The Spoon And Spatula Hybrid That Might Change The Way You Cook

We've all had to play the game of swapping out utensils when baking or whipping up a thick sauce or soup. And we all know why: you need something sturdy to stir your ingredients, so you break out the wooden spoon; but then you discover something is stuck to the side of the pot, and you need a scraper — cue the silicon spatula. And when a spatula is too soft to get the job done ... then what? 

As small and specific as this problem may seem, anyone who spends time in the kitchen knows it's frustrating to keep switching things up, especially when it will inevitably leave you with more dishes to do. So what's the answer? How about a tool that combines the sturdiness and scooping capabilities of a wooden spoon with the flat scraping edge of a spatula? That's exactly what the Spootle is for!

The Spootle, created by Jonathan's Spoons, is a 12-inch wooden spoon with a broad, flat edge along the bottom, which makes it ideal for scooping, stirring, and scraping without damaging bowls or pots. America's Test Kitchen named it the winning utensil in a best wooden spoons test which pitted 13 wooden stirrers against each other in a series of kitchen tests, including preparing Bolognese sauce, Indian curry, and oatmeal cookie dough.

Unlike the often derided spork, the Spootle — or more generically (and proper portmanteau) the "spoonula" — is a combination utensil that combines the best features of two separate tools. As noted by America's Test Kitchen, a bonafide Spootle is made from durable cherry (though other brands also favor olive, walnut, or bamboo) and has a tapered shape that makes it comfortable to hold. (Lefties and righties can buy their own specialized version on Jonathan's Spoons Website.) Additionally, the spoon portion is deep enough to make it effective at scooping, while the flat edge is both wide and thin enough to effectively scrape stuck food and break up chunks of meat, and the long handle gives users' hands a wide berth from hot stoves.

The one downside of this tool, which has received shout-outs from the likes of Rachel Ray and Oprah's Favorite Things list, is it's a bit pricey. The Spootle retails for $28, though it is handmade in America and long-lasting, so it may just be worth the splurge to only need one tool the next time you've got a thick stirring job on your hands.