Why the Mundial Bench Scraper Is My Favorite

After I was working at a big manufacturing bakery, there was one bench scraper that was treasured above all different instruments within the kitchen. Recognized solely because the “good bench scraper,” it had a shift schedule as rigorous as any worker: it spent the early hours of the morning dividing English muffins, then it acquired handed off to the prep baker who used it to dice pound after pound of butter for scones and biscuits. Then, the croissant baker held onto it for a couple of hours, neatly trimming their batons into completely laminated rectangles. Subsequent, it returned to the bread bakers, who spent hours with it, dividing big plenty of dough into loaves, baguettes, rolls, and bagels; it additionally scraped the wood desk clear between every selection. Then again over to prep, the place it neatly chopped completely triangular scones, and eventually over to the bread baker, who would use it to softly carry partially-proofed parts of baguette dough off of wood boards to be formed. Regardless of having at the very least eight different scrapers at our disposal, your complete group all the time knew in regards to the whereabouts of this one. 

The “good bench scraper,” it seems, is formally often known as the Mundial W5697 Dough Cutter/Scraper. Regardless of its vaulted standing within the bakery, nobody knew the place our favourite scraper got here from and even who made it till it fell into the mixer and perished. The blade survived the tragic accident (please share a second of silence for the bread dough we misplaced alongside the shards of deal with), and it was then we lastly seen that our favourite software had a model identify: Mundial. The bakery instantly ordered a number of, and the each day bench scraper journey/energy battle got here to an finish. I ultimately moved on from that bakery and purchased one for myself. I’ve additionally given them as items to fellow bakers and even included one in a still-life drawing I made for an artwork class. 

So why did this one software get such choice? What made it the perfect? Why did I draw it as a part of a nonetheless life? I’ll inform you why.

The Mundial Bench Scraper is Sharp

Bench scrapers are easy instruments, so reaching excellence in simply two key areas led the Mundial to be a common favourite. An important high quality this scraper has going for it’s its sharp, slender blade. Thoughts you, it’s not sharp sufficient to injure you (nor will it require upkeep from a whetstone), however sharp sufficient to glide simply by way of chilly blocks of butter or sticky piles of sourdough. In manufacturing baking, a recipe could require division into dozens or tons of of items (and it’s simply considered one of many recipes you’re making in a day), so making that job a bit of simpler can lighten your load significantly. The blade can also be a lot sturdier than a knife’s, permitting you to cut up dough proper in your scale’s steel prime or scrape alongside your work floor—actions that you’d (hopefully) by no means assume to do together with your freshly-sharpened santoku. 

The 2 duties that I feel having a pointy bench scraper is most important for are:

• Dividing dough with a number of textures – if you wish to glide by way of sticky scone dough with out getting your blade caught on robust dried fruit, you can be very grateful for this software. 
• Lifting delicate doughs – for those who bake delicate, moist doughs resembling sourdoughs and baguettes, you understand the ache of getting them caught to the bench and watching them deflate as you’re employed to get them off. The sharp blade and nimble deal with of the Mundial can deftly dislodge your dough out of your work floor.

The Deal with’s Distinctive Form Makes it Straightforward to Maneuver

The deal with form is the opposite factor that this scraper will get proper. Our winner for finest bench scraper, from OXO, has a equally sharp blade, however a bulkier (IMO) deal with. The Mundial’s deal with dips barely on the prime, centering your hand on the blade with out extra materials in the way in which. The thinner profile of the Mundial’s deal with is advantageous when sliding it underneath bigger plenty of dough and in addition when utilizing it to cut or divide taller gadgets; the deal with doesn’t encroach on the peak of the blade. 

The Takeaway

Whereas a bench scraper won’t get all the eye that different kitchen devices and instruments do (hiya, chef’s knife), it’s a really great tool that may scrape, reduce and maneuver components. It’s sharp however not practically as harmful or delicate because the blade of a knife, and nice for transferring materials whereas being far more exact than different scraping instruments resembling spatulas and bowl scrapers. The Mundial bench scraper excels in every of those areas, and can all the time be the one I attain for.

FAQs

What’s a bench scraper good for?

A bench scraper is well-suited to many kitchen duties that contain chopping/chopping/dividing, lifting, and transferring— the extra of those you’re doing directly, the extra you’ll love your bench scraper. For instance, whenever you’re making biscuits, you’ll use your scraper to dice the chilly butter, fold and scrape the dough onto itself, form biscuit dough into squares, and switch the biscuits onto a pan. In case you bake occasionally, you might use a mix of different instruments to finish these duties, however when you get snug with a bench scraper in your hand, you’ll by no means need to bake with out one. It’s additionally nice for transferring chopped greens to a bowl or pan and cleansing particles off a chopping board or counter between duties.

What’s the distinction between a bench scraper and a bowl scraper?

A bench scraper encompasses a steel blade with a plastic or wood deal with. It’s stiff and sharp sufficient to chop by way of dough or scrape particles off of a countertop. Due to their rectangular form, bench scrapers are most helpful on flat surfaces. Conversely, a bowl scraper is a versatile piece of plastic with a curved edge that’s helpful for eradicating supplies from bowls and scraping them clear. Due to their flexibility, bowl scrapers can conform to suit many shapes of spherical containers. Each bench scrapers and bowl scrapers match comfortably in your hand, and could be helpful for increasing the floor space of your hand when lifting and transferring totally different supplies. 

What are different names for bench scrapers?

Bench knives, dough knives, dough scrapers, and dough cutters all consult with the identical merchandise. “Bench knife” is the opposite identify that I’ve heard essentially the most in my cooking and baking profession.