Which Foods Should You Flip In A Skillet And Which Should You Toss?

Chefs have generally been regarded as cool for many reasons throughout human history. In addition to the fact that they possess a skill many people have but few have mastered, they're typically the ones pushing the bounds of culinary expression, coming up with both foods and cooking techniques we've never seen. And look, it's just impossible to deny there's something deeply cool about shaking a skillet in such a way that it tosses food into the air before you catch it again.

And maybe, having seen this technique, you decide to try it at home. "Spatulas?" you might think to yourself, "Pssssh, we don't need spatulas." This reality comes crashing down, though, when you wind up with pancakes that look like M.C. Escher formed them. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't toss foods at all; it's just about knowing which you can toss and which you should flip. The general rule is this: Is it a mixed group of separate smaller ingredients? Toss that sucker. Is it a single solid whole object? Flip it gently.

You've doubtless seen professional cooks flip pancakes or even American-style omelets with a simple shaking motion, and sure, it can be done. But the problem is that even if you've done it successfully before, there's always the chance you'll send your breakfast flying across the room — and the process of getting good at it is such that you're going to be doing that more than a few times on the way there. There's no shame in using a spatula to gently and carefully turn a pancake, especially because the result will wind up evenly cooked and look and taste much better.

So when do you want to toss foods rather than flipping them? Simple: If it's a collection of smaller items. Stir fries are great for this, as tossing them is basically a fast and efficient way of mixing — and you don't need to care what side the ingredients land on or whether they come down in a heap. As J. Kenji Lopez-Alt points out, tossing is an essential part of high-heat stir-frying because it allows the ingredients to cook evenly as moisture evaporates during the tossing process. Just be careful to toss it the right way, or you're liable to accidentally spray broccoli all over the kitchen counter.

Spatulas shouldn't be regarded as some sort of amateur tool only newbies use; they're a great and, in many cases, necessary addition to the kitchen (particularly a fish spatula, which is possibly the best cooking tool you can buy). And there are certain foods you should flip with a spatula, no matter how cool you might look if you can do it with a flick of your wrist. Generally, if something consists of a large solid mass of food you'd like to stay together (a frittata is also an excellent example), you'll want to flip it rather than toss it. You can also use an upturned plate in conjunction with the skillet to turn something over, making the process even easier.

Ultimately, if you want to toss your food no matter what it is, that's up to you. Just know that you shouldn't feel bad if you're going to take your time and be a little more careful with your pancakes.