Spatula vs. Turner: How to Use Both Tools in the Kitchen

There has always been a debate among cooking enthusiasts - "the spatulas and the turners are the same".

Although turners are a type of spatula, both of them have a lot of dissimilarities.

To conclude, we are here with a blog to unveil the doubts. What is the difference between a turner and a spatula?

To better understand, let's deep grill the topic!

What Is a Spatula?

A spatula is a kitchen tool for turning, folding, mixing, spreading, and scraping food products. Spatulas come in different shapes and sizes to serve various purposes.

The spatula is one of the most commonly used tools. It helps in folding food when cooking (like omelets), mixing dry and liquid ingredients, or spreading jams, butter, and other condiments on food products.

Spatula Types

Though the spatulas can be distinguished according to their purposes, some of the different types of spatulas are categorized as below:

Spreader Spatulas
These spatulas have an undeniable role, as their name indicates. Spreaders are used to apply sauces and soft toppings to food products.

The rounded end distributes smoothly over cakes, slices of bread, bagels, and other food items without ripping or damaging them. It also aids in scooping cream, cheese, and sauces out of containers.

Although rubber material is also readily accessible, these spatulas are generally built of stainless steel and primarily utilized for spreading toppings, cheese spreads, frosting, and other spreading applications.

Scraper Spatulas
These spatulas are rectangular shaped with one side rounded edge tip. Scraper spatulas are used for stirring and scraping the sticky and wet ingredients from the mixing bowls.

These spatulas help in scraping the leftover from the sticky pans, mixing the dough, scraping the stuck pieces, and folding the foods like hot omelets.

Scraper spatulas are typically made of rubber and silicone. Silicone spatulas are the best option because rubber ones aren't as heat-resistant for use with pans.

Turner/Flipper Spatula
These spatulas are trapezoid-shaped surfaces with long handles to save the hands from harm. Flipper spatulas are used to turn and flip the food products while cooking or barbecuing.

Turner spatulas are strong enough to flip heavy food items and easily resist heat. They are typically made of aluminum and stainless steel. Alternatives of rubber and wood are also available to avoid scratching cookware and utensils.

When cooking and grilling, these spatulas are excellent for turning foods like burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, fried eggs, pancakes, and other dishes.

What Is a Turner?

Turner is a long-handled tool to flip the food and cook the food item from both sides evenly. They are sturdy enough to turn heavy food items and resist heat.

As mentioned, the turner is also a type of spatula. Still, its shape and size vary from other same-looking spatulas. The turners are made from steel, aluminum, wood, and other sturdy materials.

Turners are referred to as the fish spatula as their sharp and thin edge slides beneath the meal and slashes through sticky items, allowing them to flip to the other side quickly. They are strong enough to pick the food products and serve them directly to the plates from pans, grills, and burners.

4 Areas of Difference Between Spatula and Turner

Spatulas and turners are used as a synonym by many. Separating them based on four core areas will help you get more clarity on their applications. Let's look at their differentiation:

1. Based On Fire Resistance
Regarding heat resistance, both the spatulas and turners are sturdy, but fire resistance is where spatulas lack behind. Turner's purpose is to flip the food on high heat sources.

2. Based On Material
Though spatulas are typically made of rubber and silicone, the turners are usually made of steel and aluminum. Turners are way more sturdy than spatulas.

3. Based On Surface
The purpose of turners is to flip foods; for that, they are designed with a wide blade surface. In comparison, the goal of spatulas is to saute, mix and spread, so the surface of the spatulas is not much wide.

4. Based On Their Uses
The uses of the spatulas and turners are different, as stated above in many sections. They may overlap in some terms like mixing, scrapping, and spreading but are not interchangeable with one another.

You can't use turners to scoop products from the tiny containers and spatulas to flip the food on the grill.

Conclusion: Save Your Precious Time and Money with Spatty!

We hope you have clarity about the difference between spatula and turner.

The spatula is one of those tools that will simplify many cooking and preparation tasks.

Do not throw away leftover food products. Use the Spatty Kitchen Spatula to scrape food from containers with small openings to the bottom.

Spatty will save you a lot of bucks!