I know that for many people, it’s a little cold out to be doing much grilling, but since my wife ruined my nonstick skillet by using the wrong spatula, I’ve been spending a lot of time out on the patio cooking up meat. One thing I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about is how she’s really ungrateful for a lot of the things I do around here, but another thing I’ve been thinking about is how having the right grill spatula is really important when it comes to not only cooking great food, but also avoiding injury. There are literally millions of ways to burn yourself when you’re making BBQ, but hopefully I can help you avoid at least some of those by helping you choose the best grill spatula for your cooking.

The Hazards Of Using The Wrong BBQ Spatula

Whether you have a gas, charcoal, or some other kind of grill, you’re going to be dealing with some seriously hot temperatures. I’m talking kill-you or scar-you-for-life type temperatures, which is why children should never be allowed to barbecue. It may be delicious, but this shit is dangerous as hell! No joke!

So many things can go wrong if you have some kind of dollar-store cheapo grilling spatula. Sure, you save a few bucks, but what is not being permanently disfigured worth to you? It’s worth a hell of a lot more than a dollar to me, that’s for sure!

Let’s say you’re using a bargain-bin grill spatula. You have no idea what it’s made of, some kind of metal and plastic or something, who even knows? All the package said was “GRILL SPATALA – GREAT FOR COOK!” with a photo of a guy using a completely different spatula. And you start flipping your burgers and everything is going well until you notice the blade of the spatula is melting into your meat, dripping toxic heavy metal sludge all over something you were planning on feeding your family.

If that’s not bad enough, it gets worse. While you’re thinking, well, I guess it’s macaroni noodles and ketchup again tonight, the poorly insulated handle finally melts through and sears your hand the same way you wanted the grill to sear your burgers.

Is that really what it would take to make you put some thought into what you really need in a bbq spatula?

Learn, Don’t Burn, All About Grill Spatulas

If you’re serious about grilling food and not injuring yourself, you need to look for a few things in a grilling spatula:

• Long length, to keep your hands away from the deadly hot cooking surfaces
• A good heat and fire resistant but semi-flexible material, specifically stainless steel, for the flat part
• A handle made of something easy to grip and also a great insulator; some folks like wood, I like rubber
• Optionally, a sharp edge so you can cut your meat to test how done it is without taking it off the grill.

Here’s my weapon of choice, the OXO Good Grips Barbecue Turner. It’s got everything I mentioned above.

Well, until I get my replacement nonstick pan I ordered, I’m going to be doing all of my cooking outside. I don’t mind. Grilled meat has been enjoyed by man since homo erectus learned to control fire, and it will be enjoyed by the futuristic superhumans of tomorrow, as well. My wife certainly isn’t complaining about all the barbecue, so maybe this was her plan all along. Or maybe she wanted me to burn myself, but it’s not going to happen because I have the best grill spatula on the market.

Click hear to see the top selling BBQ spatulas, along with prices and user ratings!