Aspatula is a broad, flat, flexible blade used to mix, spread and lift material[1] including foods, drugs, plaster and paints.
In medical applications, "spatula" may also be used synonymously withtongue depressor.[2]
The wordspatula derives from the Latin word for a flat piece of wood or splint, a diminutive form of the Latinspatha, meaning 'broadsword', and hence can also refer to atongue depressor. The wordsspade (digging tool) andspathe are similarly derived. The wordspatula has been used in English since 1525.[3]
Spatulas are usually used to scrape within the contours of a mixing bowl or to level off the top of a dry mixing cup.
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 afish slice), used to lift and flip food items during cooking, such aspancakes andfillets. The blades on these are usually made ofmetal orplastic, with a wooden or plastic handle to insulate them fromheat. Acookie shovel is a turner with a larger blade, made for lifting cookies off a pan orbaking sheet.
A frosting spatula is also known aspalette knife and is usually made of metal or plastic.
Bowl and platescrapers are sometimes called spatulas.[4][5]
InBritish English 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.
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.
In laboratories,spatulas andmicrospatulas are smallstainless steel utensils, used for scraping, transferring, or applying powders and paste-like chemicals or treatments.[6] Many spatula brands are also resistant to acids, bases, heat, and solvents, which make them ideal for use with a wide range of compounds.[7] 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 performinglyophilization.
For example, they are excellent for scraping, applying methyl cellulose to a book spine to remove the old adhesive, delaminating the layers of board, and lifting delicate materials and helping them back into place, during the performance of repair treatments. They are made of stainless or tool steel and are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
The dictionary definition ofspatula at Wiktionary
