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The Best Griddle Spatulas
Griddle spatulas are essential tools designed to easily slide under flat foods like hamburger patties and pancakes to make flipping them easy.
Robust griddle spatulas from manufacturers like Weber, Pit Boss, and Cuisinart can also be used for things like chopping vegetables and moving foods around the cooktop to different heat zones.
Extra-large spatulas can be used to flip multiple strips of bacon, massive pancakes, or move a mass of hot dogs all at one time.
What Are The Best Griddle Spatulas?
Blackstone, Oxo Good Grips, Weber, and Cuisinart are some of the top griddle spatula manufacturers.
These are the predominant kitchen and grill manufacturers who have decades of experience developing high-quality cooking tools and a reputation for listening to the feedback offered up by their loyal customers.
Can You Use a Metal Spatula on a Blackstone Griddle?
Blackstone griddle tops are made from cold-rolled steel, which means you can use a metal spatula on them with ease. They advise you to apply a durable, non-stick seasoning layer before cooking with it the first time.
If you don’t scrape abusively or use a lot of water when you cook, a metal spatula should not affect the seasoning layer’s hydrocarbon density.
How Do I Find the Best Spatula For My Griddle?
Spatulas can be classified by their purpose as flippers, spreaders, or scrapers, with “Flipper” spatulas being the most common for outdoor griddles.
These spatulas are a lot like common kitchen spatulas, except they tend to have a long handle that helps to keep your hands safely away from the heat. Flipper-style griddle spatulas usually have a trapezoidal blade that gives you a lot of purchase on the food you want to flip.
Spatula Blade Size
Since it will be called upon at times to flip some rather large pieces of meat, and perhaps the occasional pancake, you want to prioritize a flipper-style spatula with a metal blade that is at least 6 inches long.
This will give you extra leverage and the surface area you need to tackle most foods.
Spatula Blade Materials
Stainless steel tends to be the best metal for an outdoor griddle spatula. It is strong, non-stick and won’t suffer from corrosion like lesser metals are prone to do when they are used outside.
If you have an indoor/outdoor griddle with a vulnerable, non-stick Teflon coating, then a spatula with a protective silicone coating or one made from rigid heat-resistant silicone is best.
Spatula Handle
A solid stainless steel spatula is acceptable, though the metal handle could get very hot over the course of a long cookout.
So, it helps to prioritize a griddle spatula with a wood or silicone polymer handle to protect your hand from the heat, while also being robust enough to bear the weight of a heavy piece of meat.
Extra Large Grill Spatula
Pit Boss, Cuisinart, and Broil King are three of the top names offering extra-large spatulas for grills and griddles.
These are spatulas with robust handles made of wood or a heat-resistant silicone polymer with blades that are 16-inches long or more.
Extra-large spatulas are great for flipping whole chops, giant pancakes, and masses of bacon all in one swoop.
You can also turn them sideways to chop through things like thin-cut ribeye steak and sauteed vegetables like you would for a classic Philly Cheesesteak sandwich.
Commercial Griddle Spatula
Commercial griddle spatula combos typically include a flipper-style spatula as well as an extra-large offset spatula, and a scraper.
Combos like this offered by Blackstone, Anmarko, and Cuisinart let you cook just about anything on your griddle, then scrape it clean afterward.
They typically have blades that are made from commercial-grade 304 stainless steel.
What Kind of Spatula Do You Use on a Griddle?
So-called “Flipper” spatulas with a stainless steel blade and a wood or silicone polymer handle work best for outdoor griddles that have a non-stick seasoning layer.
However, metal is a poor choice for a griddle that has a non-stick Teflon coating. In this case, a spatula is either made from firm silicone or has a coating of protective silicone to keep from scraping the thin Teflon coating.
What Is a Griddle Spatula Used For?
Griddle spatulas are primarily used for flipping foods like steak, hamburger patties, and chops to give them an even sear on both sides.
They can also be used as an extension of your hands to do things like roll hot dogs or flip pancakes. Some experienced outdoor chefs can even use extra-large griddle spatulas to flip a half dozen slices of bacon at a time.
Can You Use a Metal Spatula on a Griddle?
It is perfectly safe to use a metal spatula on a griddle top that is made from steel or cast iron with a protective seasoning layer or a coating of non-stick porcelain-ceramic.
Though you shouldn’t use a metal spatula on an indoor/outdoor griddle with a non-stick coating of Teflon, as the metal can easily damage or scrape the thin layer of Teflon.
Which Brand Spatula Is Best?
Weber, Blackstone, and Pit Boss are three of the best brand names for outdoor griddle and grill spatulas. Along with Cuisinart, they have a reputation for superior material build quality in their accessories and listen to their loyal customers to refine their product line to meet modern-day demands.
Final Thoughts
Spatulas are a critical tool for just about any outdoor griddle and grill. A flipper-style spatula with a trapezoid-shaped blade made from stainless steel tends to be the best for griddles with a steel cooktop protected by a seasoning layer.
If your griddle has a non-stick Teflon coating, you want to stick to a griddle spatula made from rigid silicone or one that has a protective silicone coating.
Pairing a flipper-style spatula with a scraper and an extra-large spatula with an offset handle is also handy. This makes it easy to flip large things like pancakes and big flank steaks while making quick work of scraping down the griddle top afterward.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.