What Is an Egg Flip?
An egg flip is a kitchen utensil with a broad, flat head used to slide underneath food and turn or lift it during cooking. In Australia, egg flip is an established term for this type of utensil. The Australian National Dictionary Centre included Egg flip as its January 2018 Oxford Word of the Month.[1]
Despite the name, an egg flip is not limited to cooking eggs.
What Does an Egg Flip Look Like?
An egg flip generally has a long handle and a broad, relatively flat head. The leading edge is shaped to slide underneath food, while the wider part of the head supports the food as it is lifted.
Egg flips may have solid, slotted or perforated heads and can be made from materials including wood, metal, silicone and nylon.
Is an Egg Flip the Same as a Spatula?
The names used for this type of kitchen utensil overlap.
Cambridge Dictionary defines a spatula as a cooking utensil with a wide, flat blade used especially for lifting food from pans.[2] Merriam-Webster defines a turner as a kitchen tool for lifting and turning foods.[3]
These terms can describe utensils with very similar functions, even though their exact shapes and common names vary.
Why Do Some Egg Flips Have Holes?
Slots or holes allow juices, oil or fat to drain through the head when food is lifted.
Wooden Egg Flips and Non-Stick Cookware
Tefal advises users of its Easy Grip non-stick cookware to use wooden or plastic utensils and not metal utensils.[4]
Guidance varies between cookware manufacturers: Le Creuset recommends silicone, wooden or other heat-resistant tools for its non-stick cookware while allowing metal utensils to be used with care on some ranges. Its Essential Non-stick Ceramic cookware is specifically described as safe for metal utensils.[5]
The care instructions for the particular pan should therefore guide the choice of utensil.
Australian Woodwork's Red Hardwood Egg Flip
Australian Woodwork's Red Hardwood Egg Flip is made from Red Hardwood and measures 33 cm long, 8 cm wide and 0.8 cm thick.[6]
Its chamfered leading edge is designed to slide underneath foods such as fried eggs and pancakes, while holes through the head allow cooking fat to drain away.[6]
View the Red Hardwood Egg Flip
References
- Australian National Dictionary Centre, Australian National University. Oxford Word of the Month, January 2018: “Egg flip”.
- Cambridge Dictionary. Spatula.
- Merriam-Webster. Turner.
- Tefal. Easy Grip: User Manual and Frequently Asked Questions.
- Le Creuset. Care and Use.
- Australian Woodwork. Red Hardwood Egg Flip.