As the queen of forgetting about the spatula on the hot pan, I am trying to actively invest in kitchen utensils that can both handle high temperatures and won’t leave me freaked out about sketchy plastic materials. There has been a lot of nervous chatter about black plastic recently, and deservedly so; studies have found that it can contain unregulated amounts of toxins, and, according to one article, it can also be composed of chemical blends that aren’t so different from, say, those found in your computer or TV. And while another recent study found that some of the black plastic fears were inflated by the media and thus the public, I still do not want to eat eggs that taste like Roku City — so I was all ears when my coworkers started talking about some of their favorite non-toxic silicone utensils.
In the realm of non-toxic silicone kitchen tools, there is also a new wave of Instagrammy cookware brands such as Our Place, Great Jones, Hedley & Bennett, whose BPA- and BPS-free silicone utensils look, frankly, pretty damn cool. We’re going to dive into them all, but I want to start with the brand that emerged as a clear Eater staff favorite, Get It Right (GIR).
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I have been cooking with the brand’s big spoon — exactly what it sounds like, at 13 inches in length — for a few years now; it can lift the eggs from my shakshuka with ample sauce and zero breakage, is indeed very nonstick (and easy to clean), and can also withstand temperatures of up to 550 degrees Fahrenheit. But my coworkers especially sang the praises of the brand’s Spoonula, a spoon-spatula hybrid that functions as a space-saving nice multi-tool for pushing, flipping, basting, and more. I have been enjoying the 11-inch Spoonula, but it’s in such constant rotation in my kitchen that I also want to bring home the 8-inch mini version.
If any of my friends and family are reading, I would also not be opposed to bringing home the GIR Turner, which is designed for flipping barbecue fare and face-sized pancakes with its ample surface area, as well as the brand’s dishwasher-safe basting brush. (Hell is real, and it’s a place where I’m left cleaning nylon bristle brushes.) There are also plenty of bundles available on both Amazon and the GIR site, many of which are on sale.
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Then there are the more Instagrammy cookware brands, which also boast their sets of non-toxic, BPA-free bundles. Great Jones has a Bauhaus-worthy collection that would look great hanging from a stainless steel wall mount pot rack, while Our Place’s bundle offers a slightly earthier, more understated colorway option. Finally, Public Goods’ 6-piece silicone set includes a fantastically wide turner and slender spatula for getting the last of the mayo from the jar, while Hedley & Bennett’s first venture into utensils includes a whopper 11-piece set that will also equip you with a zester, shears, dough scraper, and more.
Now, enjoy flipping, scraping, and scrambling in peace. Next up? Nonstick pans.
