We Tested 11 Turners for Nonstick Pans—Here Are Our Favorites (2024)

If you cook frequently, you probably have multiple spatulas in your arsenal. But, the perfect spatula depends on what you’re cooking. There are soft flat spatulas for scraping bowls, metal spatulas for flipping fish, burgers, and the like, and nonstick food turners for delicate pans and surfaces (like that of our favorite electric griddles).

While we seldom recommend using nonstick cookware, it can be helpful in certain situations, like when cooking eggs or keeping delicate fish filets in one piece. The catch is that these pans can wear out easily, and scratches will compromise the integrity of the pan. One of the best ways to extend the lifespan of your nonstick cookware is to use gentle (and also nonstick) utensils.

We last tested nonstick-safe turners in 2017. But, since then, more turners have hit the market and we wondered how our favorites held up. Like with our previous testing, we focused on silicone food turners. Silicone is heat-resistant to higher temperatures (around 600°F or 315°C) compared to nylon (under 400°F or 200°C). When nylon melts, it becomes less nonstick and things like eggs tend to get hung up on its frayed edges. Nylon spatulas are also generally thicker and inflexible. Of course, silicone turners can have their issues, too: They can be too floppy (not reinforced properly) and can crack and retain odors. That being said, there are some great ones out there.

To find the best nonstick turner spatulas, we tested 11 models. We wanted ones that were comfortable to hold and strong enough to steadily lift a hearty burger, while still being maneuverable enough to flip delicate foods like over-easy eggs.

The Winners, at a Glance

This repeat favorite features a razor-thin wide head and would make any cook happy. It flipped food with ease and we think its "small" size is still plenty big enough for turning pancakes.

The GIR Mini Flipper features a solid piece of silicone, a fiberglass core, and a relatively thin edge that packs a ton of strength into a small design. This food turner is small enough to work well in frying pans as well as on the griddle.

This is about as beautiful as a nonstick-turner gets. The spatula head has just the right amount of flex, and its relatively thin, tapered edge scooted under food easily. The extra-long handle makes this product versatile and well-suited for flipping foods in deep pans.

A slotted food turner allows for a little grease drainage, like if you’re searing a burger or cooking bacon on an electric griddle. We liked the Tovolo’s tapered edge; it flipped pancakes with ease and didn’t budge under the weight of a heavy burger patty.

The Tests

• Durability Test: To test for durability, we bent and flexed each food turner, checking for warping and evaluating any seams.
• Over-Easy Eggs Test: To test for maneuverability, we made two over-easy eggs on a nonstick griddle. We evaluated how well each food turner could lift, flip, and keep an egg intact. We also checked to make sure the griddle remained unscratched.
• Burgers Test: To test for strength, we used each food turner to flip 1/2-pound burger patties. We evaluated how well the spatula could handle the weight and size of a large patty.
• Pancakes Test: To further test the maneuverability, we evaluated how well each food turner could lift and flip five pancakes made on an electric griddle.
• Usability Tests: Throughout testing, we considered the overall comfort and feeling of the food turner.
• Cleanup Tests: After each test, we washed the turners by hand. At the end of testing, we cleaned the turners in the dishwasher.
  

What We Learned

Durable, Sturdy Turners Were the Best

For a tool that lasts a lifetime, check the seams. One-piece models like the GIR and Material spatulas had no Achilles heels or weak spots. Other turners feature flimsy silicone heads attached to metal handles. If we were able to easily warp the spatula by hand, it was a no-go. And, ultimately, these too-bendy tools buckled under the weight of heavy foods like burgers, and the weak seams made us question their long-term durability.

However, other spatulas with multi-piece/material constructions fared better. The OXO and Tovolo, for example, were much sturdier. They snapped back into place after being bent, rather than warped. And they easily managed a half-pound burger patty.

Thin, Tapered Heads Were Most Nimble

Many turners are designed with a head that is thicker in the center and becomes gradually thinner toward its edges. These tapered edges easily slid under food, but the thickness mattered as well. Models like the ones from Material, GIR, and Tovolo had thicker heads, but more sharply tapered edges. Others, like our favorite from OXO, have super-thin heads. Both of these designs were able to scoot under and lift delicate foods, so it’s more of a matter of personal preference/spatula length.

What didn’t work well, though, were nonstick turners that had thicker edges and more gradual tapers. These ended up pushing food around rather than easily picking it up.

Bigger Wasn't Always Better

A large spatula might look powerful and appealing, but it’s not necessarily better. If the spatula was too large, it made it hard to retrieve food in a 10-inch skillet and maneuver around a crowded electric griddle. We generally preferred turners that were less than 11 inches long.

We also found that spatulas with too-small heads were fine for lightweight foods like pancakes and eggs, but not bigger items like burgers, which wobbled and threatened to fall off. Spatulas with heads that were about two-and-a-half inches or less just weren’t large enough to be super versatile. Conversely, too wide also wasn’t good. One spatula we tested was six inches wide—far too large to be nimble.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Nonstick Turner

The best nonstick silicone food turners are nimble, yet strong. They should have thin or sharply tapered edges. The head should be small enough to isolate a single egg in a frying pan, but large enough to balance larger items like burger patties or pancakes. They should have a little flex that allows them to bend slightly when sliding under food but should be sturdy enough to retain their shape.

The Best Spatulas for Nonstick Pans

What we liked: This basic turner was one of our favorites from our 2017 testing, and it did just as well five years later. The thin edge scoots under food easily. It’s also a little sharp (but not sharp-sharp), which makes it useful for separating, say, two pancakes or eggs that have run together. This two-piece design features a silicone head and a stainless steel handle, but it snapped back into shape even after rigorous bending.

What we didn’t like: It’s more bendy than single-piece spatulas, making it less ideal for scraping up fond or loosening up stuck-on items. Its multi-piece design can trap bits of food more readily.

Key Specs

• Heat-resistant: Up to 450ºF
• Dimensions: 11.25 x 3.25 inches
• Dishwasher-safe: Yes
• Materials: Silicone and stainless steel
  

What we liked: The GIR Mini Flipper is extremely sturdy and constructed from a single piece of silicone with a fiberglass core. At nearly 11 inches long, it’s fairly long, but it has a small (2.56-inch head), which made it nimble and easy to maneuver around any cooking surface. It’s also a good option if you’re looking for a turner for scraping, stirring, and sautéing. Whether cooking on a crowded griddle or in a small frying pan, the thin tapered edge and small surface area can isolate and lift any food. Though the head is small, the GIR Mini Flipper has a fiberglass core that packs a lot of strength into this small tool.

What we didn’t like: While its small size can be a boon, it can also be too small for bigger food items—such as omelettes, burgers, and extra-large pancakes.

Key Specs

• Heat-resistant: Up to 550ºF
• Dimensions: 10.9 x 2.6 inches
• Dishwasher-safe: Yes
• Materials: Silicone with a fiberglass core
  

What we liked: The Material soft-edge tuner performed well in all of our tests. It featured a thick head—measuring 7mm in the center—but this was offset by its sharply tapered edge, which allowed it to seamlessly scoot under and pick up eggs and pancakes. The width of the head provided extra strength for flipping large burgers. At 7.5 inches, this turner had the longest handle of the winners, making it good for stirring or scraping in a deeper pan. As a bonus, this beautifully designed food turner would look lovely displayed in a utensil crock.

What we didn’t like: Over time, the light-gray silicone could discolor. At $20, this is the most expensive food turner we tested.

Key Specs

• Heat-resistant: Up to 450ºF
• Dimensions: 9 x 3 inches
• Dishwasher-safe: Yes
• Materials: Silicone with nylon core and stainless steel cap

What we liked: This sturdy spatula is nicely proportioned and picks up food well. The thick head features a nylon core for added strength, and measures 5.2 mm in the center, creating a sturdy platform for holding foods. The Tovolo’s two-piece construction has solid seams that showed no signs of giving even after rigorous bending. If you’re set on a slotted spatula, give this one a go.

What we didn’t like: The tapered edge is slim enough to slide under food but is blunt. If two pancakes run together, it takes a decent amount of pressure to separate them using the spatula’s edge.

Key Specs

• Heat-resistant: Up to 600ºF
• Dimensions: 12.75 x 3.5 inches
• Dishwasher-safe: Yes
• Materials: Silicone and stainless steel
  

The Competition

• OXO Good Grips Silicone Cookie Spatula: This was one of our previous favorites, and we still do think it’s a great option for retrieving cookies off of a baking sheet or flipping a single egg. However, it’s just too small to be as versatile as a larger spatula.
• DI ORO Chef Series Standard Flexible Silicone Turner: This turner handled food well, but it warped easily by hand.
• Allwin-Houseware Silicone Turner: This thin turner can slide under food easily, but the large head bentunder the weight of a burger.
• DI ORO Chef Series Wide Round Flexible Silicone Turner Spatula: This spatula’sextremely wide head was a little unwieldy.
• Maine Man Fish Turner Slotted Spatula: This inflexible spatula featured a thick edge that made it difficult to pick up individual foods. During testing it scooted eggs and pancakes all over the griddle.
• DI ORO Chef Series Long Flexible Silicone Turner Fish Spatula: A functional design, but this food turner warped easily when bent by hand.
• OXO Good Grips Silicone Flexible Omelet Turner: We found this turner to be too large.

FAQs

Are nonstick spatulas dishwasher-safe?

All of our favorite nonstick spatulas are dishwasher-safe. Most nonstick spatulas will likely be dishwasher-safe; however, you should always check with the manufacturer's care instructions to be sure prior to cleaning.

Can nonstick spatulas melt?

Any kind of spatula can melt with a high enough temperature. Nylon spatulas are more prone to melting if placed near a burner or used in a screaming hot pan. Our favorite nonstick spatulas are made from silicone, which is much more durable and heat-resistant.

Can you use a nonstick spatula with a cast iron or carbon steel skillet?

Nonstick spatulas are safe for use in nonstick pans, cookware, and bakeware, but they can also be used in cast iron or carbon steel skillets. However, if you frequently cook in cast iron or carbon steel, we recommend investing in a fish spatula as well.

Are silicone spatulas nonstick?

Silicone-coated spatulas and turners do have nonstick properties which prevents food from sticking to them during cooking. There are some foods, like oatmeal or polenta, that can form a starchy coating on silicone and need to be scrubbed of, but it's much easier to clean these foods off compared to a wooden spoon.

Can I use a silicone spatula for frying?

Most silicone spatulas will come with a heat-resistant rating that can withstand frying temperatures, though it's good to check with the manufacturer. Most frying occurs around 350ºF, and most silicone utensils are heat-resistant up to 450ºF, but it's best to verify both the frying temperature in the recipe and the heat-resistance rating for the utensil.

Are there nonstick fish spatulas?

There are nonstick fish spatulas and we tested a couple of them as part of this review (though we didn't like these particular ones). When we reviewed fish spatulas, though, we ended up recommending a silicone-edged model from Sur La Table, which is safe to use with nonstick cookware.

Why We're the Experts

• Madeline Muzziis a freelance writer, editor, and video producer.
• She has written many reviews for Serious Eats, includingwine decantersand countertop ice makers.
• For this review, we tested eleven turner spatulas by using them to flip over-easy eggs, burgers, and pancakes. We also noted how they felt to maneuver, checked to see if they scratched nonstick pans, and examined how they held up to being cleaned in the dishwasher (as well as hand-washed). In addition, we bent and flexed each turner to check their durability.
• One of our winners, from OXO, has been our top pick since 2017 and stood up to repeated review.