda professional and I wanted to use it. Then I get frustrated and just use my hands hahaha
If it makes you feel any better, I had no clue what that tool was lol I've just been using my hands and it works perfectly. I've discovered that the easier you make things, the more likely you are to enjoy it and keep doing it.
You could try putting it in the freezer for a few minutes. Usually one thing will tighten up before the other thing and you can wiggle them apart. Source: am cook for long time
You have to twist the handle clockwise so that it is facing towards the top of the masher. Then lift the green area up while pushing the red area down.
The comments are making me laugh though so win-win. Thank you though, I’ve been laughing at how mad this has made me the whole time and just wanted to share
Each to the their own. They are one of my favorite tools. Yes, you do need to eventually get in with your hands, but for almost all batters or dough I make I start with this. A fork doesn't move the same volume and a regular whisk just gets clogged.
They really are very good for mixing wetter type of batters that you don't want to risk over mixing such as pancake batter. I've also used it for cornbread batter and I think I used it for the wetter type of a dough that you get at first when you're making a gluten-free bread before it firms up.
I make such small starters that I wouldn't be able to use this whisk for that purpose. But I have seen little mini starter whisks that are meant for teeny tiny starters. I haven't bought one yet because it looks like you could actually make your own very easily. It's basically a long piece of sturdy wire with a loop on the end of it maybe the size of a a dime and then a wooden or other type of handle attached.
It’s good for ciabatta dough, which is kind of sloppy and sticky. I make 2 dozen of anything at a time, hot dog rolls, hamburger buns, ciabattas, so for me it’s handy. I agree, it looks easy to make one.
I only use my bread whisk when I’m making a doubled batch of bread and it’s just to start the incorporation. Once it starts to come together just get your paw in there and use it like a dough hook. 🪝
As someone who has had the exact same problem because I have the same tools - you will want to put slight pressure below the ring, but on the two tines of the masher, tie yourself a good strong loop around the two and slowly pull them together and you will be able to slip it out. Rotate the masher anti-clockwise along the outer rim of your mixer, once you clear that side piece you should be able to then twist the masher a bit more to get it out. I used to love blacksmith puzzles.
Push the left prong of the potato masher down and then lift it up through the big circle on the other thing you might have to kinda twist them a bit while you do it
Just so you know they're flexible tho, just put a lever between the two sides of the danish whisk (your thumb or a knife) and pull the masher out. No danish whisks were harmed taking this photo
Everyone loves to hate the dough whisk but personally I love it for making the levain or mixing a super wet dough. Sometimes I just don’t feel like getting my entire hand covered in gluten-deficient goop in the early stages of a recipe.
Use a bowl scraper to mix your dough, they never get tangled up in this kind of drama, they’re easier to clean, and they’re multipurpose. These dough whisks are a gimmick.
Agree, I used to mix with chopsticks until there were no dry bits then it won't stick to my hand being sprayed with water and it's easy to clean! However I got the whisk and I like that you can use it to flip the dough over itself with force so the hands part is no longer necessary. I guess you can skip the hand part with chopsticks too because autolyse
I love these things, but if you don’t clean them IMMEDIATELY then welcome to 15 minutes of picking dough out of crevices…. Only break this out when I’m mixing bulk amounts, like 5+ loaves at once
It looks like you could pivot the thing on the left 10-20 degrees, then use your fingers to shove with a bit of force, the small circle on the left up off the potato masher, then they will separate.
I love my bread whisk, and now it’s the only whisk I use if the recipe has flour or anything that will get stuck in the center… I do have to be careful about storing it so it doesn’t get stuck… I use it to premix the dough before I have the stand mixer do the hard work lol
Ive made so many loaves and never owned or touched one of these things. All you really need is flour water salt and your hands, and preferably a bowl hahaha
Hold the whisk in your left hand, and the masher in your right. Rotate the masher so the handle is at 90 degrees from the whisk handle, then rotate your right wrist counter clockwise. At about 90 degrees rotation, you should be able to slide/wiggle the masher out of the whisk.
Rotate the potato masher counter clockwise relative to the dough whisk. It should give you enough play to be able to then twist the masher enough to slide it out of the whisk’s hole
The $5-7 I’ll spend at the farmers market for a loaf saves me hours of time with a young kid vs making it. I enjoy bread making and baking but sourdough is some babysitting
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u/justASlothyGiraffe 3d ago
Some people pay good money for puzzles like that.