The bench scraper is named for the job it does in the pastry kitchen -- dividing dough into portions and pulling it away from the counter. I don't bake bread that often, but I still find my bench scrapers to be indispensable.
Bakers use the scraper to cut up brownies and other bar cookies. They are also great for scraping down a cutting board before washing it.
We're heading into soup season. Here the bench scraper, also sometimes called a bench knife or chopper, is useful for lifting vegetables off the cutting board and dropping them into the soup pot. While some might use their chef's knife for this, the scraper is safer, faster, and helps to save wear on the knife blade.
I use two bench scrapers simultaneously, one for each hand, to chop up granita. The Zuni Cafe Cookbook explains that the "elegant texture" of a hand-chopped granita comes from using stainless steel bench scrapers. "They are easy to maneuver, and the relatively dull edges tease the crystals apart without slicing them up. . . A knife blade produces a finer, denser texture," explains Zuni.
I have this OXO Good Grips Pastry Scraper ($8.50 from Amazon.com). It is dishwasher safe and a ruler is imprinted on the blade, which is useful for measuring the thickness of rolled doughs and the diameter of cookies. Look like the model I have is on clearance because OXO has come out with a new model, the Soft Grip Bench Scraper
That's a really cool looking product. I know knives are among the most important tool one needs in the kitchen. They are definately near the top of the list. I'm not a professional cook by any means, but even I noticed the difference after I upgraded to a more sturdy set of cooking knives. I had for years simply used the various collection of odd knives inside my silverware drawer for most all cooking tasks. Then about 4 Christmas's ago, my cousin gave me a very nice set with a block sheath for a present. They stay much sharper, and I now have the luxury of having different knives designed specifically for different kinds of jobs. If I want to Julien some vegetables, I now have a knife made especially for that. If I want to filet a fish or hollow out a tomato, I have individual knives for that. Since I didn't buy my own set, and don't know for sure how nice it is compared to others, I'm not sure what kind of prices the top of line sets might run. I have seen sets that appeared to be similar to mine going for reasonable prices in most department and kitchenware stores. There are probably even better deals available online. Here is a good article that touches on some of the basics in what to look for when purchasing a set of knives. Hopefully it will be of use to anyone out there reading this. Happy carving lol!
view MikeBD81's profile
one day i went shopping outside,and in an links-of-london jewellery store,I found some kinds of links-of-london jewellery i love most they are: links of london links of london links london links london links of london charms links of london charms links of london charm links of london charm links of london Sweetie Bracelets links of london Sweetie Bracelets links london Sweetie Bracelet links of london Sweetie Bracelet links of london Bracelets links of london Bracelets links london Bracelet links of london Bracelet links of london Necklaces links of london Necklaces links london Necklace links of london Necklace links of london jewellery links of london jewellery links london jewelry links london jewelry links of london friendship bracelets links of london friendship bracelets links london friendship bracelet links london friendship bracelet ed hardy ed hardy Gucci shoes Gucci shoes buy wow gold buy wow gold cheap wow gold cheap wow gold ed hardy ed hardy Thanks of your infomation i have read it is very help full for me.
view links12's profile