One of my favorite pieces of equipment is a bowl scraper; a little piece of plastic that costs less than $2.00. Curved on one side, the bowl scraper can reach around curves and get batter out of the bowl better than any spoon or spatula. The opposite side of the scraper is a flat edge that you can use to level off measuring spoons and smooth out any wrinkles in whatever you’re working with.
I got my first bowl scraper over a year ago as a free giveaway at a pastry event, but I never realized what it did until I saw someone use it as a scraper at Polka Dot. For over a year I only used it to level, but now that I know its true talent my scraper has become an invaluable tool when baking. (Jacques Torres agrees. He listed it as one of his favorite pieces of equipment in the book Dessert Circus and says he often carries one around in his jacket pocket.)
This new discovery has renewed my interest in finding good tools for baking. Andrew once said that any job is easy as long as you have the right tools, and I certainly agree. As many of you have noticed, the “Baking Equipment” section on this site lacks content and I think it’s time to give it the attention it deserves. I would like to create a list of baking equipment that no baker should be without. Now that you’ve heard one of my selections for the list, I’d like to hear some of your favorites. Send me any recommendations and I’ll investigate and report back. I look forward to hearing all about the tools that make the life of a baker a little easier (and more fun.) Thank you!
Available at PastryChef.com >
That is a very good invention! Someone was thinking….
i always wondered if they worked well.
I agree!! The bowl scraper is the best tool ever created. I keep a stack of them at my desk. I use them for all sorts of things. They are great for adding flour while your mixing too.
I love this tool also; got one free and I find it indispensable to scrape out all the batter from mixing bowls, and also cleaning off the counter when I’m done rolling out dough. Another thing I couldn’t live without is a fine-mesh strainer, to sift dry ingredients; I have one of those canister sifters where you push the handle, but it takes forever and some of the flour is always left inside the thing. The fine-mesh strainer makes it easy to get every last bit into the mixing bowl. Of course I also think my Kitchenaid mixer is absolutely essential; getting one a couple years ago really propelled me into baking because it made it so much easier.
If you want to fill a cake, I’ve found a cake leveler to be a very helpful tool. It allows you to evenly cut a cake in half horizontally. (Evenly is the key word!). It sure beats using a long knife with toothpicks at each end of the cake as a guide to cut.
You can get these for less than fifty cents at most restaurant supply shops, especially in any Chinatown district. They always have tons of little kitchen gadgets at super cheap prices.
I know I’m late to this party…but I wanted to post for reference.
Kelli
Get Kathryn to email me your address and i’ll post you a selection of scrapers (both metal and plastic). I work for a bakery ingrediants company in NZ and have hundred if not thousands of them kicking about in me car.
You’re so right they are a great tool.
Cheers
Alan xox
Ha! I invented something better! It’s alot easier than what you guys invented!
Gadget…
Great article, Go Gadget go…