Yup, these things are indeed awesome. Everyone should own one.

I wouldn't say I 'rely' on it, but I do use it often for scraping sticky bread dough out of the bowl. It was a gift.

Although it may not be as good for getting a grip on it, I've had good success using the plastic lids from food containers (like yogurt, cottage cheese) that I keep around to freeze leftovers in.

My boyfriend and I have one of these guys and love it! It's especially great after roasting vegetables or baking some sort of lasagna/casserole that hardens in the corners.

One came with my pizza stone and I use it to scrape all kinds of dishes. Mine doesn't have that nice handle, but you can't beat free!

I use my hard plastic spatula -- it's free, because I already own it :)

Does this little plastic scraper thing have a name? I'd love to get a couple, if only $1 each, but I hate shopping. Hints on a source would be greatly appreciated.

I had one that I used all the time for cleaning out crusty spots and for the crack along the edge my stove top. My husband stole it for a staining project (don't ask) and this reminds me that he needs to get me a new one. I second the request for a source for the ones posted. The handle looks quite nice.

@Lazy_Lurker

Look for 'pan scrapers' or 'nylon pan scrapers'. Here is an example from Amazon.

I really like it for my cast iron.

Please share where you purchased the item pictured above

Huh.. one of these came with a mini dutch oven thing my cousin got me for my bridal shower about 1.5 years ago and I never knew what it was. Looks like I'll have an easier time cleaning dishes from now on now that I know!

I have one that I got in bamboo from Crate & Barrel over the summer. Great tool - use it on pans and even on the dried on goop on the top of the stove!

http://www.crateandbarrel.com/kitchen-and-food/kitchen-helpers/bamboo-pot-cleaner-scraper/s504681

Use this a lot in the pastry kitchen where I work but we call it a bowl scraper and use it for doughs mainly, or as a makeshift bench scraper. Gets more leverage than you can get with a spatula with tough doughs and the wider edge helps get more dough w/ one swipe. The more flexible they are the better!

I got one of these from Pampered Chef years ago. It's really powerful for getting stuck-on food off dishes and countertops. Such a simple tool. Great post!

Check world market - they have them by the mini kitchen trinket bins

I use the fake credit cards I get in my junk mail. I learned that from Mom when I noticed she had a stack of them by her sink.

hmo - what a great hint. We all get more than our share of those fake credit cards!

Heck, I just threw some out yesterday. It's not worth it to me to go through the trash to retrieve them, but I will certainly be on the look out for more. Thanks!

fortheloveofpork - I've never been to our World Market store. Now I have a good reason to check it out -- also, thanks to scarab1 because I've also neglected checking out our new Crate & Barrel.

Wow - I have a couple of shopping adventures now thanks to this column! All I needed were these little nudges. Thanks.

I have a handful of them from buying various Pampered Chef stoneware over the years. They do indeed work fantastic.

The one above is from Bed, Bath, & Beyond.

It's not on their website that I can find, unfortunately- sorry! But they're in the store...

Amazing must have kitchen tool :)

http://www.amazon.com/Bamboo-Pot-Scraper-by-bambu/dp/B004BHILNQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1297210622&sr=8-1

This one is by far the BEST pan scraper ever!!! And it's made out of a renewable resource for only $1.25 more! It cleans my cast iron, teflon and glass really well!

I bought one from World Market over a year ago. I use it for every dish in the house before my dish scrubbies. So awesome.

Ditto on the cast iron. We put a little water in it and let it warm on the stove to loosen leftover crusty bits, then scrape down the sides so we never have to use soap or abrasives.

I am so glad for this post! I got one of these for my wedding and couldn't figure out what to use it for. It's small though so I've moved it to two houses - now I know!

My dad always called this tool "The Marriage Saver." It was always his job to do the dishes after dinner and with a scraper like this it's easy to get the tough, stuck on food. And it didn't damage my mom's stainless steel or cast iron pans. Mom gave me the bamboo one from Crate and Barrel when I graduated. I never wash pots and pans without it!

My father was a chef and he was given one by one of the flour companies he dealt with. He tried it out, liked it and bought one for me. Since then I've always have at least one amongst my tools.

I have two - one is rounded, perfect for scrapping bowls and the other more square. I've always bought mine from chef supply shops.

so that's what that is! i got two in my christmas stocking and had no idea what to do with them.

My mother in law decided I needed one when when was visiting. And she was right! So great for getting egg off cast iron pans and cleaning bread dough out of bowls.

What a shame, my Google skills need scraped to find a scraper!

I saw these when I was shopping recently and bought one to try out. Later that evening, when I was mounting a poster on foamboard and was looking for something to smooth out the bubbles, I picked up the scraper and found it to be the perfect tool for the job. It hasn't made it into the kitchen yet, but now I'll go out and get some more!

I love these. I buy several whenever I see them because I give them away as little gifts. Also, I seem to lose them fairly often as they are small.

Absolutely the best thing in the world for pans with oatmeal, rice, thick tomato sauce or other thick goo stuck on them. A short soak, then a scrape with one of these and Voila! the goo is gone.

two words: putty knife

My sister & I got these with our baking stones for Christmas (from Mom) a few years ago. Somewhere along the way, another one was added to my drawer. Love them. Use them all the time.