I am not a very particular chef. To give you one example, when I have to add a bunch of seasonings into a recipe, one after another, I just use a tablespoon thingy for each and eyeball how much of it I want filled. To give you another example, in almost every instance when I'm cooking something on a stovetop, I reach for my trusty spatula.
This is no ordinary spatula, though it feels normal to me. This spatula is angled. It is physically possible to bend or straighten its shaft. It is a weakling compared to my strong hands. And like a hockey player who has fine-tuned the specifications of her stick to better beat Ann-Renée Desbiens on the high glove side, I have modified my equipment to my liking. This is what I'm used to, but after a dinner visitor pointed out my unconventional style as I browned ground beef and sautéed peppers and onions, I feel compelled to make my case to the international kitchen that is the internet.
Albert Burneko has kindly demonstrated how a normal spatula works when you're using it to move stuff around in a pan. Notice how close his hand has to get to the edge of what I call "the heat zone" in order to make effective movements.
Here is a demonstration of my spatula, which not only allows you some fun straight-down chopping action with the far edge of its face, but also gives its user an extended reach without sacrificing too much control. I don't see why anyone would do it any other way.
Now, despite my definitive explanation, you might have one lingering doubt. Lauren, what about the times you have to use a spatula for the purposes its makers intended? What about flipping? Isn't that a weird experience for your wrist? To that question I reply with this answer: We all make trade-offs in life.
