Fish slice (kitchen utensil)
In British English, a fish slice is a kitchen tool with a wide flat blade with long holes in it, used for lifting and turning food while cooking.[1]
It was originally a serving implement for fish, usually made of silver, antique examples of which commonly appear at auction.[2] Fish slices were made of silver or Sheffield plate rather than steel to avoid the possibility of tainting the taste of the fish due a reaction between the fish and its lemon seasoning and the steel. After 1745 their outlines were usually fish shaped.[3]
The term now refers to an implement used for turning fish and other foods when frying them, available in many materials such as stainless steel. In the US a fish slice is regarded as a type of spatula and may be called a turner.
References
- โ http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/fish-slice?q=fish+slice
- โ English, Irish, & Scottish Silver (Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Beth Carver Wees: Hudson Hills, 1997 ISBN 978-1-55595-117-7, at p. 257, ยง174)
- โ http://www.museums-sheffield.org.uk/collections/item?acc=L1943.335