Gorgeous Craftsmanship, But Too Short for a Quart Mason Jar
I ordered this spurtle 2-pack for maintaining sourdough starter. I've been using a silicone spurtle but love the look of these and appreciate the historical provenance of using a wooden spurtle. The tip of my silicone tool is very pliable—sometimes too pliable for getting the starter stirred thoroughly—so I knew the firmness of wood would be helpful for some sourdough tasks.Craftsmanship:The wood grain on these spurtles is gorgeous, as is the rich color. They have a smooth finish that practically implores you to caress them. The blades are very thin and shaped beautifully, giving them a graceful look. Sincerely, they are a work of art.Performance:After trying them out this morning, I think I'm going to stick with my silicone most of the time for everyday use, relying on these only when I need a stiffer option for scraping. My main quibble is that the handles are too short. It's difficult to get enough leverage to easily stir a stiffer starter, and they don't extend far enough out of the quart mason jar in which I keep my starter. They do a good job of scraping the sides of the jar, but silicone wins there too, since it conforms to the jar's shape to clean the upper sides more effectively. My silicone spurtle also has a much longer handle, which makes a real difference for leverage.Bottom line: An absolutely beautiful product—genuinely lovely craftsmanship. However, the handles are a bit too short to work well in a quart mason jar. If you keep your starter in a shorter jar, these would work wonderfully. For those of us with quart jars, the silicone spurtle remains more practical for daily use, though these are worth keeping on hand for tasks that need more firmness.