Now we’ve come to the biggest question of the day: What is a Spatula? Thinking of growing up, hearing your parents talking about a spatula in the kitchen maybe grandma asking you to get one, what do you get? This has become a neighboring debate, so I present it here, what is your thinking of what a spatula is: #1 or #2 or both? Comment to state your opinion. (Krissy, I already know your opinion)
#1
A rubber or silicon flexible tool used to scrape bowls to get the remaining pudding or other soft creamy substance out.
#2
A harder plastic or metal flat ended tool used to flip hamburgers, or other solid food items.
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Meta
They’re both spatulas. Merriam-Webster says, “a flat thin usually metal implement used especially for spreading or mixing soft substances, scooping, or lifting.”
Both of those tools do that — in the traditional sense, #2 is what comes to mind when we say spatula since it’s used more often in everyday cooking.
But both of those are spatulas.
And don’t get started on calling #2 a “flipper”.
yes, m-w.com is the only dictionary that says that, the other two i know of (answers.com and dictionary.com) say something similar, but something that more decribes the first.
Well acording to the foods teacher number 1 is a spatula and number 2 is “Pancake Flipper”
blah, if u want me to make u food, you’ll call it what I tell you too. ;)
I’m going to have to agree with Pete on this one. I looked it up on foodtv.com (the food network website) and saw this definition:
A flattish, rather narrow kitchen utensil that comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Depending on the material from which it’s made (which includes wood, metal, rubber and plastic), spatulas can be used for a plethora of kitchen tasks. Rigid wood spatulas are good for scraping the sides of pots and turning foods, whereas softer plastic or rubber spatulas are better for stirring ingredients in a curved bowl and folding mixtures together. Flexible metal spatulas–both long and short–are perfect for spreading frosting on cakes. See also turner.
–Copyright (c) 1995 by Barron’s Educational Series, from The New Food Lover’s Companion, Second Edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst
This probably doesn’t help the debate at all, does it? :)
I’m one of those people who has a kitchen, and has some stuff IN the kitchen, but rarely uses the kitchen. To me, anything that can be found in a kitchen drawer, that has a handle and does NOT have a spoon-like scoop to the business end of it, qualifies as a spatula. Now, what a person should DO with one of these spatula things is a mystery I don’t intend to solve. I leave those matters to the cooks at the various restaurants I frequent.