Out of our test kitchen’s huge array of equipment, there’s one tool we end up reaching for every day: the fish spatula.

Compared with a regular slotted spatula, a fish spatula has gently curved, thinner, longer, more widely spaced “tines.” This design helps the spatula gently slide underneath and cradle a delicate fish fillet.

Often called the “fish spat” by kitchen pros, this tool is useful for far more than its name implies. Its elongated surface lets you transfer cookies, several at a time, from baking sheet to cooling rack. It’s also great for flipping grilled cheese sandwiches, especially ones made on oblong bread. When you’re pan-frying something like potato pancakes, the wide slots let more oil drain as you move items out of the pan. And if you need to peek under something to tell if it’s browning, the wide slots really let you see what’s going on.

Fish spatulas are available at any well-stocked cookware store, where they may also be called slotted turners or chef’s turners. They are also available online at Store.lamsonsharp.com/catalog.