Crofton Clip-On Silicone Utensil

In early 2022, Aldi introduced a pan that was a knockoff of a popular and very expensive name brand pan. The Crofton Awesome Pan at Aldi was an imitation of a pricey nonstick Always Pan. The Always Pan retails full price for $145, while the Aldi Crofton Awesome Pan was just $24.99.

One of the name brand Always Pan’s selling points is that it comes with a wooden spatula with a small notch in the handle. That notch in the spatula fits onto a knob on the pan’s handle, forming a built-in spoon rest so you don’t make a mess on your kitchen counter or stovetop. The cheaper Aldi version — the Awesome Pan — did not come with a spatula custom-designed to sit on the handle. Given that the Aldi pan was a fraction of the cost of the Always Pan, it was a reasonable tradeoff.

But then, in the spring of 2022, Aldi sold some inexpensive silicone utensils that feature a notch in the handle so they can clip onto the sides of most pans, skillets, or saucepans.

It’s not quite the same as the Always Pan’s design with its custom wooden spatula, but the Always Pan was the first thing I thought of when I saw these utensils at Aldi.

Crofton Clip-On Silicone Utensils (Product Code: 58354) cost $4.99 each at the time of publication. Again, that’s a lot less than the name brand Always Pan with spatula, which cost $145 when not on sale. So, if you bought the Aldi Awesome Pan earlier this year, and if you buy one of these Aldi clip-on utensils, you’ve spent a total of $30 for a set that rivals a much pricier product.

Even if you didn’t buy the Aldi Awesome Pan when it was in stores earlier this year, these clip-on utensils are handy tools to have in your kitchen. They fit on a variety of pans, skillets, or pots, and they help to keep your counters clean and reduce or eliminate your need for a separate spoon rest.

Just like the Aldi Awesome Pan, these utensils are an Aldi Find, so they’re only in stores for a limited time. Aldi does not offer online ordering for specials that are not in stock at your local store.

Here’s more information on the utensils, according to Aldi:

• Choose a Spoon, Turner, Tongs, or Ladle
• Available in Gray, Blue, or Teal
• A unique notch sits on the pot or pan’s edge for no-mess cooking
• Comfortable silicone construction withstands heat up to 460 °F
• Top rack dishwasher safe
• BPA free
• Made in China

I purchased the spoon and ladle. One of the first things I did when I brought these home was to try them on my Aldi Crofton Awesome Pan. They work great. The Awesome Pan has thick, chunky sides that these slotted utensils grip perfectly. The utensils sit nice and level on the Awesome Pan.

Crofton Clip-On Silicone Spoon on my Crofton Awesome Pan.

Crofton Clip-On Silicone Ladle on the Crofton Awesome Pan.

I also tried these clip-on utensils on a few other pans I have purchased from Aldi over the years.

I tried them on the Crofton Ceramic Saucepan I bought in 2021. The utensils don’t fit quite as nicely on this pan with its thin sides. The spoon and ladle tend to tip down into the pan a bit. They stay perched on the side of the pan and they work fine, but it’s not as good of a fit.

Spoon on the Crofton Ceramic Saucepan.

I also tried these clip-on utensils on an older Crofton Fry Pan I bought in 2018. The top of this pan has a thin curved edge, and I was curious to see if the utensils would fit and stay put. It turns out, they work well with this pan. The utensils have a small additional cutout section on one side of their slot that accommodates pans that curve out. (This extra cutout is most easily seen in the photo with just the utensils toward the beginning of this post.)

Spoon on the Crofton Fry Pan.

Overall, these clip-on utensils work well no matter what pan or skillet you use them on. They fit quite well on the Crofton Awesome Pan with its thick sides. They fit all right on pans with thin straight sides, and they fit well on pans with thin sides that curve out. If you’re in the market for some spoons, ladles, spatulas or turners, or tongs that don’t require a separate spoon rest to keep your counters clean, give these handy utensils a look. I like my spoon and ladle enough that I might go back to Aldi and pick up a spatula or turner as well.

The Verdict:

Crofton Clip-On Silicone Utensils come in several varieties, including a spoon, ladle, spatula/turner, and tongs. They feature a notch on the handle that allows the utensil to rest on the edge of a pot or pan so you can cook with less mess, without the need for a spoon rest. These utensils fit nicely on all kinds of cookware, but we especially like using them on our Crofton Awesome Pan from Aldi.