The two Greatest Bench Scrapers of 2024, Examined & Reviewed

Nevertheless, having a sharpened blade, or perhaps a barely beveled blade, did make the duty of slicing by dough simpler, though flat blades produced cleaner strains on the gnocchi than some beveled fashions like Epicurean. So, does the blade of a bench scraper matter? Predictably, sure, it does. 

Ideas on Deal with Design

The scrapers that have been probably the most nice and cozy to make use of have been those with rounded silicone handles just like the winners from OXO and Norpro. Although they have been wooden, not silicone, the handles of Williams Sonoma and Lamson have been each extensive sufficient to supply management whereas nonetheless being nice to make use of. Consolation and ease of use begin to lower because the handles develop into smaller and plastic, just like the oddly formed Tovolo and Chef’n fashions. And Epicurean was naturally the worst on this class, because it was the one mannequin and not using a deal with. 

Cleanup Variations

Normally, the best scrapers have been the best handy wash. For instance, Epicurean, which is only a flat piece of non-porous wooden fiber, carried out poorly in most of our assessments, however was a breeze to wash. The Williams Sonoma and Lamson each had small slits the place the blade met the deal with, which trapped bits of meals. And the Chef’n mannequin’s loop-shaped deal with was tough to succeed in with a sponge.

Alternately, the Norpro and Dexter fashions had an ideal seal between the blade and the deal with which prevented any trapped meals. Williams Sonoma and Lamson each sported picket handles, which made them larger upkeep than different fashions: they aren’t dishwasher-safe they usually should be hand-washed and dried. I seen the wooden on Lamson started to dry out after simply two washes. 

All the things You Can Use a Bench Scraper For

Bench scrapers may appear to be one-hit wonders, however they’ll pinch-hit in quite a lot of kitchen duties. To cite poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “How do I really like thee? Let me rely the methods.” They are not solely incredible for cleansing off a chopping board, however we additionally love utilizing them to maneuver components. Prepping produce and have to toss some chopped onions right into a Dutch oven? Use a trusty bench scraper to slip underneath the pile and make the switch. Their sharp-ish straight blades make them supreme for chopping and portioning dough, too.

The Standards: What to Search for in a Good Bench Scraper

I would suggest discovering a bench scraper with a chrome steel blade and a plastic or silicone deal with. These fashions have been method simpler to wash and preserve than any type that featured wooden (Williams Sonoma, Lamson, Epicurean). 

Earlier than buying, take an excellent have a look at the blade: Is it sharpened— like OXO and Norpro—so nicely that it comes to a degree? Is it completely flat in order that it’s squared off with two proper angles? Or is it simply barely beveled in order that the blade edge is nearly rounded, like on our low performers from Tovolo, Epicurean, and Williams Sonoma? I would keep away from any fashions that fall in that third class. 

A thinner metal blade that’s barely versatile is good as a result of it might bend to take a seat completely flush with the work floor and choose up the tiniest meals gadgets or particles. In my assessments, thinner blades appeared to have the ability to slide underneath small leek slices and stuck-on dough higher than thicker blades. 

Our Favourite Bench Scrapers

What we favored: Its rounded silicone deal with was snug to carry and provided extra management than picket or metallic handles (or the no-handle mannequin). The OXO sank simply into pizza dough, portioning it with ease. It resisted sticking to each the pizza and gnocchi dough and was positively one of many high performers when scraping up flour and stuck-on dough from the counter. Whereas choosing up leeks, it cleared the chopping board in simply two goes, simply sweeping up even the smallest items. Its large deal with shaped considerably of a barrier, stopping gnocchi and leeks from falling off the blade.

What we didn’t like: It’s good that this mannequin comes with a 6-inch ruler on the backside of the blade, however it could be extra useful if it have been simpler to learn and had bigger, bolder markings. The ridge on the backside of the deal with held onto particles, like sticky dough, extra.

Key Specs

• Supplies: Stainless-steel and silicone
• Blade model: Barely sharpened on either side, squared
• Depth (deal with to blade tip): 4.25 inches 
• Deal with width: 6.25 inches
• Blade width: 6 inches
• Weight: 6.7 ounces
• Dishwasher-safe: Sure

What we favored: This mannequin almost nabbed victory from OXO. They appear nearly similar, and in nearly each take a look at, Norpro was proper up there with OXO by way of efficiency. Apparently, when chopping the roasted potatoes open, most scrapers carried out fairly poorly, however due to its sharper blade, Norpro truly broke from the pack and sliced higher than the remaining. The 6-inch ruler on the blade is straightforward to learn and could be useful for on-the-fly measuring. Plus, it’s cheaper than OXO.

What we didn’t like: This mannequin’s blade is smaller than OXO, which made it barely harder to fold over massive sections of gnocchi dough whereas mixing and kneading.

Key Specs

• Supplies: Stainless-steel and silicone
• Blade model: Sharpened on one aspect, squared
• Depth (deal with to blade tip): 4 inches 
• Deal with width: 6.25 inches
• Blade width: 6 inches
• Weight: 5.8 ounces
• Dishwasher-safe: Sure

The Competitors

• Dexter-Russell Sani-Protected Dough Cutter/Scraper: This primary bench scraper carried out nicely in all of the assessments, however due to its flat blade it had hassle chopping by pizza dough. I additionally didn’t discover its deal with as snug to carry as our winners, nevertheless it’s nonetheless an excellent choice. 
• Chef’n Pastrio Set Bench Scraper and Chopper: You truly get three scrapers if you purchase this mannequin: a rounded plastic bowl scraper, a sq. plastic bench scraper, and a chrome steel bench scraper. All of them nest along with interlocking handles which might be typically tough to tug aside. I solely examined the stainless-steel scraper, and it carried out simply superb. Its unusual loop-shaped deal with made it very awkward to carry perpendicular to the board, however conversely made it simpler to carry at an angle for lifting up gadgets like gnocchi and leeks—which it did in a single go due to its massive floor space. It blended and folded the gnocchi dough cleanly and simply, however struggled to slice pizza dough and suffered from some slight sticking when transferring. The weird deal with additionally makes it a job to wash, and I can foresee a whole lot of meals particles winding up within the underside of the loop, which could be very tough to get a sponge underneath. 
• Williams Sonoma Olivewood Bench Scraper: This mannequin’s blade had the most important floor space of the bunch, which made it nice for lifting a whole lot of leeks or gnocchi in a single go. It blended the gnocchi dough nicely and was capable of raise and fold massive sections of dough onto itself with ease. However with reference to truly scraping, it fell behind, leaving a whole lot of flour and dough on the counter within the first two assessments. Additionally, after the testing rounds, the blade started to loosen and wiggle barely from the deal with, which we suspect would hinder its efficiency going ahead. It isn’t dishwasher-safe (you’re instructed handy wash and instantly dry it) and it has a wooden deal with that is extra high-maintenance.
• Tovolo Bench Scraper: With its offset form and a curvy, ergonomic deal with, this mannequin was positively probably the most distinctive of the bunch. However none of its modern design made it simpler or extra snug to make use of or gave it an edge by way of efficiency. Within the pizza dough take a look at, it struggled to slice and it caught to the dough, making it exhausting to raise and switch. Its additional floor space (it’s simply barely smaller by way of precise lifting house than Williams Sonoma) made it straightforward to hold a whole lot of leeks and gnocchi, however the thick blade is simply barely beveled, which meant getting underneath smaller items and scraping up dough and flour wasn’t straightforward. 
• Epicurean Scraper: This mannequin was the one one within the group that did not have a deal with or stainless-steel blade; it’s only one flat, however thick, piece of non-porous wooden fiber. Within the pizza dough take a look at, the blade lower the dough simply and didn’t stick like a few of the stainless-steel fashions. In any other case, it constantly carried out worse than the others, failing at scraping up dough and flour from the work floor, getting sticky and lined with gnocchi dough whereas mixing and folding, producing messy lower strains on the gnocchi items, and tending to simply push the sliced leeks across the chopping board as an alternative of sliding underneath them. Additionally, since there’s a finger-shaped gap on the high of the scraper, meals bits fall by it. 
• Lamson Dough Scraper: The Lamson scraper is gorgeous, with its artisan-style wooden deal with, brass bolts, and honed metal blade. Even with a flat blade, this mannequin was among the finest at doing what the software’s title suggests— scraping—leaving a clear swath of counter behind it. Nevertheless, within the pizza dough take a look at it struggled to simply slice parts, and when lifting leeks, it couldn’t fairly get underneath every thing and had an inclination to push gadgets across the chopping board. Its picket deal with is the primary purpose I wouldn’t suggest it to somebody who needs a low-maintenance scraper; after simply two washes (it’s not dishwasher-safe) it started to dry out and peel.

FAQs

Is a bench scraper price it?

Completely. Initially, most fashions are very inexpensive, so it’s not an enormous funding. They’re one of the versatile kitchen instruments: they’ll slice, rough-chop, scrape, degree, raise, carry, combine, knead, and extra. And even in the event you don’t end up utilizing it on a regular basis, it’s small and flat—it takes up minimal house in a drawer.

What is the distinction between a bench scraper, bench knife, dough scraper, and bowl scraper?

In a method, most of those names describe the identical software. This evaluate is particularly centered on inflexible bench scrapers or bench knives (the identical factor) which might be made from stainless-steel or wooden. There are some merchandise that may be extra aptly described as a dough scraper or bowl scraper and people are often constructed from a versatile plastic or silicone. They’re finest for simply getting each final gram of bread dough from a mixing bowl with out deflating it. Since they aren’t inflexible, they aren’t the perfect for scraping dried-on flour or dough off a piece floor, however they may very well be used for that in a pinch, as most of them do have a flat edge. Nevertheless, a inflexible bench scraper or bench knife wouldn’t be helpful for scraping out a bowl, as a bowl has rounded sides which might be inconceivable to get into with a sq. instrument. Each of those instruments are nice for issues like kneading and portioning bread dough, chopping brownies within the pan, and even smoothing the perimeters or high of a frosted cake.

What can I take advantage of as an alternative of a bench scraper?

For duties like dividing bread dough or chopping pasta, a knife can be utilized. For scraping and transferring components, some folks may use their chef’s knife, however dragging the sting alongside a chopping board can uninteresting it. We suggest simply shopping for a bench scraper: it is an affordable funding you will use time and again. Plus, you possibly can exert extra strain as wanted to successfully take away cussed particles like dried dough with out damaging the floor of your plastic or picket chopping board.

Why We are the Consultants

• Eric King is a recipe developer, photographer, meals stylist, and content material creator.
• He has a B.S. in journal journalism from Syracuse College.
• He runs a baking weblog referred to as easygayoven and has developed, styled, and photographed recipes for Netflix Household.
• He has reviewed many gadgets for Critical Eats, together with fine-mesh strainers, a sensible stand mixer, wine tumblers, and extra.
• For this evaluate, we examined eight bench scrapers, utilizing them to scrape and portion sticky pizza dough, make and lower gnocchi, and switch lower greens.
• A lot of our editors have our profitable choose from OXO and use it often as part of long-term testing.