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Metal or silicone spatula for a barbecue

Updated: 23 October 2026

You are about to put a steel grill turner into a non-stick frying pan, or a silicone egg slice onto a hot grate. One of those moves ruins the pan or the tool. Metal or silicone spatula is which blade touches which surface. Steel belongs on bare metal and on grill bars. Silicone, nylon, or wood belongs on ordinary non-stick unless that pan's page allows metal. Every listing in the [grill spatula comparison](/hub/grill-accessories/grill-spatula) is a steel blade. This page does not pick a best model. Peter F. checked those UK pan-care lines on 20 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are about to put a steel grill turner into a non-stick frying pan, or a silicone egg slice onto a hot grate. One of those moves ruins the pan or the tool.

Our top picks

XiaoZu XiaoZu smash turner

Best overall

XiaoZu XiaoZu smash turner
7.2/10about £9.99
View offer
HULISEN HULISEN wide turner

Rank 2

HULISEN HULISEN wide turner
7.7/10about £9.99
View offer
Herogo Herogo spatula and scraper

Best value

Herogo Herogo spatula and scraper
5.8/10about £7.49
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Where steel belongs
  2. 2.Where steel does not belong
  3. 3.What silicone is for
  4. 4.Enamel and coatings on the grill
  5. 5.Which blade touches which surface

Where steel belongs

Use a stainless turner on grill bars, cast iron, carbon steel, and a bare stainless plate. Blackstone's UK note treats metal utensils as normal on cast iron. Keep a scouring pad off the seasoning. HULISEN and XiaoZu are the steel examples in this folder, both about £9.99. UK reviews discuss width and flex. They are not evidence that the edge is gentle on a coating. A silicone grip on a steel blade is still steel. Big Green Egg's UK spatula with a silicone handle, at £24, stays on the grate and off a non-stick pan.

Where steel does not belong

BBC Good Food says metal utensils scratch PTFE, and that wood, silicone, or plastic should be used instead. GreenPan says the same for Thermolon. Swan and Judge tell you to keep metal off their non-stick. Ceramic-looking non-stick is not a free pass. XiaoZu's bullet claims rounded corners will not scratch. That is seller text. It does not override the booklet that came with your pan. If the maker has not marked the pan metal-utensil safe, assume steel is not allowed. If the coating flakes into food, stop using the pan.
XiaoZu XiaoZu smash turner

Testsieger

XiaoZu XiaoZu smash turner
7.2/10about £9.99
View offer

What silicone is for

Silicone, nylon, and wood are the heads for ordinary non-stick pans. They are the wrong press on a barbecue grate. We will not invent a melt temperature for a generic silicone spatula. Le Creuset rates that brand's silicone to 250°C and says not to leave the tool in the pan. That figure is Le Creuset's only. A silicone head gives, so it is a poor smash tool. None of the twelve steel listings is an egg slice. Which? keeps wooden utensils out of the dishwasher. Washing a steel turner is on how to use a grill spatula.

Enamel and coatings on the grill

Enamel is a coating, even when the pan looks like cast iron from a distance. Do not use a steel turner as a knife against the enamel. Chips are permanent. Bare iron is dull and takes seasoning. Enamel is smooth and coloured. A coated griddle plate follows the plate maker. Joyfair and AOCGDDS are stainless scrapers. They belong on a plate that allows metal. They do not belong on a non-stick plate you were told to protect. A long steel handle does not soften the edge. If your only barbecue tool is silicone, do not leave that head over the flame.

Which blade touches which surface

If the surface is grill bars, bare cast iron, carbon steel, or a bare flat top, use steel. If the pan is ordinary non-stick or ceramic non-stick and the maker has not said metal is allowed, use silicone, nylon, or wood. If the words metal-utensil safe are on that pan, steel is allowed on that pan only. A silicone grip does not turn a steel edge into a safe non-stick tool, and a long handle does not soften it.

Common questions

Can I use this steel spatula on a non-stick frying pan?
No, unless that pan's maker says metal utensils are allowed. BBC Good Food, GreenPan, Swan, and Judge tell you to keep metal off ordinary non-stick. Every turner in this comparison is a steel blade, including the HULISEN. A Jognee reviewer says the same: not for non-stick pans.
What about a ceramic non-stick?
Treat it as a coating until the brand says otherwise. GreenPan's UK help says nylon, silicone, and wood, and tells you to avoid metal on Thermolon. A hybrid sold as metal-safe is the exception, and the words need to be on that pan's page, not on the spatula listing.
Is cast iron different?
Yes. Bare cast iron, carbon steel, and a steel griddle take a metal spatula. Blackstone's UK note says metal utensils will not scratch that surface the way a coating does. Keep scouring pads off the seasoning. Enamel over cast iron is the coated case, and a steel edge can chip it.
Will silicone melt on the grill?
A silicone blade is the wrong head to rest on a hot bar. Le Creuset rates its own silicone to 250°C and says not to leave the tool in the pan. That rating is for Le Creuset, not for every supermarket spatula. Use silicone on the hob, and use steel on the grate.
Is a silicone handle the same as a silicone blade?
No. Big Green Egg sells a steel blade with a silicone grip for £24. The edge still scratches PTFE. The other way round, a silicone head on a wooden handle is hand washed because of the wood. Read the end that touches the pan.
What if the pan says metal-utensil safe?
Then that pan allows a steel turner. BBC Good Food notes that some hybrid pans are sold this way. If the line is missing, assume metal is not allowed. A seller sentence about rounded corners on a barbecue turner does not upgrade a silent non-stick pan.

Related pages

Smash burger spatula

Grill spatula buying guide

Grill spatula

Best BBQ spatula: who each shape in this set is for

How to use a grill spatula: flip, scrape, and wash

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines in this set. We did not run a lab test.

  1. Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (England) Regulations 2012 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. FSA — food contact materials (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. Cooking Utensils (Safety) Regulations 1972 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Weber UK turner 6318 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Weber UK wide turner 6762 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Which? — dishwasher after a barbecue (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Zwilling UK — BBQ use and care (retrieved 22.10.2026)