The two Finest Bench Scrapers of 2024, Examined & Reviewed

Nonetheless, 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 had been essentially the most nice and comfy to make use of had been those with rounded silicone handles just like the winners from OXO and Norpro. Although they had been wooden, not silicone, the handles of Williams Sonoma and Lamson had been each large sufficient to supply management whereas nonetheless being nice to make use of. Consolation and ease of use begin to lower because the handles turn out to be 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

On the whole, the best scrapers had been the best at hand wash. For instance, Epicurean, which is only a flat piece of non-porous wooden fiber, carried out poorly in most of our exams, however was a breeze to scrub. 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 troublesome to achieve 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 wood handles, which made them increased upkeep than different fashions: they aren’t dishwasher-safe they usually should be hand-washed and dried. I observed the wooden on Lamson started to dry out after simply two washes. 

Every little thing You Can Use a Bench Scraper For

Bench scrapers may look like 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 depend the methods.” They don’t seem to be solely incredible for cleansing off a chopping board, however we additionally love utilizing them to maneuver elements. Prepping produce and must toss some chopped onions right into a Dutch oven? Use a trusty bench scraper to slip below the pile and make the switch. Their sharp-ish straight blades make them ideally suited for chopping and portioning dough, too.

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

I would advocate discovering a bench scraper with a stainless-steel blade and a plastic or silicone deal with. These fashions had been means simpler to scrub and keep than any type that featured wooden (Williams Sonoma, Lamson, Epicurean). 

Earlier than buying, take a superb have a look at the blade: Is it sharpened— like OXO and Norpro—so properly that it comes to some extent? 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 right as a result of it could possibly bend to sit down completely flush with the work floor and decide up the tiniest meals objects or particles. In my exams, thinner blades appeared to have the ability to slide below 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 supplied extra management than wood or steel 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 undoubtedly one of many prime performers when scraping up flour and stuck-on dough from the counter. Whereas selecting up leeks, it cleared the chopping board in simply two goes, simply sweeping up even the smallest items. Its massive deal with fashioned 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 might be extra useful if it had 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 type: Barely sharpened on each 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 practically nabbed victory from OXO. They appear nearly equivalent, and in nearly each check, 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 really broke from the pack and sliced higher than the remaining. The 6-inch ruler on the blade is simple 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 giant sections of gnocchi dough whereas mixing and kneading.

Key Specs

• Supplies: Stainless-steel and silicone
• Blade type: 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 fundamental bench scraper carried out properly in all of the exams, 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, but it surely’s nonetheless a superb choice. 
• Chef’n Pastrio Set Bench Scraper and Chopper: You really get three scrapers while you purchase this mannequin: a rounded plastic bowl scraper, a sq. plastic bench scraper, and a stainless-steel bench scraper. All of them nest along with interlocking handles which can be typically troublesome to tug aside. I solely examined the chrome steel scraper, and it carried out simply positive. 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 objects like gnocchi and leeks—which it did in a single go due to its giant floor space. It combined 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 activity to scrub, and I can foresee lots of meals particles winding up within the underside of the loop, which may be very troublesome to get a sponge below. 
• Williams Sonoma Olivewood Bench Scraper: This mannequin’s blade had the biggest floor space of the bunch, which made it nice for lifting lots of leeks or gnocchi in a single go. It combined the gnocchi dough properly and was capable of carry and fold giant sections of dough onto itself with ease. However with reference to truly scraping, it fell behind, leaving lots of flour and dough on the counter within the first two exams. 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 at hand 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 undoubtedly essentially the most distinctive of the bunch. However none of its progressive design made it simpler or extra snug to make use of or gave it an edge by way of efficiency. Within the pizza dough check, it struggled to slice and it caught to the dough, making it arduous to carry and switch. Its further floor space (it’s simply barely smaller by way of precise lifting house than Williams Sonoma) made it straightforward to hold lots of leeks and gnocchi, however the thick blade is simply barely beveled, which meant getting below 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 chrome steel blade; it’s only one flat, however thick, piece of non-porous wooden fiber. Within the pizza dough check, the blade minimize the dough simply and didn’t stick like a few of the chrome steel fashions. In any other case, it persistently 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 minimize strains on the gnocchi items, and tending to only push the sliced leeks across the chopping board as a substitute of sliding below them. Additionally, since there’s a finger-shaped gap on the prime 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 instrument’s title suggests— scraping—leaving a clear swath of counter behind it. Nonetheless, within the pizza dough check it struggled to simply slice parts, and when lifting leeks, it couldn’t fairly get below all the pieces and had a bent to push objects across the chopping board. Its wood deal with is the principle motive I wouldn’t advocate 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 value it?

Completely. To begin with, most fashions are very reasonably priced, so it’s not an enormous funding. They’re one of the versatile kitchen instruments: they’ll slice, rough-chop, scrape, degree, carry, carry, combine, knead, and extra. And even if you happen to 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 means, most of those names describe the identical instrument. This evaluation is particularly targeted on inflexible bench scrapers or bench knives (the identical factor) which can be manufactured from chrome steel or wooden. There are some merchandise that might be extra aptly described as a dough scraper or bowl scraper and people are often constructed from a versatile plastic or silicone. They’re greatest 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 might be used for that in a pinch, as most of them do have a flat edge. Nonetheless, 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 not possible 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 prime of a frosted cake.

What can I take advantage of as a substitute of a bench scraper?

For duties like dividing bread dough or chopping pasta, a knife can be utilized. For scraping and shifting elements, some individuals may use their chef’s knife, however dragging the sting alongside a chopping board can boring it. We advocate simply shopping for a bench scraper: it is a reasonable funding you may use time and again. Plus, you may exert extra strain as wanted to successfully take away cussed particles like dried dough with out damaging the floor of your plastic or wood 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 known as easygayoven and has developed, styled, and photographed recipes for Netflix Household.
• He has reviewed many objects for Severe Eats, together with fine-mesh strainers, a wise stand mixer, wine tumblers, and extra.
• For this evaluation, we examined eight bench scrapers, utilizing them to scrape and portion sticky pizza dough, make and minimize gnocchi, and switch minimize greens.
• Lots of our editors have our successful decide from OXO and use it often as part of long-term testing.