Tuesday Tip | Get a flexible spatula
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I grew up with these, and it wasn't until I was an adult that I realized the shocking news: not everyone has flexible rubber spatulas in their kitchen drawers!
(Whoa.)
I feel like these are a rather essential frugal tool because they are so great for getting last little bits out of containers and bowls.
Like...the last bit of the peanut butter. Or mayonnaise.
Or the last bit of batter when you're making muffins, pancakes or waffles.
Or the last bit of tomato sauce when you're making soup or pasta.
Just a shopping note: there are some unpleasingly stiff spatulas out there, and I feel like they defeat the very purpose of a spatula. The whole point is to have a soft, flexible vehicle for scraping food out. Get a soft one!
Oh, and one other thing: I haven't had good luck with wooden-handled spatulas. Water always seems to get up inside the spatula head, and it makes the wood slimy and black. Bleah.
The set pictured above is $11.99 on Amazon, and of course, you can find these at Target, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and other such stores.
If you want to spend a bit more, Tovolo makes a really great spatula, and it comes in some very classy colors (like black!).
I did not grow up in a flexible spatula household! One of the first frugal tips I ever read was to get hold of one, so I did and I've been using it ever since, not only do I get that last little bit of whatever-it-is there's less gunk to wash up, win win!
Yes, I use them all the time. Just yesterday I made KA morning glory muffins and got an extra one just by scraping the bowl. I like the one piece spatulas because I've had the problem of not being able to clean them well. I tried plastic and wooden handled with both having the same problem.
Yes to the one pieces. So much better than the ones that come apart. I don't think I have ever been in a kitchen without one. I didn't realize such things existed 🙂
Oh yeah I'm a fan of the spatula - how else can you get all the melted chocolate out of the bowl? We do have a wooden handled one but I don't use it as I find the spatula bit too thick & inflexible, we have several but my fave is a silicone one that can take heat so I can use it to spread melted chocolate on a slice just out of the oven. I also couldn't make my choc ripple cake without one where I use it in a trowel fashion to spread whipped cream on to the biscuits - I don't know if you have an equivalent in America but a very popular old fashioned easy no bake cake here is to alternate approx 1 tbsp of real fresh whipped cream between plain choc ripple biscuits or ginger biscuits arranged in a row or circle, you wrap it up, refrigerate o/n & the biscuits absorb the cream & become very soft, then you spread more whipped cream all over and sprinkle with whatever you like - mixed berries, grated chocolate, nuts, or my fave crushed choc-peppermint bar, then your cut it on an angle so each piece has choc/cream stripes showing. Most people also whip the cream with a dash of sugar & vanilla.
That’s an old dessert from the 1950s! There is a book by Beverly Cleary, I think “ Fifteen”, in which the girl makes it for her boyfriend. It’s wonderful!
I have four--three big ones and one small one that I particularly like for scraping smaller jars. I don't really love any of them, however. Finding the perfect balance of stiff enough for effective scraping and flexible enough to really conform to the curves of the jars or bowls is really hard. The one at my MiL's house was perfect, but alas, I had to leave it behind when we moved. It was really old, so I have no idea where it came from or what kind it was.
The spatula is also key for having enough utensils for each child to lick cake batter/cookie dough/ etc. Two beaters, a mixing spoon, and the spatula means that all three kids plus me can lick something. Which is, of course, the best part of baking. Though I'll have to surrender my utensil to the baby when she's big enough, I guess. 🙂
I’m a spatula fan! I thought everyone has one...how else do you get one more pancake!
I love spatulas. They are great for getting just about everything out of jars, mixing bowls, pots and pans. etc. I have a few, all one piece, in different sizes.
I prefer them stiff and hate it when they get too flexible. My DH sometimes uses them to make eggs which drives me crazy (until he got silicone ones that are less affected by heat).
My mother in law also scrambled eggs with her spatula which drove me nuts too : CHEMICALS IN THE FOOD!! I had to work hard to break my husband of this habit!!
I love my spatulas and have them in several sizes.I love the minis for getting into tiny jars or containers too..
We had about a dozen at one point, so then I gave out our extras to friends who don’t cook and thus do t have a stocked kitchen. You don’t have to cook to use one of these!
Yup, sure do have them in my house. How can you not?
I have quite a few I bet close to 10!
Most of mine are from Pampered Chef.
And I want mine flexable!
(also want my pancake flipper (what I call it) Flexable!
Multiple sizes and shapes! Such a necessary item! I use them all the time.. so far this morning I used one to scrape peanut butter from the bottom of a large jar and another to empty a container of yogurt into a sieve to strain!
We don't have one of those. I think they are great for baking. We almost never bake.
We have the wooden spatulas since they go well with Chinese woks. 😀
Isn't it weird how a cooking utensil and a scraping utensil are both called spatulas??
I think in the old-fashioned days the pancake-flipper kind was called a turner and our lovely flexible scraper type did not exist!
I just recently heard the flexible one called a "licker", I thought it was cute, so we just changed our terminology at our house!
Yes!!! True story: my sister arranged to have us play the newlywed game at my wedding shower and asked my now husband what my favorite kitchen implement was: Definitely got that point! I just got a spoon-tula for Christmas by core kitchen to add to my collection. Pretty awesome!
Kitchens function without spatulas? I had no idea. I have 3, and often it's not enough. My husband uses one for making scrambled eggs, and I'm using them all the time scrapping jars or mixing bowls or folding in egg whites.
I love my flexible spatulas, but I've also been in the market for a stiffer one for scraping things like chilled cookie dough. I need it to hold up to the bulk of dough (particularly oatmeal raisin). My current spatulas don't clean the side of the bowl well, and that's a nuisance. But really, the flexible spatula works for almost everything. Just that stubborn cookie dough problem I have!
Have you considered a bowl scraper? It's a stiff bit of plastic about the size of a large index card, one long side curved. Well-designed for scraping stiff things out of bowls.
Yes! Or cut yourself one from a detergent bottle!
Oh goodness yes. We received a Pampered Chef spatula for our wedding, and fifteen years later it is still constantly dirty!
I use my Pampered Chef spatulas constantly too! I've tried SO many other brands and nothing even comes close. They're flexible, but not too flexible. Just perfect!
I have several and I love the one I got at IKEA a while back. However, OXO is my go-to now for kitchen tools. They can take the pounding they get in my house! P.S. It drives me nuts not to see cooks using them on cooking shows or on Tasty videos - so much food waste that's easily handled by a spatula!!
Yes! I even remember my first one! When I was a preteen, I went with my mom to some sort of cooking party (maybe an early Pampered Chef?) and every guest got one little prize. I was clueless what to choose and my mom quickly whispered for me to get a spatula to use "when you make cakes". I used it for years!
When I buy groceries and get new peanut butter, first thing I do is scrape all of the butter from all the old jar. You get enough for two sandwiches!
(And I am Team Flexible, preferably heat resistant silicone!)
Haha, I went to my first Pampered Chef party in my teens. Such a 90s thing!
Yep, I have three spatulas by Cuisinart and one "spoonula" by Pampered Chef. All have wooden handles, but I just slide the silicone heads off and wash it without the handle in the dishwasher. Then I just wash and dry the handle by hand, in two shakes, so my wooden handled spatulas have lasted a long time. The heads don't slip off when using them, in case you wondered; I have to pull them off.
I also have a vintage (early 1960's) metal "flipper" with plastic handle that was my mother-in-law's, because I want less flexibility sometimes. And I have the Lehman's all-in-one-kitchen-tool-spatula which is the handiest little guy ever -- it even cuts. I gave one to each of my kids, and they rave about it. I think I've seen them for sale elsewhere since then, but Lehman's Non-Electric Store online is where I got mine. ( Plug: if ever you are around Kidron, OH, go to Lehman's physical store. It is worth a trip! No affiliation here, just love that store.)
Without a spatula you leave so much wasted food behind in the bowls and jars! Oh, and from the Vermont Country Store (you might see a trend in where I shop online), I found teeny-tiny spatulas on long skinny handles, just right for getting that last bit out of that bottle of makeup, or a narrow-mouthed condiment jar. I gave each of my kids a set of three. They love them, too.
Agree! Lehman's is way cool! ;-D
Yes to spatulas! And silicon is the best - one melted rubber spatula made me a believer. In fact, I have the OXO set pictured at the top. Not only are they frugal in saving the last bits of food, but they also make for easier dish washing.
I cannot imagine cooking/baking and not having spatulas.... One of my most used kitchen tools. I have several different colors and sizes.
Bahaha! I'm a silicone spatula lover for life. We also picked up some wooden spatulas for cooking that I've foolishly tried to use for other stuff. It just doesn't work!
Yes to spatulas (of all kinds)! Most of mine came from Pampered Chef between 15-20 years ago and they are still in good shape!
My dad always used to tell us to get all the food out of the pans or bowls, by saying, "I paid for that!" 😀
My favorite spatulas are from Pampered Chef. The handles don't come out, everything is all one piece. I also have some one-piece silicon ones I picked up several years ago from Meijer.
I grew up with the standard size wooden/rubber spatulas but was well into adulthood before discovering the ones with narrower heads (that's probably the wrong word). My narrow one is silicone and is in constant use between cooking and scraping. It's by far my favorite. I have the regular size ones too, including one with a metal handle which is great for stirring chocolate chips into stiff cookie dough among other things. I have a spoonula-type one that I don't love because the handle is so flexible. And then I have a cute polka-dotted one that is just fun to use! Probably 4 or 5 all together. Can't imagine living without them!
I have nearly a dozen heat-resistant moderately-flexible silicon spatulae:
- giant one, which I almost never use; if I were short of drawer space I'd give it away;
- about 6 standard sized;
- about 3 half-sized ones, for smaller spaces such as jars;
- one very long and skinny, mostly for the blender.
I use them to:
- scrape batters, goops, and liquids;
- stir delicate foods together, such as egg whites into batter;
- to stir foods cooking in nonstick pans;
- to get the last bits out of jars (note: this can be shampoo, skin cream, etc).
Each size is a different color, so they are easy to distinguish when I'm in a rush. Mine have wooden handles; I'm not bothered by the discolored join.
The silicon spatulae complement my two Chinese bamboo flat-edged stirrers, my half-dozen wooden spoons, and my two metal pancake flippers (which is the official name for metal "spatulae").
I'm looking for a long, skinny one for my blender. Which one do you have?
-k
Love my spatulas, but there are differences like you stated with the wood ones. You have to make sure it isn't too soft because peanut butter can be hard and the actual spatula part bends too much. And you have to make sure if you use them on hot food, that the spatula can handle it. I have a variety of spatulas that we use.
I LOVE spatulas especially the one piece, like https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0728D4C6H/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1519142816&sr=8-2-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=one+piece+spatulas+silicone+heat+resistant&psc=1
I can’t handle when the others keep coming apart and food gunk is in between the handle and spatula head.
My Mon used to call these "child cheaters" because when you used it, it cheated the child out of licking the bowl, beaters, etc. I'm a huge fan of the flexible spatula though I wasn't as a kid!
This one-piece silicone di Oro one was recommended by Cook's Illustrated: https://www.amazon.com/Oro-Living-Heat-Resistant-Reinforced-Technology/dp/B00H8YUHGS. It's on the stiffer side.
I got a set of two in my Mighty Fix a few months ago. Score!!
Yes, I love spatulas, I even have a long tiny one for beauty products. I'm able to get the last bit of makeup or lotion out of the bottle and that will last me another 2 weeks! Cha ching
I have a beauty product one, too! It’s my favorite thing!!
YES! I have several in my kitchen and use them almost daily. I have the smaller green one in your picture and I'm sure Target sells it alone as well as in a set. This small one is especially useful for the last bits in jars, etc! And it has held up well for a few years so far. Love it!!
We got like...7 of them from our in-laws! They're great at scooping out the remainder of the bowls, which is pretty frugal to me!
We always had spatulas and when I got married my mom bought me 2 kitchenaide spatulas that I use to this day. 26 years and they are going strong. Love them.
I LOVE spatulas big and small!
They are used to get every bit, every time of every last bit of food or hba product.
What’s hba?
I have an assortment of spatulae. My favorite is a small green silicone one that cost $1 at the little hardware store!
Hi
I find the silicon spatulas infact anything silicon goes sticky after a few years. I will stick with bamboo spatulas and havehad to buy a new frying pan and mouse due to this
I love this tool - two in one, and comes i different sizes. I was looking for a small flexible spatula and was steered in this direction - it is great! https://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-190041/Tovolo+Silicone+Scrape+and+Scoop+Multi-Purpose+Scraper?cat=TCA-257866_Spatulas+%26+Turners
I grew up with them! And I LOVE them and use them all the time. However, I hunt high and low for STIFF spatulas! The "flexible" ones bend too much and don't do the job, in my opinion! They just flop and bend and don't "spatule" anything! LOL!
Yeah, I don't like the ones that are really floppy. But I got a couple for my wedding shower gifts that were almost completely stiff. They wouldn't conform to a curved bowl at all, and that sort of defeats the point!
YES... you bet I'm a spatula fan. I even have little ones as of about a year ago. And I did get the one from Mighty Fix months ago as well. Cannot imagine a kitchen without spatulas!
Hi Kristen,
Yes, yes and yes, I have a great little collection of super flexible spatulas, I love them to bits. I have wide head and narrow head spatulas, something for every occasion, from gently folding a cake mixture to scraping out the very last bit of mayo from a jar. The colours I have white, pink and burgundy, love them. Have a lovely day.
Fi
I recently purchased a long, skinny spatula which is shaped like a spoon at the end. Love! Helps you get in those narrow-mouth containers (like honey) and get everything out.
Love spatulas! I get mine at the local restaurant supply store. They sell to the public, great prices on professional quality products.
Another perk of having spatulas is not having to wash so much food out of a dish. I like ones with a nice thin edge. IKEA makes nice ones that are really affordable. I have 5 in my kitchen now.
I always take them apart to wash and dry because of the funk that can get up in there. I really use them a lot so,this extra step is worth it me.
We always had flexible spatulas when I was a kid and the only thing I hated was having to be so careful about waiting for a cake to cool before using the spatula to loosen the edges. As soon as the heatsafe ones came out, I bought one.
My most frequently used kitchen tool! IKEA ones are the best and only a dollar I think, it’s amazing! Stock up! I am an unpaid and uncompensated but still extremely enthusiastic IKEA spatula fan!
Lol, I have at least ten of them, all different. Most were thrifted or gifted, but when the silicone spatulas came out, I bought three. I love and use them all. Only one of them is super stiff, but sometimes it's just what I need. I cook almost every meal at home, so I believe in having good tools. I tend to find my best stuff at estate sales, where entire contents of kitchens get a new lease on life.
I, too, use them every day. I'm more prone to the flexible ones, but also have 1 or 2 that are harder. Can't recommend the one piece harder ones that are made by Rubbermaid. They started breaking down and leaving bits of themselves in whatever I was making. Only ones I've ever owned to do that. I have so many rubber scrapers, I had to resort to putting a clear vase on my counter next to my turntable-utensil holder just to hold the scrapers. I doubt I've cooked anything that didn't involve at least one. The unusable ones are great for scraping food scraps off plates into the trash before washing.
Whaaaat?!? I can't imagine a house without them!
The flexible spatula is definitely the best! In the past, I bought one that was not flexible and it was useless.