A spurtle is a wooden kitchen tool from Scotland that is used primarily for stirring porridge oats whilst cooking. Traditionally it is considered to be better than a spoon when it comes to mixing.
This is due to the slim tip which prevents oats from clumping together. That being said throughout Scotland, they believe that this tool is superior for stirring just about anything. From soup, stews, broths, and bread dough this is a super handy simple tool.
Despite the spurtle originating in Scotland, it is in fact recognised all around the world. In india for example it is used as a tool to mix rice which works by keeping the grains separate.
Spurtles date back to the 15th century, and are usually made from beech wood, cherry, maple however they can be made from just about any food safe wood.
Spurtles are a simple tool to use and it takes us back to a simplistic way of stirring food just like our ancestors would have mixed foods using a stick. If you enjoy a good healthy bowl of oatmeal for breakfast in the morning then you should definitely consider this authentic tool to get the job done.
The price for one of these ranges from £4 to £26. A good quality spurtle is usually one that is handmade, and handcarved from a suitable wood by a skilled craftsmen. The price could go even higher if you got it personalised to make a traditional Scottish gift.
Spurtle's that have not been sanded properly are likely to cause splinters and this is common for machine made products. The size is another factor that could affect the price, each one can vary depending on the design. With that being said early spurtles were flat, and not the rounded type that you more commonly see. It was also not uncommon to have metal varieties.
To use it hold the thistle end and place the rounded end into your food to stir. You can buy a spurtle on amazon and they also have a wide range selection of spurtles to choose from. Alternatively if you would like to discover our collection of kitchenwares.
