Buzz
You might not yet own a bench scraper. In fact, you may not even be familiar with what it is. But by the time you finish reading, you'll likely realize why you should have one in your kitchen.
A bench scraper—also known as a dough scraper or a bench knife—is a flat, rectangular metal blade, typically about the size of a small notepad. While it’s a staple in pastry kitchens, its usefulness extends beyond just baking. Even if you're not a frequent baker, it can be an excellent tool for general kitchen prep. It’s compact, easy to store in a drawer, and simple to clean—dishwasher-safe and built to last for years.
You can add a quality bench scraper to your collection for less than the cost of a premium sandwich. I picked up Sur La Table’s $6 version years ago, but the OXO Good Grips model is the most popular, priced at $10 on Amazon. It’s sharp enough (though much duller than a knife—safe to touch with bare fingers) with a solid feel and a comfortable rubber handle. It even features etched half-inch measurements along the blade, ensuring they’ll never fade away over time.
Pastry Work: Timeless Techniques and Modern Variations
Bench scrapers are designed to simplify the process of working with, lifting, turning, and portioning dough. For example, they're excellent for collecting stray dough pieces while working with pastry, allowing you to reintroduce them back into the dough. You can use the scraper's edge to lift biscuits stuck to the surface or transfer delicate cut-out cookies. If you're working with a thin pie crust, a bench scraper outperforms a spatula due to its wide surface and thin blade, allowing you to easily slide under even the thinnest pie dough.
Though not razor-sharp, bench scrapers are incredibly effective for cutting tasks: from dividing scones into neat triangles to cutting fresh ravioli, forming granola bars, slicing refrigerator cookies, or cutting breadsticks. They're particularly perfect for slicing brownies, fudge, or other bars into flawless squares without damaging your non-stick pans. With the measurements etched along the side, you can also use them to portion out everything from pizza dough to tortillas and naan.
One of their greatest advantages is removing stubborn, sticky bits of dough from your counter after baking. It's the most efficient way to clean a floured surface (or any other messy countertop). It’s also ideal for scraping cookie sheets clean—though avoid using it on non-stick pans.
The scraper's sturdy angle makes it valuable for more than just traditional baking. We often use the bench scraper as a makeshift spatula to smooth batter into large pans when making jelly rolls or sheet cakes. The wide, straight edge provides the easiest way to level the batter evenly. If you're icing cakes, it's perfect for creating smooth, clean edges on frosted sides.
Preparing Ingredients and Tidying Up
Even if you’re not a frequent baker, the bench scraper offers enough versatility to justify its purchase. It significantly simplifies both prep and cleanup, and in many cases, it can even replace a chef’s knife for a variety of tasks in the kitchen.
The bench scraper is arguably the best tool for scooping in the kitchen. It’s perfect for transferring chopped vegetables and herbs from the cutting board to the stove—something that could dull a chef’s knife if done repeatedly. It also works well for gathering sliced strawberries into a salad bowl or simply sweeping scraps into the trash.
Much like a chef’s knife, the bench scraper is excellent for crushing spices and garlic. If you’ve ever been concerned about injuring yourself or damaging your knife while smashing garlic, the bench scraper is a safer and more effective choice. Its large surface area makes it ideal for crushing larger quantities of ingredients, like Sichuan peppercorns or a whole bunch of garlic cloves. (It can also roughly chop garlic in a pinch, if needed.)
For dishes like meatloaf, lasagna, meatballs, or pot pie—anything that’s prone to sticking after baking—the bench scraper is perfect for gently loosening the food from a glass pan. It’s also useful for measuring out meatballs or dumpling fillings, or for my favorite trick: breaking up ground meat as it cooks in the pan.
Uses Beyond the Kitchen
Much like a trusty pair of kitchen tongs, the dough scraper’s usefulness stretches well beyond the kitchen. It’s the perfect tool for scraping off countertops when you can ‘feel’ remnants but can’t quite see them. I've even used it to scrape away stubborn candle wax spills. Some people even rely on it to break down completed puzzles. If you really wanted to, it could also serve as a weapon in fending off ninja warriors.
If you don’t have one, now is the time to get it. Take our word for it: you’ll wish you’d bought it sooner.
Photography by Rebecca Siegel and Happy Cake By Renee.
