Most helpful customer reviews
97 of 105 people found the following review helpful.
Simply the best (and highly rated) by....
By Jolly Gourmand
'Cook's Illustrated':
"While they may be called fish spatulas, these flexible, thin spatulas are equally adept at flipping chicken cutlets and steaks. We tested five popular brands--three metal and two nonstick--by flipping numerous batches of flaky haddock fillets (in large and small skillets) and found (once again) that price is not indicative of value.
Priced around $7, the Matfer slotted Pelton fish spatula outperformed the Global, which cost eight times as much. The Matfer received raves for its comfortable handle, long blade, and exceptional performance. Because of its smooth, slippery plastic and Fiberglas composition (exoglass), the spatula nimbly flipped fish without scarring the delicate flesh (as the metal spatulas did), and it is completely safe for nonstick skillets.
We recommend fish spatulas with one caveat: They are designed for right-handed cooks. Some companies make left-handed versions as well, but Matfer does not."
JG caveat: Since this is not an Amazon site product, the ridiculously high $5 shipping charge may direct the purchaser to a gourmet shop, or cooking supplies store such as 'Bed, Bath and Beyond'.
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful.
My favorite spatula turner
By doctorsirena
I have had this product for many years now (between 5 and 10 years) and I love it. After I had used it for a few months, I got rid of all of my traditional shaped (rectangle head) spatula turners since I love the Matfer so much. It is comfortable in the hand and must have been ergonomically designed for turning. I am right-handed and due to the angle on this spatula, I assume that it would not be comfortable for lefties.
I use this spatula to turn foods in a pan (flip eggs, roasted veggies, etc) and especially for removing cookies from the pan. It is great for nonstick cookware. It has the right amount of flexibility. The grey color has discolored over several years (now a kind of yucky yellowish/brownish grey) and the front edge has worn slightly. But it has held up very well with my frequent use. The only thing I don't like is that sticky foods will get stuck in the slots and is more work to clean. Overall, I would definitely purchase again and I recommend this product.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful.
Not worth the price
By J. Janssen
I ordered this spatula based upon the positive reviews it received, coupled with my need for a non-stick safe utensil suitable for a smaller pan. What I got was a cheap plastic turner that is virtually indistinguishable from any number of other MUCH cheaper plastic turners carried by the discount stores. How America's Test Kitchen designated this a category winner is beyond me, though I'll give them the benefit of doubt and assume that when priced at $5 it was no worse than others in the comparison and won on low price alone. Let no one convince you that this is anything other than a cheap drugstore utensil and it certainly does not possess any magical "french gourmet" qualities. All those positive reviews surely were written by the same folks that are convinced the emperor really is wearing beautiful garments*.
While I have to admit that this spatula is not particularly any worse than others in the $2 or $3 range, I've also got to mention the absurdity of charging $12 for a product that is no better made than a plastic picnic fork. The product arrived in a cardboard sleeve replete with french slogans and assurances of authenticity. It also was replete with mold flashing and needed a fair amount of owner finishing to render it safe to cook with. The blade front is not formed particularly well and tends to stick to items like fried eggs when one tries to separate 2 or 3 prior to turning to the second side. Additionally, the shaft is noticeably not up to the task of lifting heavier items such as chops, small filets, or fish, either for turning or for removing to plate. I'm not sure exactly what it's made of but whatever qualities the designers were looking for (other than possibly high heat resistance) clearly weren't met.
It's very possible that there just isn't any perfect tool when it comes to these sorts of utensils as I don't have a specific recommendation for a better performer. Silicon tools tend to be too thick to comfortably slip under fragile foods such as eggs and fish; nylon has a very low melt temperature leading to early demise; and the harder plastics tend to scratch teflon and other non stick surfaces. All I can assure you is that this tool by Pelton is no panacea and is seriously overpriced for what it is.
* I like ATK as much as the next person, but the more I look into the products they recommend, the more I'm convinced there's a crazed bunch of ATK groupies that see a review and then stampede to amazon to be the first to promote the product. It's ridiculous; most of these reviews are authored within days of the ATK recommendation (including the subsequent re-telecasts) and these culinary ditto heads are offering up testimonials of how well these things hold up and how utterly perfect they are. Take ATK 5 star reviews with a large grain of sea salt.
See all 99 customer reviews...
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
This spatula is made to stand up to a high volume of usage and extra-high heat: it's an at-home version of the metal spatulas restaurant cooks use to flip burgers, sandwiches, and pancakes. Peek into the kitchen next time you're at your favorite diner--they'll be using a spatula shaped like this. Why? Expediency. You can slip this spatula under two burgers and lift and flip within seconds. Its long body gets under the food and balances it so there's no drooping and slipping off the sides. There's less sticking, too, thanks to the spatula's three long air vents. And don't worry if you leave it leaning against a hot pan--it won't melt. --Dana Van Nest
