How do I know if my spatula is silicone?

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asked Dec 5, 2021 in Cooking by tipirman8292 (1,130 points)
How do I know if my spatula is silicone?

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answered Dec 5, 2021 by Minmocatfood (6,180 points)
To tell if your spatula is silicone you can try twisting it and if it twists or bends easy then it's silicone as plastic will be hard and not bend or twist very easy.

Like any plastic polymer, silicones are synthetic and include a mix of chemical additives.

The key differentiator from carbon-based plastics is that silicones have a backbone made of silicon.

Silicone is actually made of the same stuff as glass (sand), which it gives it some properties like strength that make it great for kitchen utensils, but it's also pliable like rubber, which makes it absolutely ideal for the kind of spatula you want for cooking in a nonstick pan without scratching it all to hell.

The type of spatula that is best is a stainless steel spatula which is easier to keep clean and you don't have to worry about it becoming sticky as the silicone spatulas can absorb oils and grease and become sticky and hard to clean.

However, from a chef's perspective, there is one spatula to rule them all: the wide, flat flexible metal one sometimes referred to as a “fish spat.”

It gives you the leverage to really get under things for a flip, but is also lightweight and flexible and decidedly not clunky.

A solid turner is used for turning over hamburgers, pancakes, and other foods that may fall through a slotted turner.

What's the difference between slotted turner and solid Turner?

Slotted: allows more fat (or water) to fall off the food; more flexible for the same thickness/material so can slip under things better.

Solid: supports crumbly or loose foods better (e.g. lifting out finely chopped veg).

To flip a pancake you can use a hamburger flipper or a pancake turner.

A spatula can also be used to flip a pancake with as well but a flipper or pancake turner works best to flip a pancake with.

A pancake turner is a tool similar to a spatula or other flipper but the pancake turner usually has a bent handle that is bent upwards instead of being straight to allow you to lift the pancake easier.

What is the purpose of a pancake turner?

A pancake turner is a utensil for lifting or removing food such as pancakes, hamburgers, eggs and cookies from a pan or baking sheet, or for turning food that's being cooked so the second side can brown.

A spatula is a tool used in the Kitchen for mixing ingredients, spreading ingredients and can also be used to flip foods such as pancakes, hamburgers etc.

A true spatula is a long, slender metal kitchen utensil with straight, even sides.

It's used to spread frosting and to level dry ingredients in nested cups for proper measuring.

To some kitchen purists, the only true spatula is a spreader.

Spreaders are often used in baking for things like frosting cakes.

A flat spatula is called both a flipper and a turner.

The original kitchen spatula is also known as a flipper or turner. It's an angled flat piece of metal or heat-resistant plastic extending from a long handle.

It was generally used to easily lift or flip food in a pan.

A straight edge spatula is a type of spatula which consists of a long, flat and narrow blade that is attached to a handle or grip.

A good example of how the straight edge spatulas elongated shape comes in handy would be in the context of baking.

Most bakers use a straight edge spatula to level frosting on a cake and make it appear smoother.

A flipper is a spatula and a spatula can be a flipper or even a turner.

Flippers are a tool used for flipping food over in a frying pan, on a griddle or on a girdle.

Occasionally they are also used for serving with.

You can also use them to scrape pans with.

They consist of a long handle with a completely flat shovel at the end.

In American English, spatula refers broadly to a number of broad, flat utensils.

The word commonly refers to a turner or flipper (known in British English as a fish slice), used to lift and flip food items during cooking, such as pancakes and fillets.

Bowl and plate scrapers are sometimes called spatulas.

The Spatula was invented by John Spadula.

The word spatula derives from the Latin word for a flat piece of wood or splint, a diminutive form of the Latin spatha, meaning 'broadsword', and hence can also refer to a tongue depressor.

The words spade (digging tool) and spathe are similarly derived.

The word spatula has been used in English since 1525.

John Spaduala is also the inventor of the rubber scraper and rubber spatula.

The rubber scraper also known as the rubber spatula was invented by John Spaduala.

John Spaduala invented the rubber scraper and spatula around the year of 1890.

It's easy to take the spatula for granted.

It sits in the kitchen, unassuming, just another tool among the spoons, knives, pots and pans and a wide assortment of varied implements.

A turner is similar to a spatula but the turner is thinner than a normal spatula so the turner can easily slide under food to flip or turn the food over.

Some turners also have slots to allow grease to drain off the food while you flip or turn the food.

A turner has a broad, flat head attached to a handle.

As the name implies, a turner is used to turn or flip things.

For example, you flip burgers on the grill with a turner that is often called a spatula.

Because these tools are so often used in cooking, they often come in high heat varieties.

A spatula in cooking is a flat object often made of rubber or metal meant to spread, mix or lift food.

A flipper or turner are flat objects usually made of metal or plastic designed to slide under a piece of food in a pan or on a grill.

A fish spatula is a thinner and longer version of the regular spatula with slots in it to make it easier to slip under fish.

Basically the fish spatula is an elongated and thinner version of the common metal spatula that is designed to easily slip under delicate fillets of fish.

Th fish spatula will allow you to flip and remove a fillet from its cooking pan without tearing the flesh.

Because of it's slotted shape, a fish spatula can work in a pinch if you're frying and don't have a slotted spoon or spatula.

And it's sturdy and sharp enough to scrape up whatever crusty bits that end up stuck to your cast-iron or sheet pan.

A rubber spatula is called a bowl scraper or scraper.

The rubber spatula is called the bowl scraper because it's sometimes used to scrape the bottom of mixing bowls to remove leftover mixtures of ingredients that were mixed in the mixing bowl.

The spatula goes by many other names.

Depending on what country you're in and what particular food you might be preparing, it can be called a “flipper,” a “tosser,” a “scraper,” or, as some British prefer, a “fish slice.”

Also spatulas fall into three main categories; flippers, spreaders, and scrapers.

Each has a specific purpose and is available in a slew of different options and features.

A spatula in cooking is a flat object often made of rubber or metal meant to spread, mix or lift food.

A flipper or turner are flat objects usually made of metal or plastic designed to slide under a piece of food in a pan or on a grill.

Many nonstick spatulas are made of nylon, with thick, inflexible flippers that are difficult to maneuver under delicate items.

Plus, nylon spatulas aren't always as heat-resistant as manufacturers promise, and can start to melt or fray around the edges in a searing-hot pan.

Eggs can sometimes stick to nylon like glue.

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