Why the Mundial Bench Scraper Is My Favourite

After I was working at a big manufacturing bakery, there was one bench scraper that was treasured above all different instruments within the kitchen. Identified 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 large plenty of dough into loaves, baguettes, rolls, and bagels; it additionally scraped the picket 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 elevate partially-proofed parts of baguette dough off of picket boards to be formed. Regardless of having no less than eight different scrapers at our disposal, your entire group at all times knew in regards to the whereabouts of this one. 

The “good bench scraper,” it seems, is formally often called 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 device had a model title: Mundial. The bakery instantly ordered a number of, and the day by day bench scraper journey/energy battle got here to an finish. I finally moved on from that bakery and acquired 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 device 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 attaining excellence in simply two key areas led the Mundial to be a common favourite. A very powerful 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 a whole bunch of items (and it’s simply one in all many recipes you’re making in a day), so making that job a little bit 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 metallic 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 powerful dried fruit, you may be very grateful for this device. 
• Lifting delicate doughs – in the event you bake delicate, moist doughs akin to sourdoughs and baguettes, you already know 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 beneath bigger plenty of dough and likewise 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 may not get all the eye that different kitchen devices and instruments do (hey, chef’s knife), it’s a very useful gizmo that may scrape, lower and maneuver elements. It’s sharp however not practically as harmful or delicate because the blade of a knife, and nice for shifting materials whereas being rather more exact than different scraping instruments akin to spatulas and bowl scrapers. The Mundial bench scraper excels in every of those areas, and can at all times 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 shifting— the extra of those you’re doing directly, the extra you’ll love your bench scraper. For instance, if 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. When you bake sometimes, you could possibly use a mix of different instruments to finish these duties, however when you get comfy with a bench scraper in your hand, you’ll by no means wish to bake with out one. It’s additionally nice for shifting 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 metallic blade with a plastic or picket 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 might be helpful for increasing the floor space of your hand when lifting and transferring completely different supplies. 

What are different names for bench scrapers?

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