# Fish slice
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{{Short description|Cooking or serving utensil}}
{{For|the dish also called "fish slice"|Fish cake}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
[[File:Fish Slice 1814-15, W & S Knight, London.jpg | thumb| right | Silver fish slice, 1814–15 by W & S Knight, [Victoria and Albert Museum](/source/Victoria_and_Albert_Museum) ]]
A '''fish slice''' is a [kitchen utensil](/source/kitchen_utensil) with a wide, flat blade with holes in it, used for lifting and turning food while cooking.[{{Cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fish-slice|title=fish slice|website=dictionary.cambridge.org|accessdate=13 April 2021|archive-date=3 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503091631/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fish-slice|url-status=live}}] It may be called a '''slotted spatula''' or a '''turner'''[{{cite web |last1=Preston |first1=Marguerite |title=The Best Spatulas (Turners) for Nonstick Pans |url=https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/05/best-nonstick-silicone-spatulas-turners-flippers.html |accessdate=8 July 2020 |date=28 July 2019 |archive-date=8 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708221118/https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/05/best-nonstick-silicone-spatulas-turners-flippers.html |url-status=live }}] or '''flipper'''.[{{cite web |title=FLIPPERS |url=https://www.cooksinfo.com/flippers |accessdate=8 July 2020 |date=17 September 2019 |archive-date=25 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925225151/https://www.cooksinfo.com/flippers |url-status=live }}] The utensil was originally designed as a serving piece rather than a cooking implement.
== History ==
thumb|Fish slice c. early 1800s
The fish slice was originally an item of [silver service](/source/silver_service) used for serving fish at a dining table and was generally made of silver or [Sheffield plate](/source/Sheffield_plate) rather than copper or tinned iron to avoid the possibility of affecting the taste of the fish.[{{Cite web |title=Serving up: silver slices · V&A |url=https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/serving-up-silver-slices/ |access-date=2024-01-01 |website=[Victoria and Albert Museum](/source/Victoria_and_Albert_Museum) |language=en}}]
The first known slices intended specifically for serving fish were mentioned in 1730.[{{Cite book |first=Beth Carver|last=Wees|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kIdMik92xOMC&dq=fish+slice&pg=PA257 |title=English, Irish, & Scottish Silver at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute |date=1997 |publisher=Hudson Hills |isbn=978-1-55595-117-7 |language=en |access-date=25 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011022536/https://books.google.com/books?id=kIdMik92xOMC&dq=fish+slice&pg=PA257 |archive-date=11 October 2023 |url-status=live}}] and are held in the collections of multiple museums. right|thumb|A modern fish sliceThe term evolved to refer to any slotted or pierced implement used for turning foods when frying them; modern versions are available in many materials such as [stainless steel](/source/stainless_steel), [nylon](/source/nylon), and [silicone](/source/silicone) and are typically undecorated and shaped as spatulas.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}
== In collections ==
The [Victoria and Albert Museum](/source/Victoria_and_Albert_Museum) has an extensive collection of [metalwork](/source/Metalworking) fish slices from [Britain](/source/United_Kingdom) and the [US](/source/United_States) and includes both contemporary and historical pieces. Manufacturers include functional items, for example some from [Josiah Wedgwood](/source/Josiah_Wedgwood)[{{Cite web|url=http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O346545|title=Fish slice {{!}} Josiah Wedgwood's factory {{!}} V&A Search the Collections|date=7 February 2020|website=V and A Collections|language=en|access-date=7 February 2020|archive-date=11 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011022534/http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O346545|url-status=live}}] to more sculptural contemporary works by Ane Christensen.[{{Cite web|url=http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O154378|title=Fish slice {{!}} Christensen, Ane {{!}} V&A Search the Collections|date=7 February 2020|website=V and A Collections|language=en|access-date=7 February 2020|archive-date=11 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011022532/http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O154378|url-status=live}}]
== Similar utensils ==
Other examples of serving slices include those for serving cakes, pies, and other desserts; the [pudding trowel](/source/pudding_trowel) or pudding trowle is a predecessor of the fish slice.[{{Citation |last= |first= |title=Fish slice |date=1814–1815 |url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O94496/fish-slice/fish-slice-knight-william/ |access-date=2024-01-01 |publisher=[Victoria and Albert Museum](/source/Victoria_and_Albert_Museum) |last2= |first2=}}]
== See also ==
{{portal|Food}}
* [Fish knife](/source/Fish_knife)
* [Fish fork](/source/Fish_fork)
==References==
{{Reflist}}
== Further reading ==
*{{Cite book |title=Antique silver servers for the dining table: style, function, foods, and social history |date=1991 |publisher=Hall |isbn=978-0-9628570-0-3 |editor-last=Rabinovitch |editor-first=Benton Seymour |location=Concord, Mass |editor-last2=Macapia |editor-first2=Paul}}
{{Kitchen tools}}
Category:Fish as food
Category:Food preparation utensils
Category:Serving utensils
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Fish slice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_slice) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_slice?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.