Love the notch, I don't have to use the same spoon rest or worry about putting these in the wrong pan... they stay right up on the lip, even a curved one. It feels like metal tongs, but it's completely covered in silicone. No worries about scratching anything with these, but you don't lose flexibility like you do with other tongs, and the pieces can't fall off (which is what keeps happening with my metal-and-silicone tongs). I very much like these.