There’s another advantage to replacing your plastic utensils: The alternatives are likely to last for years.
You have options. Stainless steel lasts a lifetime and is grill-proof, dishwasher-safe, and easy to maintain, but it can scratch nonstick and enamel surfaces. For nonstick-friendly tools, consider silicone, which is dishwasher-safe, and wood or bamboo, both of which are best washed by hand.
Each material has its own set of pros and cons. But it’s the design of the tool that can often make the most difference in performance. Here are some of our tried-and-true favorites.
Top pick
This silicone-coated spatula is a must if you use nonstick cookware, because it won’t scratch your pan. Its angled, tapered edge easily slips under brittle cookies and fried eggs without mangling them.
The closest equivalent to a plastic flipping spatula is a silicone one, which won’t scratch nonstick pans. Our top pick, the GIR Mini Flip Silicone Spatula, has a tapered edge that helps it slip beneath delicate eggs and cookies. It also comes in a range of colors.
Like other silicone GIR utensils, this spatula is suitable for high-heat cooking and dishwasher-safe, and its sturdy, seamless design makes it easy to clean. But its blade is relatively small, so it isn’t as deft with larger things like wide fish fillets.
Best for
Sliding this straight-edged, silicone-coated spatula under fish and cookies takes a little more effort, but its wide blade holds and flips pancakes with ease.
If you prefer a wider spatula blade for slipping under delicate fish fillets and sunny-side-up eggs, we also recommend the OXO Good Grips Silicone Small Flexible Turner, which has a thin, silicone-coated blade, though its edge is not tapered. It comes with OXO’s satisfaction guarantee.
Top pick
This affordable, lightweight spatula works well for a multitude of tasks, including turning delicate fish fillets in a pan and flipping pancakes.
For an all-purpose flipping spatula (that’s not suitable for nonstick pans), I’m loyal to our top pick, the Victorinox Swiss Army Slotted Fish Turner. Its long, thin blade can easily slip under fish, and that means it’s also perfect for any other delicate task, such as moving oversize cookies, pancakes, or fried eggs; it can transfer more than one item at a time, too. Its slatted design helps to drain fat and release steam. Victorinox offers a lifetime warranty.
Top pick
This spatula is small enough to fit in a peanut butter jar, strong enough to handle dough, and flexible enough to clean the edges of a batter bowl.
For mixing and baking, our top pick, the GIR Ultimate Spatula, has enough structure for vigorous stirring and enough flex for cleaning the edges of batter-laden bowls. GIR also makes a Skinny size that I like for tasks requiring a bit more finesse.
Staff pick
This well-made wooden spoon will last for years and only get more handsome with use.
Pairing rigid stirring with scratch-free scraping, wooden spoons are kitchen multitaskers, and they come in a range of shapes and sizes to suit your personal preference. You can sometimes find great wooden spoons at yard sales or kitchen-supply shops, and even from local woodworkers.
But if you want a place to start, kitchen-team senior staff writer Michael Sullivan recommends French beechwood spoons. He owns several in multiple sizes. “They develop a lovely patina with use, and the quality is excellent—they last for years,” he says.
Staff pick
This beechwood spoon has a long handle for reaching over a steaming stovetop. It’s smooth and lightweight, and it has a wide curved bowl for tasting and serving.
Kitchen-team senior staff writer Lesley Stockton recommends a similar lightweight beechwood spoon from Williams Sonoma for its “thin handle, small neck, and delightfully curved bowl.”
Staff pick
This inexpensive spatula’s flat edge easily scrapes the bottom of a pan, and its rounded corner gets into the hard-to-reach areas of sloped-sided cookware.
For sautéing, a wooden spoon will do, but the wider, flat edge of a wooden or bamboo spatula can move food more efficiently around a hot surface, and the tool is great for breaking up ground meat and dislodging the browned bits from the bottom of a pan. I even use my spatulas for scrambled eggs.
In fact, Wirecutter’s kitchen team loves flat-edged paddles. We recommend Helen’s Asian Kitchen Bamboo Stir Fry Spatula, which costs a mere $5 or so and has a slightly angled edge and a subtle scoop for maneuvering stir-fries out of the pan.
Staff pick
This utensil is designed for roux but ideal for anything a wooden spatula can do. Its angled edge makes reaching the corners of a pot all the easier.
Senior staff writers Rachel Wharton and Michael Sullivan both recommend roux paddles, which have an angled spatula edge. “They are built for stirring and scraping,” says Rachel. And Michael says they’re “great for scraping up fond development on the bottom of a pan when deglazing.”
You have other options, too. Kitchen-team staff writer Maki Yazawa recommends the gently cupped Our Place Beechwood Spatulas, which nest for compact storage. For a shorter handle, I’m partial to my lightweight, handcrafted Japanese bamboo spatulas; I’ve owned mine for years.
Staff pick
This ergonomic, artisanal spoon is handmade from cherrywood and available with either a right- or left-handed handle.
If you want both a flat-edged spatula and a scooper, consider the Jonathan’s Spoons Spootle, an option found in Wirecutter and New York Times gift guides. The wild-cherry utensil has an angled edge and a divet for scooping. Handcrafted in Kempton, Pennsylvania, it comes in both right- and left-handed designs. Jonathan’s Spoons also makes other sustainably harvested cherrywood utensils that double as keepsakes, including salad tongs, tasting spoons, and mixing paddles.
Similar in concept to the Spootle, Le Creuset’s Revolution Wood Scraping Spoon pairs the flat edge of a spatula with the scoop of a spoon. It comes recommended by updates writer Evan Dent.
Staff pick
This generously sized chef’s favorite is stainless steel and easily goes from kitchen to table, so you can taste, stir, and serve with ease.
The JB Prince Gray Kunz Sauce Spoon is a chef’s secret weapon (and a favorite of The Bear’s Matty Matheson, apparently). And it can be the same for any home cook. Made of smooth, durable, lightweight, easy-to-clean stainless steel, it has a graceful, classic shape and a generous size that makes it ideal for serving, but it’s equally at home at the stove for stirring and tasting as you go.
Senior staff writer Lesley Stockton says she owns “up to four” and jokes, “I have a problem.” She uses them for “cooking, mixing, tossing, and serving.” Personally, I own two, since they also work great as a pair for serving salad. They will last you forever.
Staff pick
These stainless steel tongs are sturdy, affordable, and easy to maintain. They’re staff favorites as well as mainstays in professional kitchens, and they’re widely available.
Heavy-duty, stainless steel tongs will last for ages, and they’re surprisingly useful to have in the kitchen. I use mine for more than I ever imagined—retrieving hot food from a frying pan, pulling rolls from the toaster oven, tossing salad.
Winco’s stainless steel tongs are affordable and durable enough for professional cooks. We recommend them in our guide to the best grilling tools for their comfort, control, and scalloped heads, as well as their low price.
This article was edited by Megan Beauchamp and Catherine Kast.
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