SusieJ's Advent Calendar December 10, 2010

Uses for a bench scraper

The bench scraper is one of the most useful tools in the kitchen.

First, it scrapes all those sticky bits of dough and flour off the counter, and is good for scraping up anything else left on the counter. It's small enough to gently pry up cookies and scones that stick to the counter. If my small brush and dustpan are dirty, the bench scraper is a good substitute.

The edge can portion bread dough or cut scones right on the counter, without any worries of scarring the counter (the edge is fairly dull) or dulling the edge (it's already dull).

It's also a good spatula for smothing batter in a large pan, such as a sheet cake. The straight edge is the easiest way to get a smooth, even dpeth of batter.

It's also a good spatula to move anything that would otherwise break, like large gingerbread men or scones.

[Trees in the blizzard of December, 2009]I've got a Graham Kerr "Bash and Chop," which can also be used to bash things. Graham used his to bash garlic; I usually bash spices quickly before pulling out the mortar and pestle. The other morning I chopped the cranberries for the scones, then sliced the scones, and used it as a wide spatula to transfer them to the baking sheet.