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We have reviewed this guide and support our choice. We have been using them at home and in our test kitchen since at least 2016.
A good spatula is strong and easy to handle, and the one you choose can mean the difference between a properly flipped pancake and a failed, misshapen pancake. To find the best shovels in each category, we spent over 40 hours researching and testing six different types of shovels, from flexible fish fins to wooden scrapers. Whether you’re looking for something specific for non-stick cookware, for cleaning bowls, pans and grills, or for icing your favorite desserts, we’ve got something for every occasion.
Ganda Sutivarakom, the author of our original guide, has spent a lot of time researching and testing spatulas. Michael Sullivan ran his last round of testing in 2016, spending dozens of hours with a spatula for everything from flipping tender fish fillets to frosting cakes (and everything in between) for almost everything).
To find out what makes a good spatula, we spoke to several experts, including Judy Howbert, then Associate Editor of Cooking at Saveur; Tracy Seaman, then editor of Every Day With Rachael; director of the test kitchen for Ray Magazine; Pattara Kuramarohit, Chief Instructor at Le Cordon Bleu, Pasadena, California; Brian Houston, Chef, 2015 James Beard Award semi-finalist; Chef Howie Wely, then Associate Dean of Culinary Arts at the American Culinary Institute; and Pim Techamuanwivit, jam maker and restaurateur at Kin Khao in San Francisco. To help us make our choices, we’ve taken a look at Cook’s Illustrated, Really Simple, and The Kitchen reviews. We also checked out highly rated spatulas on Amazon.
Every cook needs a spatula (or rather several spatulas) in every cook’s toolbox. Apart from knives, spatulas are probably the most commonly used tool in the kitchen. As with knives, when it comes to spatulas, it’s important to know which one is best for your task. We talked to experts about what spatulas they always have on hand. Judy Howbert, assistant food editor at Saveur at the time, told us, “To turn food while frying or simmering, I use at least four different spatulas, depending on what I’m cooking. Food”. There is a large selection of kitchen tools, we recommend that you buy only those tools that suit your culinary needs. After our own research and interviews with professionals, we’ve narrowed down the list of spatulas to four basic types you should own (and two encouraging mentions).
Use this inexpensive and lightweight spatula for a variety of tasks including flipping tender fish fillets in a pan and flipping pancakes.
For about an extra $10, this spatula has the same blade as our favorite. But the polyethylene handle of this makes it a bit heavier, and it can be washed in the dishwasher.
Do not forget that it has the word “fish” in its name – a good shovel for catching fish is a universal tool that has the necessary flexibility and strength. Our favorite is the Victorinox Swiss Army slotted fish fin. It does everything we ask it to flawlessly and costs less than $20, making it affordable. Its high-carbon stainless steel blade and walnut handle will last you a lifetime (with a guarantee), but it can’t be washed in the dishwasher because of the wooden handle. Lamson’s slotted stainless steel flexible spatula has the same blade and performed equally well in all of our tests, but its handle is made from acetal. This means it’s dishwasher safe, but it’s also a little heavy (which some may like and others don’t) and melts easily when placed on the edge of a hot pan. Lamson is almost twice as expensive as Victorinox.
In our tests, the gentle tilt of the Victorinox blade glided smoothly over overcooked eggs, floured tilapia fillets and freshly baked crackers, manipulating each one without breaking the yolks, losing the crust or creping the top of the cookie. . Even though the blade is very flexible, it is still strong enough to hold a stack of eight pancakes without bending. Its beautiful walnut wood handle is light and comfortable, meaning your wrist won’t get tired if you plan on grilling multiple fillets at the same time. While you shouldn’t hold the wooden handle too close to the fire, you don’t have to worry about it melting, as is the case with other synthetic-handled fish shovels we’ve tested.
We believe that Victorinox is a lifetime purchase that can be used frequently in the kitchen. But if you experience problems with the blade during normal use, we offer a lifetime warranty and you can contact Victorinox for a replacement.
Lamson’s slotted stainless steel flexible spatula performs the same function as the Victorinox and handles eggs, fish fillets and hot crackers with ease. But our testers found the polyester handle a bit on the heavy side. This is a great option if you like heavier handles or want something dishwasher safe. However, it is usually about $10 more expensive than Victorinox and only has a 30-day return policy. Be aware that the synthetic ramson spatula handle will melt if placed on a hot pan or stovetop.
Lefties: We tested the slotted Lamson Chef flip (as opposed to the flexible flip we recommend) and found it well balanced in the hand, but too flexible in the middle of the blade to handle heavier foods. However, this is one of the few left-handed spatulas we have found.
If you’re using non-stick cookware, this silicone-coated spatula is a must because it won’t scratch your pan. Its sharp, beveled edges glide easily under fragile biscuits and scrambled eggs without damaging them.
It takes a little more effort to slide this straight silicone-coated spatula under fish and crackers, but its wide blade makes it easier to grab and flip pancakes.
To avoid scratching the delicate surface of the non-stick pan, you’ll need a silicone spatula like our favorite GIR Mini Flip. While it can’t match metal for sharpness and dexterity, its tapered blade (with a fiberglass core and a seamless silicone surface that comes in a variety of fun colors) allowed us to slip it under warm cookies without damaging them. Don’t be fooled by the size and thickness of this smaller than average spatula: its sharp-edged blade, paper-thin edge, and offset handle allow you to flip delicate omelettes and heavy pancakes with confidence. It is also easy to clean and has no grooves for food to get stuck in.
If the GIR Mini Flip is sold out or you need a spatula with a wider blade, we also recommend the OXO Good Grips Silicone Flexible Flip. While we prefer the beveled edges of the GIR Mini Flip, the OXO comes in second. The OXO blade is thinner and larger than the GIR, but it doesn’t have a sharpened edge, so it takes more effort to get under fish, scrambled eggs, and crackers. However, the OXO’s wide blade makes it easy to hold and flip large pancakes. The comfortable rubber handle is comfortable to hold, and the entire spatula is dishwasher safe and can withstand temperatures up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit. Some reviews on Amazon complain about cracking of the silicone. We didn’t encounter this issue in our testing. But if you do, OXO products come with a great satisfaction guarantee and we generally find customer service to be responsive.
This spatula is small enough to fit in a jar of peanut butter, strong enough to flatten the batter, and flexible enough to scrape the edge of the batter bowl.
This heat-resistant spatula with a wide blade is ideal for making large batches of dough or stacking ingredients.
The parallel sides, non-tilted head, and flexible edge of silicone spatulas make them perfect for putting all your brownie dough into the pan, pressing down the dough, and then adding the topping (yes, like cheese, David). We love the GIR Ultimate Spatula. While the tip is thick enough to give the spatula enough weight to push down on the dough, the tool is flexible enough to glide smoothly and cleanly over the edge of the mixing bowl. We also like that the head of the GIR Ultimate Spatula is thin enough to fit into small jars, and its beveled tip fits the bottom of beveled utensils. In addition, its grippy round handle feels better in the hand than the thin, flat sticks of many competitors. Since the two flat sides of the spatula are symmetrical, it can be used by both left-handed and right-handed chefs.
Like the GIR Mini Flip, our non-stick spatula, the GIR Ultimate Spatula has a fiberglass core coated with a thick layer of seamless silicone and is available in a variety of colors. The silicone coating is heat resistant up to 464 degrees Fahrenheit and heat resistant up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, this spatula is ideal for high temperature cooking and is dishwasher safe. After years of using GIR Ultimate, we have found that the edges of the silicone blades can develop nicks and nicks due to scratches around the blade of a blender or food processor. But in general, this is a one-piece spatula, which is even more durable due to the absence of seams.
Rubbermaid’s Commercial High Temperature Silicone Spatula with a wider head is a great alternative to the GIR Ultimate if you regularly work with large batches of dough or frosting. It is a stable product in many commercial kitchens and a favorite of several members of the Wirecutter kitchen team. Some of our testers found the head too stiff and the flat handle was not as comfortable to hold as the GIR spatula. However, after extensive testing of Rubbermaid spatulas, we have found that the blades soften over time and become more flexible with use. It also doesn’t scratch as easily as the edge of a GIR trowel. Rubbermaid is harder to clean than GIR because it has more crevices to hide food in, but it can also be washed in the dishwasher. Rubbermaid spatulas are backed by a one-year limited warranty.
This is a durable metal tumbler with thicker, heavier blades, perfect for smashing burgers in a pan, just like the Shake Shack.
This spatula has a thinner, lighter blade that is perfect for smashing burgers in a pan, just like the Shake Shack.
If you plan on doing a lot of grilling or pan cooking, we recommend investing in a good metal lathe. The Winco TN719 Blade Burger Turner is the ideal blade for tasks such as shredding, slicing and lifting large pieces of meat. It’s strong and solid, with no slots to stuff meat into, like a fish spatula we tested. Since the TN719 is heavier than most others, it does a great job of smashing hamburgers in the pan like a Shake Shack without much effort. This heavy-duty metal turning knife was the only one we tested with beveled edges on all three sides of the blade, allowing the spatula to easily slide under pancakes and freshly baked cookies. Although the sapele wood handles are not dishwasher safe, they feel secure in the hand and are comfortable to hold when you flip burgers on the grill. Since Winco products are intended for use in commercial restaurants, home use of this spatula will void your warranty. However, since the TN719 is so reliable and inexpensive (less than $10 at the time of writing), the lack of a warranty isn’t an issue.
If you want a smaller, lighter metal flipper, we recommend the Dexter-Russell Basics Pancake Flipper. Its thin blade is more flexible than our main blade so it won’t crush hamburgers as easily as it would in a frying pan. The Dexter-Russell also lacks a beveled edge on the blade, but our testers found that the thin edge allows the blade to slide easily under freshly baked cookies. Although the fine mahogany handle is not as wide as our main pick, we still felt comfortable holding it. Dexter-Russell spatulas also come with a lifetime warranty. If you experience problems with your fins during normal use, contact Dexter-Russell for a replacement.
This wooden spatula is the perfect combination of wooden spoon and spatula. Its flat edges scratch the bottom of the cookware easily, while the rounded corners allow access to hard-to-reach places with beveled corners.
Not everyone needs wooden spatulas, but they can be used to remove brown particles from the bottom of pans when deglazing, and are gentler on enamelware (like a broiler) than metal spatulas. If you need a wooden spatula, Helen’s inexpensive Asian Kitchen Bamboo Wok Spatula is the way to go. Its sharp, bevelled edges and rounded corners even extend to the rounded perimeter of the slanted ware. Thanks to the wide handle, this spatula is comfortable to hold in your hand, for example, for chopping ground beef in a pan. But keep in mind that bamboo utensils don’t always have the longest lifespan, and there’s no warranty on this spatula. But given the price, we don’t think this should be a deal breaker for most people.
This curved stainless steel spatula glides effortlessly under tender, freshly baked cookies. Its long offset blade spreads the batter evenly across the pan and provides a smooth surface for icing cakes.
The short blade of this mini offset spatula is best for finely decorating cookies and muffins or removing items from crowded baking sheets.
If you’re an avid baker, you’ll likely need an offset spatula for everything from icing delicate cakes to removing cookies from overflowing moulds. We have concluded that the Ateco 1387 Squeegee with stainless steel blade is the best tool for the job. The Ateco 1387 mirror coating allows the blade to glide easily under warm, tender cookies better than the competition. The angle of the offset blade is well suited to the wrist and provides enough clearance so that the knuckles do not damage the surface of the cake during icing. The wooden handle is light and comfortable to hold, so our wrists don’t get tired after covering multiple layers of cake.
For more detailed decorating tasks, our choice is the Mini Ateco 1385 Offset Glaze Scraper. The Ateco 1385 has the shortest blades of any mini spatula we’ve tested, giving us more control when frosting cupcakes. The short blade also makes it easy to maneuver around crowded pans. We also love that the Ateco 1385 makes it easy to spread mayonnaise and mustard on sandwiches.
Ateco 1387 and 1385 have some drawbacks: they cannot be washed in a dishwasher and are not covered by the warranty. However, Wirecutter senior writer Leslie Stockton has been using his Ateco wood-handled spatulas for at least 12 years and reports that they are still durable.
The spatula is the workhorse of the kitchen. They must be able to lift and support heavy objects while handling delicate products in tight spaces. We are looking for a variety of spatulas that are fun to use and that can help you with a variety of tasks on a variety of cooking surfaces, including stainless steel or non-stick, from tenderizing meat or seafood to spreading batter or icing.
All our experts agree on one thing – if you have a spatula, make it a fish spatula. “I would say that most of us use a grooved fish spatula, it looks like a rake. I think everyone has it in their bag. It’s probably the most commonly used spatula for savory dishes,” said Boltwood Restaurant (said Brian Houston, chef at the restaurant, which is now closed. This doesn’t just apply to fish. “If we’re grilling, we usually use it for hamburgers and proteins,” he admits. Chef Howie Wely, Associate Dean of Culinary Programs at the Culinary Institute of America, confirms the multi-purpose value of fish spatulas in professional kitchens. “A spatula doesn’t know it’s for fish. For me and many others chefs, it’s a versatile, lightweight spatula that I use for everything,” he says.
In addition to metal fish spatulas, we also looked at spatulas that work well for non-stick cookware. When using non-stick pans, be sure to use only plastic, wood, or silicone utensils to avoid scratching the pan’s coating. Like metal spatulas, the best non-stick spatulas have a thin edge that slides under the food. They also retain maneuverability and load capacity. For these reasons, we focus on non-stick plastic and silicone spatulas because they are thinner and more flexible than wood spatulas. (Wooden spatulas can also be used for other purposes, such as gently scraping browned bits of food off a broiler without damaging the enamel, so we tested them individually.)
We also tested mixing and baking silicone spatulas, which are best for scraping bowls and making sure the custard doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. A large silicone spatula can be used to scrape off the straight sides of the wok and the round bottom of the bowl. It should be firm and thick enough to compress the dough, but pliable enough to wipe down the bowl easily. It should also be wide and thin enough to allow the ingredients to be stacked together. Seamless, one-piece spatulas are easier to keep clean than those with gaps, such as where the blade meets the handle, according to the experts we interviewed.
While a lightweight, elegant fish spatula works great in almost any situation where you’re working with a metal pan or grill, sometimes a heavier metal knife is the best tool for the job. The metal flipper also outperforms fish spatulas, cutting sharp, clean lines on crackers and lifting heavy foods with ease.
Since metal tedders complement fish shovels, we have chosen metal tedders with various desired characteristics – offset angles for ease of use, comfortable stiffness for strength, flat blades without grooves for even shredding of burgers (video) or flattened grilled cheese sandwiches. We also found that the shorter handle allows for better control over flipping, lifting and carrying.
We also explored wooden spatulas or spatulas that have a bevelled flat edge for removing favorites (brown, caramelized bits) from the bottom of the pans. Wooden spatulas are the best tools for a Dutch oven because they don’t scratch the enamel like metal ones. Some have rounded corners for use with slanted pans. We tried to find a sturdy wooden spatula with a blade that could easily scrape the bottom and sides of pots or pans.
Finally, another multi-purpose spatula worth adding to your arsenal is the offset spatula. These thin, narrow palette knives are typically about 9 inches long and are designed for bakers who want to add a sheen to cakes and spread thick batter around the corners of the pan. But they also come in mini sizes (about 4.5 inches long), perfect for more delicate tasks like decorating cupcakes or even spreading mustard or mayonnaise on bread. We are looking for offset spatulas with strong, flexible blades that are thin enough for delicate tasks such as removing thin cookies from a pan or frosting cupcakes.
We have designed tests to cover some of the common uses for each type of spatula and evaluate dexterity, strength, dexterity and overall ease of use.
We flip floured tilapia fillets and plain eggs in the universal pan with a metal fish spatula. We took freshly baked Tate cookies from a cookie sheet to see how easy spatulas are to work with and how well they handle delicate tasks. We also used them to flip pancakes to see how well they hold up with the weight of heavier items. We ran all of the same tests with a spatula designed for non-stick cookware, but cooked fish, eggs, and pancakes in a non-stick pan rather than a three-tier pan.
We prepared the dough for pancakes and cakes, then scraped the dough from the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula. We also scraped the pancake batter out of the Pyrex measuring cups to see how nimble these spatulas are when moving them around small tight corners. To see how they work with thicker, heavier ingredients, we used them to make cake frosting and sticky cookie dough. We even pressed the tips of silicone spatulas to the bottom of hot pans to see if they could handle the heat.
We make burgers on an open grill with a metal lathe to see how well they handle a ⅓ pound patty. We have tested each lathe to make sure the edge is thin and sharp enough to cut brownies in a pan.
We even pressed the tips of silicone spatulas to the bottom of hot pans to see if they could handle the heat.
Break the ground beef in the pan with a wooden spatula. We also browned the beef shoulder and scraped off the icing (the brown bits at the bottom of the pan) with a spatula. We appreciated how much surface area they can cover and how easy they are to hold.
For the large offset spatula, we covered the cake layers with icing to appreciate the overall ease of use and flexibility. We glazed the cupcakes with a mini spatula. We used large and small spatulas to transfer cookies from cookie cutters to test how easily they lift thin and fragile items. We noted the thickness of the metal, the material and weight of the handle, the tension of the blade, and the degree of deflection of the blade.
While we haven’t done long-term stain or odor testing on silicone spatulas, Kin Khao’s Pim Techamuanvivit recommends using a separate spatula for strong-smelling products. She told us, “I have certain types of spatulas that I only use for making jam. No matter how many times you put the silicone spatula down, it will smell like curry paste and just transfers.”
If you’re worried about scraping seasoning off your cast iron skillet when using a fish spatula or a metal spatula, don’t worry. The Lodge Cast Iron website states: “Cast iron is the most durable metal you’ll cook with. This means any utensils are welcome – silicone, wood, even metal.”
Post time: Jul-05-2023
