I use my silicone spatula entirely too much, with almost decadent frequency. It folds my doughs and batters, cleans my bowls of leftovers, stirs my sautés and stews, and helps sauces out of jars. It’s a comfortable and, what’s maybe more important, nearly indestructible tool.

Let’s get our nomenclature straight, since tools called “spatula” are many and significantly different. Every manufacturer christens accessories their own way, and there are regional variations as well. Here’s what makes sense to me:

Turners or flippers have angled handles and flat bottoms, sometimes slotted for draining. This betrays their primary use: turning and removing fried foods from oily pans. Scrapers are sort of the opposite, in that you would not dream to use these near hot foods, EVER, NEVER. They are made of rubber, low-heat silicone, or another head-insensitive material. Unless you’re sure that your spatula is heat-resistant, assume that it’s not. Use plastic scrapers for stirring doughs and, well, scraping!

And finally, there’s the subject of today’s piece: the silicone spatula, which ideally combines the best qualities of its cousins. It’s lightweight, straight, with a comfortable and long-ish handle, and its head is made of heat-resistant, stain-resistant, odorless silicone.

As with every kitchen tool, hold the spatula in your hand before you buy it. Is it comfortable? Are there any sharp seams in the plastic of the handle? Press it against a hard surface - does it gives slightly, but not too much? Can the head be removed? (Unless it’s a single-piece design, which I’m not sold on, you’ll want to wash the inside of the head.)

Some things I’d avoid:

• Metal handles - they’re usually uncomfortable, and since the idea here is that you’ll want to use the spatula around hot stuff, no point in bringing heatable material into it.
• Plastic handles - I rest my spatula on the edge of the pan, so it shouldn’t be meltable. Wood or silicone work well here.
• Single-piece designs - all-silicone construction with a metal rod reinforcing the handle. Easy to clean, but, you run into the “Whoa I’m holding a hot piece of metal” problem again.
• Did the head stain or burn the first time you used it? Back to the store it goes.
• When it comes to to heat resistance, I wouldn’t buy anything rated below 600 F.

So what do I use? The Le Creuset Medium Spatula. Its rounded handle feels great, the head is solid, and the whole thing is shockingly cheap (and not just for Le Creuset). I also have a small one for finer tasks, like scraping small jars. Cook’s Illustrated likes the Rubbermaid scraper; I’ve used it and it felt fine. I’m not ashamed to admit that the Le Creuset is dearer to me because it looks nicer.

By the way, a generalization about the average kitchen: it has too many tools. When considering new purchases, I try to follow the same rule as with new shoes: if you buy something new, donate something old. Buy smart and you’ll end up with long-lasting multitaskers instead of trendy once-a-year gadgets.

Happy stirring!