The peanut butter jar is nearly empty, there’s a decent amount left clinging to the sides, and a normal spoon can’t reach round the shoulder of the jar. So you either give up and bin it, or you stand there with a knife for five minutes. A jar spatula is a long, narrow silicone scraper that fixes exactly that.
Why a normal spatula doesn’t cut it
Standard spatulas have wide heads built for a mixing bowl or a frying pan. Push one into a jar and the head jams against the neck. A jar spatula has a slim head on a long handle, so it reaches the bottom and runs round the corners of the jar. They work on blender jugs and tall measuring cups for the same reason.
What to look for
- Seamless silicone. If the head pulls off the handle, food collects in the join. One continuous piece is easier to keep clean.
- A flexible but firm head. Too floppy and it won’t scrape thick mixtures. Too stiff and it won’t bend round the corner.
- Heat resistance. Handy if you want it to double up for stirring things in a hot pan.
A set to consider
The DI ORO Silicone Jar Spatula Set comes with five pieces in a deep red: a mix of narrow jar scrapers, a spoon-style one and a couple of wider heads. The silicone is rated to 600°F, it’s BPA-free, and each piece is one seamless unit that goes in the dishwasher.
The five-piece spread is a good thing if you cook a lot. You can keep one for sweet jobs and one for savoury, which helps if you’ve ever tasted garlic in your jam. If you only want one for the odd jar of tahini, though, a smaller set will do the job just as well.
