A spatula is a broad, flat, flexible blade used to mix, spread, and lift material including foods, drugs, plaster, and paints. In the culinary world, spatulas are used for lifting, flipping, or spreading food. Here are some common uses of spatulas in the kitchen:

• Flipping and turning: The original kitchen spatula, also called a flipper or turner, consists of a long handle and a wide-angled blade. It’s used constantly to flip and turn foods in a hot pan then transfer them to a serving dish. The blade of a turner is usually thin with a tapered tip that slides easily under food without damaging it.

• Scraping: Spatulas can be used to scrape food from pan bottoms that has adhered to them during cooking.

• Mixing: Some spatulas are designed for mixing and spreading things, such as the rubber scraper.

• Lifting: A cookie shovel is a turner with a larger blade, made for lifting cookies off a pan or baking sheet.

Spatulas come in many different shapes, sizes, and materials, including plastic, metal, wood, and silicone. They can be used for a variety of tasks, from flipping burgers on the grill to lifting delicate cookies from parchment paper.