Spatula

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Left to right: A plastic non-stick spatula, a silicone spatula, a rubber spatula, a Chinese spatula, and a metal spatula

A spatula is a hand-held kitchen tool that is used for lifting, flipping, or spreading substances.

The word "spatula", known in English since 1525, is a diminutive of the Latin term spatha, which means a broad sword (as in spatharius) or a flat piece of wood and is also the origin of the words spade (digging tool) and spathe.

Kitchen spatulas have a handle that is long enough to keep the holder's hand away from what is being lifted, flipped or spread. For example, in cooking, the spatula must keep the holder's hand away from any heat.

The blade of the device is wide and/or thin. The shape of the blade varies, with square and rectangular shapes being most common. The blade is usually somewhat flexible. Spatula blades are often longer on the right side than the left, as this is more effective for right-handed people. There are also left-handed spatulas, but these are rare.

Spatulas are usually made of plastic or metal but wooden, rubber and titanium ones are also sometimes used. In cooking, metal or titanium spatulas generally have a wood or plastic handle to insulate them from heat. Rubber spatulas are more commonly used for applying frosting or manipulating batter, dough, sauce, or other liquids. In parts of Canada, metal spatulas used for frying are called flippers (from the verb, not the marine anatomy), whereas the term spatula is reserved for plastic or rubber spatulas used to manipulate dough.

A spatula is essential for many types of cooking. They are especially needed when frying foods that need to be flipped. Spatulas can also be used to serve food. The blade of a cooking spatula is often slotted to allow liquids to flow through. In British English, this slotted utensil is called a fish slice, and has an angled head (far left and far right of picture) rather than being straight. cf the chinese spatula. A flexible rubber spatula is often used to gather the remainder of a thick liquid, such as batter or sauce, from the sides of a container.

There are many varieties of spatula. A frosting spatula has a long, thin blade. Spatulas designed to be used with a barbecue or other open flame have longer handles. Chinese spatulas are designed to be used with woks; one edge is curved and they are sturdier to handle large amounts of food. The turner is used for the turning of flat food products which must be turned over during cooking. The most common forms of turners are pancake turners and hamburger turners. However, there are notably other sort of turners, such as those used in the cooking of large flat steaks.

In construction and art, a type of spatula called a putty knife is used for spreading materials such as plaster or paint.