A spatula is a broad, flat, flexible blade used to mix, spread and lift material including foods, drugs, plaster and paints. In medical applications, "spatula" may also be used synonymously with

tongue depressor A tongue depressor (sometimes called spatula) is a tool used in medical practice to depress the tongue to allow for examination of the mouth and throat. The most common modern tongue depressors are flat, thin, wooden blades, smoothed and rounded ...

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

. The words ''

spade A spade is a tool primarily for digging consisting of a long handle and blade, typically with the blade narrower and flatter than the common shovel. Early spades were made of riven wood or of animal bones (often shoulder blades). After the a ...

'' (digging tool) and ''

spathe In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

'' are similarly derived. The word ''spatula'' has been used in English since 1525.

Use

Spatulas are usually used to scrape within the contours of a mixing bowl or to level off the top of a dry mixing cup.

Kitchen use

American English

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 A modern fish slice A fish slice or metal spatula, in British English, is a kitchen tool with a wide, flat blade with long holes in it, used for lifting and turning food while cooking. In the US, it is regarded as a type of spatula and may be c ...

''), used to lift and flip food items during cooking, such as

pancakes A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or frying pan, often frying wit ...

and fillets. The blades on these are usually made of

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

, with a wooden or plastic handle to insulate them from

heat In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...

. A ''cookie shovel'' is a turner with a larger blade, made for lifting cookies off a pan or

baking sheet Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot stones. The most common baked item is bread but many other types of foods can be baked. Heat is gradually transferred " ...

. A frosting spatula is also known as

palette knife A palette knife is a blunt tool used for mixing or applying paint, with a flexible steel blade. It is primarily used for applying paint to the canvas, mixing paint colors, adding texture to the painted surface, paste, etc., or for marbling, decora ...

and is usually made of metal or plastic. Bowl and plate scrapers are sometimes called spatulas.

British English

British English British English (BrE, en-GB, or BE) is, according to Lexico, Oxford Dictionaries, "English language, English as used in Great Britain, as distinct from that used elsewhere". More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in ...

a spatula is similar in shape to a palette knife, without holes, in a flexible or detachable blade. It is used in medical examinations, for holding down the tongue or taking cell samples. The term is also commonly used in cookery to refer to a scraper, as in American English.

Non-regional

In addition to the regional senses, a spatula can be used in both British and American English to refer to a tool with a flat, blunt blade used for mixing and spreading things as opposed to one used for lifting and flipping food, an example of which is the rubber scraper shown on the right.

Laboratory use

In laboratories, ''spatulas'' and ''microspatulas'' are small

stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...

utensils, used for scraping, transferring, or applying powders and paste-like chemicals or treatments. Many spatula brands are also resistant to acids, bases, heat, and solvents, which make them ideal for use with a wide range of compounds. A common type would be stainless steel spatulas, which are widely used because they are sturdy and affordable. They are resistant to deterioration from contact with boiling water, acids, bases, and most solvents. Some of them come with a polyvinyl chloride plastic handle or riveted hardwood for better handling. Polystyrene spatulas are made for researchers because they are disposable, preventing any potential contaminations which occurs often with reusable spatulas. They are also ideal for handling lyophilized products or performing

lyophilization Freeze drying, also known as lyophilization or cryodesiccation, is a low temperature dehydration process that involves freezing the product and lowering pressure, removing the ice by sublimation. This is in contrast to dehydration by most conve ...

. File:Laboratory Spatula.JPG, A stainless steel laboratory spatula File:Spatula Application.JPG, This is one of many uses of stainless steel spatula: it can be used to aid the removal of filter paper from vacuum filtration.

Related utensils

* Peel *

Putty knife A putty knife is a specialized tool used when glazing single glazed windows, to work putty around the edges of each pane of glass. An experienced glazer will apply the putty by hand, and then smooth it with the knife. Modern insulated glazing ma ...

Scoopula Scoopula is a brand name of a spatula-like scoop utensil used primarily in experimental laboratories to transfer solids: to a weighing paper for weighing, to a cover slip to measure melting point, or a graduated cylinder, or to a watch glass fro ...

References

External links

{{Kitchen Tools Food preparation utensils Domestic implements