A great bench scraper makes a giant distinction throughout these lengthy baking periods, whether or not you’re making bread, pizza, rolls, or pie dough. Once I labored in a bakery, my boss all the time had his bench scraper (a number of, really) inside eyeshot. He used them for the whole lot: slicing and portioning dough, lifting freshly rolled pie dough from his bench to the pan, and even his end-of-day clean-up, when he’d scrape down all the bench along with his bench scraper. (He referred to as it a bench knife, which is one other time period for a similar device—extra on that beneath). It turned essential for lifting up little bits of dough, piles of flour, crumbs, and every other detritus from his final undertaking, earlier than lastly wiping down the floor down with a clear towel.
I adopted that observe in my house kitchen and, like him, I take advantage of bench scrapers for the whole lot—not simply the duties listed above, however for scooping up chopped veggies or herbs to throw in a pot or wok, scraping up stuck-on bits from my butcher block and cleansing up after a full day of cooking. They’re nice for moving into all of the corners and edges on counter tops, so my bench scraper is rarely far out of attain.
In my quest to search out one of the best bench scrapers available on the market, I sought out trusted manufacturers, ones that had good client opinions, bestsellers, and a few suggestions from fellow professionals, earlier than deciding on the six manufacturers that stood out as one of the best bench scrapers.
Our Prime Picks
Finest Total: Chef’n Pastrio 3-in-1 Set
Whereas I used to be instantly intrigued by the design of this nested 3-piece set, the actual pleasure got here from really utilizing it. Every of the three items is designed for particular makes use of: The bevel on the metallic scraper is deep and involves a really high quality edge that might even be used to cut veggies; that high quality edge additionally made it very simple to chop by powerful dough, and scrape sticky pie dough from the counter. The metallic scraper additionally has measurements marked close to the sting so that you don’t have to get an additional device out when making an attempt to chop issues at precise lengths. The plastic scraper was good and versatile with out being flimsy, with a equally skinny, beveled edge. It additionally did a reasonably high quality job of slicing by dough and lifting pie dough from the counter. And, lastly, the bowl scraper is nice throughout. I want it have been only a contact extra versatile, nevertheless it usually did a fantastic job of eradicating sticky dough from the edges of most of my mixing bowls. All three items are dishwasher secure for simple cleanup.
Finest Worth: Norpro Grip-EZ Bench Scraper
If you wish to save a couple of dollars, and actually simply want a metallic bench scraper, this Norpro mannequin is the way in which to go. Just like the metallic scraper within the Chef’n set, this chrome steel mannequin has measurement markings on the sting for added comfort. The bevel wasn’t fairly as deep on this scraper as our Finest Total choose, nevertheless it was sharp and skinny sufficient to make brief work of bread dough and was in a position to carry pie dough from the counter with ease. I used to be additionally impressed by the burden of the blade itself—it felt heavy-duty with out being cumbersome to make use of. The deal with was pretty snug, too. At nearly $7 on the time of publication, it is a nice worth.
Finest Non-Stick: Rackmaster Campbell’s Dough Knife
I used to be extraordinarily impressed by this bench scraper. The dough didn’t appear to need to stick with it in any respect, which made it particularly perfect for lifting pie dough from the counter. Of the three profitable scrapers, this mannequin had the shallowest bevel, however all the blade was so skinny (however not flimsy!) that the fineness of the sting was akin to the opposite two. It sliced by bread dough with ease. This mannequin is available in two sizes: six-inch, which appears to be the usual for many bench scrapers, and eight-inch, which I actually liked for its capacity to scoop up bigger quantities of elements. It’s a contact on the dear facet, however I believe these scrapers are value it.
We Additionally Examined
OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Scraper & Chopper
This mannequin was pretty akin to the Norpro, however with a good shallower bevel. It additionally prices a bit greater than our Finest Total choose. It does have measurement markings, and a cushty deal with (very on-brand, after all) and is dishwasher secure, so in case you’re already a fan of the model, you would do quite a bit worse than this scraper.
Lamson Dough Scraper
I wished to like this scraper as a result of the walnut handles are so attractive, however the edge has no bevel in any respect, so it was somewhat clumsy “slicing” by the dough. I’m utilizing quotes there as a result of it extra so mashed by the bread dough moderately than slicing it, pinching an unintended seal the place I pressed it by. And, as a result of it has no bevel, it pushed the pie dough fairly a bit, ruining my flat floor, earlier than lastly sliding beneath. As a result of the handles are fabricated from walnut, these aren’t dishwasher secure, which I might have forgiven if the sides have been beveled.
Ateco Stainless Steel Bench Scraper
This bench scraper was simply high quality. The bevel was very, very shallow and never terribly sharp, however this nonetheless usually bought the job accomplished. The metallic may be very skinny and pretty versatile, to the purpose of feeling nearly flimsy. Nevertheless, a it’s a bit dearer than our Finest Worth choose, so we suggest sticking with the Norpro. I additionally examined plastic- and wood-handled variations;neither of those fashions had a beveled edge, so I can’t suggest both.
How We Selected These Merchandise
For testing, I used every scraper to make a batch of rolls, and to make a single pie crust. For the primary take a look at, I used the scrapers to chop the roll dough into particular person parts and, when wanted, to scrape the rolls up from my work floor. For the second take a look at, I combined, chilled, and rolled out the pie dough, then used every bench scraper to carry the rolled dough from my work floor and right into a pie plate. I wished to see which manufacturers produced bench scrapers with the deepest bevels and sharpest edges for each slicing and scraping dough. I additionally paid consideration to how every scraper’s deal with felt in my hand, whether or not the blade had measurement markings on them, and whether or not the scraper was dishwasher secure.
Options to Maintain in Thoughts When Searching for Finest Bench Scraper
Measurement: A lot of the bench scrapers I examined have been about six inches huge, which appears to be the usual. Some manufacturers supply over-sized scrapers in case you choose working with one thing a bit bigger.
Deal with: The deal with must be snug to carry it doesn’t matter what angle you’re holding it at, and irrespective of how powerful the dough is. It ought to have a fine condition and texture in order that it doesn’t slip out of your palms.
Materials: Chrome steel is the usual for many bench scrapers, although there are some plastic ones on the market that work very nicely, too. Chrome steel and plastic (or a mixture of the 2, e.g., a metal blade with plastic deal with) are often dishwasher-safe, which helps with cleanup.
Blade: The blade ought to have a considerably sharp, beveled edge in order that it will probably lower by dough in addition to slide beneath dough that’s caught to your work floor.
Ultimate Ideas
The winner— the Chef’n Pastrio 3-in-1— was really the identical set I’ve used for the previous 4 or 5 years. I examined a brand new set to maintain the trials honest, however I used to be nonetheless more than happy with the outcomes. I initially selected my set as a result of I favored the concept of versatility of getting three scrapers which can be simply saved collectively Although I used to be very keen to crown a brand new favourite, it was reassuring to search out that I’d chosen nicely all these years in the past.
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