Commercial Spatulas

A turner if the job is lifting, flipping or portioning on a hot surface. A scraper if the job is folding, mixing or emptying a container.

They are not substitutes. See spoonulas for the in-between tool that scoops and scrapes.

Wide enough to support whatever is being turned in one movement, and narrow enough to fit between items on a full plate. A turner too wide cannot get under anything in a crowded service.

Most griddle sections hold a wide turner and a narrow one. See benchtop gas griddles and bbq accessories for the longer-handled versions.

On a griddle, a lot. The offset keeps the knuckles above the hot surface, which is what makes a long shift at a plate bearable.

On a pan it matters less. A straight turner is fine for frying pans and saute pans.

No. Use nylon or silicone turners in anything coated and keep metal for stainless, cast iron and a griddle plate.

One metal turner in a non-stick pan ruins the pan. See commercial cast iron cookware for where metal is the right choice.

It is rated per product and stated on the product page, and the range is wide between a cheap scraper and a professional one. A scraper used for a hot caramel and a scraper used for cake batter are not the same purchase.

If it is going into a hot pan or over a flame, buy for the rating rather than assuming. Our specifications page explains how we list it.

Because a two-piece scraper holds food and water in the join between blade and handle, and that join is the part nobody can see into. One-piece silicone has nowhere for it to go.

It also survives a commercial dishwasher better, since there is nothing to separate or swell.

Two or three turners at each hot station and a scraper per mixing job running at once. Sweet and savoury should not share a scraper, because silicone holds aroma.

Hold spares; they are cheap and they walk. Store them hanging or in a station holder — see cutlery storage and commercial kitchen utensils.