Dough Scrapers & Rubber Spatulas

Silicone Spatulas: What You Need to Know

A rubber spatula is a versatile tool, enabling you to mix food, scrape remnants out of a container, or spread batter evenly in a pan. Silicone spatulas are common, heat-resistant alternatives that let you use the same utensil to stir cooking food and to scrape it from the pot after it's done. A rubber scraper also can be a great tool to use with your mixer. These scrapers are made to go with particular mixer models, and they ensure all ingredients are incorporated, with none left sticking to the bowl.

Dough spatulas are a type of rubber spatula specially designed to work with dough, which makes them perfect for bakeries or any venue that frequently handles dough. These dough spatulas can cut dough into appropriate shapes and sizes without waste. Rubber scrapers can help you remove the last bits of food from a pan and keep your cookware clean without removing the piece from rotation for an extended period of time. Spatulas made with silicone ends are heat resistant, so they last long and can be used in many applications.

Common Questions About Rubber Spatulas

What's the difference between a rubber scraper and a rubber spatula?

These two terms have a significant bit of overlap – scraper spatulas are an additional option – but in general, rubber spatulas are intended to move food within cookware while scrapers are designed to scrape burned or stuck food off the cookware. Silicone spatulas can stir food as it's cooked, ensuring an even finish across all the ingredients, and can help users serve food when it's ready. A rubber spatula enables you to flip pancakes, mix stir fry, scramble eggs, and turn burgers without risking burns.

Rubber scrapers, on the other hand, are intended for removing stubborn scraps from cookware. These strong rubber scrapers can remove burned food from hard-to-reach corners of a pot or pan. Scrapers are useful when cleaning your cookware after a day's use, but they also can help you remove burned product on dishes, preventing flavor contamination that can lower the quality of your food.

Are all spatulas heat resistant?

The product specifications page of each unit will list the temperature it can withstand without melting. Those listed specifically as heat resistant can withstand temperatures as high as 500 degrees Fahrenheit, which is sufficient for almost all commercial foodservice uses. If you won't use your spatula in high-heat applications, you don't need to worry about the exact melting point of your rubber spatula, but the cost difference between heat-resistant spatulas and regular spatulas is negligible. If you're not sure what sort of temperature resistance you're going to need, err on the side of getting a heat-resistant silicone spatula.