A churn-staff (or a whorl) is a kitchen tool used for stirring, intensively mixing or manually beating various liquids and mixtures.

According to one version, its Russian name “mutovka” comes from the words “muddy”, “muddle”, “make cloudy” or “to mix and get rid of the sediment in the mixture”. According to another version, it was a word in the Old Russian language denoting “a stirrer”.

The churn-staff could have different designs. It usually consisted of a handle with a circle, a spiral, or a crosspiece at the end — or it ended with knots, as in the case of the collection item.

Traditionally, the churn-staff was made of pine or spruce, which have, in botanical terms, a whorled arrangement of branches. It looks like a collection of branches that are located on the trunk at the same level and fan out relative to the axis.

During the manufacture of a churn-staff the branches were cut off so that only the knots three to five centimeters long remained on the trunk. The finished churn-staff was dried and soaked in vegetable oil. The trunk served as a handle, and the knots served as a working part. The handle was clamped between the palms and rotated, as if rubbed. In addition to wood, metal or porcelain blanks, as well as plastic and rubber ones, were later used to make this kitchen appliance.

Only the classic versions of this kitchen tool have been preserved. In the old days, there were more than ten variants of churn-staffs, which differed in design and shape. They also varied in size: each was designed for a specific purpose. For example, massive versions of churn-staffs were used to mix laundry in large cast-iron cauldrons. Some churn-staffs were also used in construction. They were used to prepare a clay mixture, lime, or to mix paints.

Instead of a crosspiece with wooden knots, circles or spirals that had a more flexible structure eventually came into use. Then beaters appeared in the kitchen, and even later — mixers.

Despite the fact that today the churn-staff is seen as archaic, in some rural regions of France, one can still find this kitchen tool. There it is used for making butter and cheese.