Between working on the new cookie cookbook and the cake decorating class that Sara Varon and I took, I have come across the word “spatula” pretty often lately. In our cookie book manuscript, we talk about silicone spatulas for combining ingredients and scraping bowls. In the cake decorating class, we used offset spatulas to spread frosting. In our kitchen, we have 8-10 different utensils (of varying sizes and uses) that we call spatulas. How many times have I been in the kitchen and asked Niles: “honey, where’s the spatula?” only to have to explain which spatula I mean?

So I thought I’d do a deep dive and read up on some technical spatula terminology to clear this up. That was the plan, anyway. I really thought I’d find a lot more precise technical terminology. I very much did not.

Oh sure, there are a few precisely named ones, like the fish spatula, or the offset spatula, but in American English – disappointingly, unscientifically – we just call them all “spatula”. So, unscientifically, I figure they can be categorized into three groups, flippy spatulas, spready spatulas, and scrapey spatulas. But scrapey spatulas can do a decent job of spreading, and your spready spatulas can also be used to flip things if they aren’t too big. The flippy spatulas are really only great at flipping, though. Please don’t use a fish spatula to smooth out your cake icing.

Some interesting stuff I turned up: we’ve been using the term “spatula” in English since the 1500s! And it comes from ancient Greek and Latin, where spathe/spatha meant a type of broadsword, with spatula being the diminuitive form. Spatulas are baby swords!

Upcoming Events:

This coming Saturday, October 10, I’m going to be at Goblin Market for the third annual Chicago Brunch Fest! (Did you know Chicago has a Brunch Fest??) I’ll be signing books and leading a workshop on how to draw brunch. It’s free, and there will be free food!

What I’m Into Lately:

🎃 Spooky season has begun! 🎃 I picked up The Nudge, a little novella by Joseph Fink, one of the minds behind Welcome to Night Vale, which has long been a favorite podcast of mine. It was a delightfully unsettling story about a man on the run from a sinister presence that dismantled his marriage, told entirely through a dialogue between him and a hotel concierge. The conceit strains credulity a little bit at times, (there’s no way their walk from the front desk to his hotel room is long enough for the conversation they’re having, I don’t care how big the hotel is meant to be) but the conversation is curious and compelling enough that it didn’t bother me. If you’re looking for a spooky little snack this October, it’s a great choice.

What Toki’s Into Lately:

You know the weather is turning colder, because every time I get up from my seat for even a second, the Young Prince steals it for himself.