It is time to talk spatulas. Over Pesach (Passover), I posted a reel on my social media accounts demonstrating when to flip a pancake so it cooks properly. It was a very mild video I thought, and I made it using my Pesach griddle and my one dairy Pesach spatula. I certainly never expected it to trigger such interesting reactions as some of the ones I received. It seems there is a lot of passion when it comes to spatulas. Who knew? And so, I am writing a brief explanation of the different types of spatulas to help clarify the subject. Keep in mind that I am not a spatula scholar, but rather a home cook with many years of experience, so please don't freak out.
The first thing you should know is that there are three basic types of spatulas. They include:
The Flipper or Turner: Either of these names is correct. Kind of like saying soda or pop. Or Pesach and Passover. Two names, same thing. This is a flat spatula used mainly for what the name implies. It is perfect for turning or flipping food. You would normally use this type of spatula to flip a pancake, a grilled cheese sandwich, a burger, or fish fillet.
The Speader: These can be offset or flat, they can be pointy or rectangular. There are many different shapes for these spreader spatulas, but they are all meant to do one thing: spread. These are perfect for smearing frosting on a cake, the filling inside a cinnamon bun, or mortar on a tile (although if you use it for that, maybe get a new one for your food).
The Scraper: These are your most iconic of all spatulas. These are meant to scrape down the sides of bowls and other containers. They usually have one straight edge and one curved edge. These are the ones your mom probably used to scrape the cake batter out of the bowl, the spatula you use when trying to get the last bit of whipped cream from the container, and the most fun in a kitchen spatula duel.
So those are the three main types of spatulas. They can come in a variety of sizes and shapes. They can be made out of many different materials, including wood, metal, rubber, and silicone. They are one of the most useful kitchen tools you can own.
But here is the kicker. Whatever you call each of these utensils, they are still spatulas. And even if you don't own every type of spatula, to a certain extent, you can use them interchangeably. It may be more challenging to flip a pancake with a scraper spatula, but it can be done. It may be more convenient to spread frosting with a spreader than with a small flipper or scraper, but those can be used if they are all you have. (A table knife is a spreader too, although not a spatula, so use it to spread your frosting if you have nothing else).
The purpose of cooking isn't to stress over if you have the exact equipment or the perfect space. Cooking should be about making food for you or your family and friends and enjoying the experience, both because the food tasted good and because it was pleasant to make. So use the correct spatula if you have it, but if you don't, use a different one. You don't need to worry. It's just a spatula.
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