I got my very first bench scraper throughout cooking school 7 years earlier, where I was taught to utilize it to steer sticky dough. Nevertheless, it wasn’t up until my very first, extremely humbling day as a line cook at a dynamic Los Angeles dining establishment that I rapidly recognized a scraper might do a lot more than that.
As I took tear-filled looks around the kitchen area in between hours of slicing– it was the onions, alright?– I saw that my coworkers all had one familiar tool in typical at their very neat workstations: a bench scraper. However they weren’t utilizing it to part dough for baked products as I had actually done often times in the past. Rather, they utilized the scraper as a mode of transport, to easily and effectively move stacks of sliced active ingredients from point A to point B without making an outright mess (as I was). I concerned work the next day with a bench scraper in hand.
This was simply the pointer of the iceberg in opening a bench scraper’s complete capacity. After dealing with and observing lots of cooks in the kitchen area throughout the years, I have actually discovered that the majority of skilled chefs swear by a bench scraper for one factor or another. For some folks, it’s an essential baking tool that with dignity scrapes away persistent little bits of dough caked onto a cutting board or loose flour gathering in the hard-to-reach crevices of a kitchen area counter top. For others, it’s a sharp edge for portioning pizza or pie-crust dough into the suitable shapes and size.
Naturally, I likewise utilize and like my bench scraper for all of those factors. Nevertheless, its flexible meal-prepping capabilities are what make it essential to me, and now I utilize it almost daily to help with little, ordinary jobs like smashing garlic or keeping my cutting board clutter-free (a cardinal guideline in the kitchen area). I utilize it to part dough for pizza night or to frost homemade birthday cakes. It likewise can be found in convenient when I’m tidying up. Wherever I go into the kitchen area, my bench scraper includes me.
After investing practically a years operating in expert kitchen areas and as a food author, I have actually gotten a minimum of 5 various bench scrapers, yet all pale in contrast to my relied on partner: the OXO Good Grips Stainless-steel Scraper & & Chopper.
This multipurpose bench scraper includes a broad, flat stainless-steel surface area with a sharp edge that’s perfect for a variety of kitchen area jobs, from slicing to scooping.
The style is, in my estimate, perfect. It has a broad, flat 6-by-4-inch stainless-steel surface area with an edge sharp sufficient to easily slice through dough and a nonslip deal with for additional stability even when I’m utilizing it with damp hands. And unlike other bench scrapers I have actually utilized, such as those made from plastic, which warp and stain quickly, or those repaired with a wood deal with, which are unpleasant to tidy, this one is the most convenient to clean (it’s dishwasher-safe) and the most long lasting of the lot.
Unlike the other 3 that I presently have actually stored, OXO’s bench scraper provides one of the most area for confining even the smallest little bits of sliced parsley in one swoop– while leaving the least scraps behind– and the resilience to endure daily usage. Transferring loading stacks of carefully sliced cilantro, parsley, or green onions with my hands cupped together gets unpleasant quickly, and utilizing the minimal area on the flat of my knife is not simply hazardous however likewise gets me just up until now. This bench scraper is a lot more reliable, conserving me time while moving sliced active ingredients to their next location and keeping my workstation as mess-free as possible in between jobs.
It likewise comes geared up with an integrated ruler engraved into its surface area that makes portioning active ingredients simple. None of my other scrapers provide this perk. I have actually discovered the function especially useful when I’m following dishes that have exact measurements or those that require constant, equally sized cuts, such as homemade gnocchi or a presentation-worthyharicot vert salad
It’s likewise a lifesaver for frosting cakes. As a devoted enthusiast, I just recently began making fashionable, vintage-inspired cakes for my enjoyed ones’ birthdays, however I have actually found that it’s remarkably challenging and discouraging to attain a smooth surface area when dealing with super-soft Swiss meringue buttercream and a balanced out spatula.
Not just does this bench scraper make the procedure much smoother (pun meant) by carefully getting rid of excess product in one even layer, however it likewise conserves me lots of time. For instance, I can crumb-coat a two-tier, 6-inch round cake with a bench scraper in almost half the time I would require to do it with a spatula.
When smoothing the last icing layer, I quickly run the OXO bench scraper’s stainless-steel blade under warm water and rapidly dry it off. The recurring heat assists melt the buttercream ever so somewhat to flatten any undesirable bumps, bubbles, or lines for a more professional-looking outcome.
As the name recommends, a bench scraper is likewise a fantastic scraper. When determining flour to bake my cakes, I utilize the sharp edge to make sure the flour is completely loaded into the nooks and crannies of the determining cup before scraping the surface area to consistently level the flour flush to the rim for precise measurement.
This bench scraper is likewise the unrecognized hero that assists tidy up after my messes– like the time I spilled a whole quart-size deli cup of very finely sliced scallions all over my station a couple of days into my very first line-cook task. No big deal, though; my bench scraper had my back. And it constantly will.
This post was modified by Megan Beauchamp and Maxine Contractor.
