Why You Should Grab A Fish Spatula When Baking Your Next Batch Of Cookies

Kitchen gadgets come and go — there are plenty of once-popular kitchen tools that people have stopped using. Others, however, have serious staying power, and the heroic (yet underrated) fish spatula deserves to join this category. Oh, you don't have one of those? Well, if you bake cookies regularly, you should invest in one, stat.

Nothing ruins a baker's mood faster than cookies that have fused to their baking pan, or ones that crumble when you try to pry them up. Because of the extraordinary thinness and flexibility of a fish spatula's flipper (the metal part that you use to actually flip things), it is perfect for getting under those delicate, still-warm, and sometimes stubbornly stuck cookie bottoms. Sure, you could try using a regular silicone spatula instead. However, its thicker and less forgiving head could end up making a mess of your treats, as you try to shove it underneath and end up smushing the shape of each cookie. Who wants that headache?

While they're made to pick up and flip delicate filets of fish, as the name implies, fish spatulas can be multipurpose workhorses in the kitchen if you let them. That said, if you use mainly nonstick bakeware and cookware, the sharp metal of a fish spatula can indeed scratch the surface. Stainless steel, carbon steel, or cast iron, though? It's all systems go.

A fish spatula goes a long way towards perfect-looking baked goods, but if you're still plagued by mangled cookies that stick to your bakeware, a few extra tips can help you out. If the thought of scraping a fish spatula against your baking sheets — nonstick or not — makes you wince, you should absolutely use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper to act as a barrier. A lining on your pan not only protects its nonstick coating, if that's what you're using, but it will help your cookies lift up with ease.

Additionally, let your cookies rest for a few minutes after baking, before trying to move them. Giving them an opportunity to solidify outside of the oven, so they are less likely to smush in on themselves, can make all the difference. And if even the razor-thin edge of a fish spatula can't un-stick your cookies, you can use a foolproof cookie removal method that involves dental floss.

Fish spatulas, by the way, aren't just for unsticking, lifting, and moving cookies — they can be used to cut and serve bar-shaped baked goods, like blondies, lemon bars, or cranberry walnut streusel bars. And if you have any residue or food particles stuck on your steel or cast iron baking dish afterward, the sharp tip of this tool is really handy in helping to scrape it up.