Why You Need a Dough Scraper

If you think a dough scraper is only useful for keen home bakers, it’s time to reconsider this humble tool. Also known as a bench scraper or bench knife, a dough scraper is one of the most versatile and hard-working kitchen gadgets you can own – inexpensive yet extremely useful. Why?

A Dough Scraper Is the Secret to Sharper Knives

We’ve all done it: mince onions and garlic, then scrape the pieces from the board and add it to the pan. This is one of the big reasons your knife blades dull so quickly. Instead, you should delegate this task to the dough scraper. In addition to protecting your knife blades, the wider surface lets you transfer more ingredients from chopping board to pan at a time. (For more info, read our knife care do's and do not's.)

More Dough Scraper Benefits

Speedy Countertop Cleanup: A dough scraper is perfect for clearing away flour, crumbs, and food scraps from your countertops as you cook. Scrape them into a large bowl of scraps (like onion, garlic, and vegetable peels) you can discard or compost later.
Zero-Waste Bowl Scraping: Scraping out thick mixtures with a spoon or standard spatula almost always leaves behind valuable ingredients stuck to the sides. A flexible silicone or plastic scraper bends to match the rounded contours of mixing bowls and stand mixer bowls. Acting like an oversized spatula, it sweeps the interior clean in one or two smooth arcs, so you can get every last bit of cake batter, emulsified sauce, or mashed potato into the dish, which also means there is less mess to scrub off later.
Cleaning Cast Iron or Carbon Steel Pans: Before reaching for harsh abrasive sponges, use a dough scraper to remove as much stubborn burnt-on food as possible from cast iron skillets, carbon steel pans, or spun iron cookware. It helps clear cooked-on debris without stripping away the seasoning.
Baking, Of Course: Pulling dough apart by hand tears delicate gluten networks. A bench scraper cuts cleanly through dough into equal portions for rolls, loaves, or pizza. It's also a great tool for making pasta. During shaping, sliding the flat blade under dough while dragging and rotating it across your worktop builds essential surface tension for a taller rise in the oven. It also helps smooth icing on cakes, score pastry, and more.

Curved vs. Straight Dough Scrapers: What’s the Difference?

Straight-Edged Scrapers (Bench Scrapers): Designed for flat surfaces, a rigid, straight edge cleanly divides dough on a worktop, scooping up diced vegetables from a cutting board, or scraping away dried flour and sticky residue from your counters.
Curved-Edged Scrapers (Bowl Scrapers): A curved scraper is designed to follow the curves of bowls. Usually made of slightly flexible plastic or silicone, it is great for kneading dough or in the bowl, as well as extracting every last drop of cake batter, mashed potato, or mince (for burgers or meatballs) without leaving any waste behind.

Which Dough Scraper Material is Right for You?

Plastic or Silicone: A plastic or silicone dough scraper is slightly flexible, making them great at cleaning out stubborn batters from hard-to-reach bowl edges. At the same time, they are rigid enough to portion dough and scrape down your worktops without leaving scratch marks. For simple ingredient-transferring and countertop cleaning, this is our top recommendation.
Stainless Steel: Stainless steel bench scrapers are especially useful for bakers. Their straight, rigid edges are ideal for cleanly cutting through sticky or tough doughs, and many come with measurement markings for precision baking. A steel blade is also the best choice for scraping off tough, sticky bits of dough. Choose this option if you are a home cook who also loves baking, as the stainless steel option works well for both.
Wood or Wood Composite: Wooden dough scrapers, known in Italy as a tarocco, often used for making fresh pasta. Rolling and working pasta dough with wooden tools preserves its coarse texture, which is essential for making sure sauce clings to the pasta. If handled roughly, a slick plastic or metal dough scraper can make the dough surface too smooth. Wood also naturally regulates surface moisture, preventing sticky egg pasta from clinging without needing excess raw flour.

Our Favourite Dough Scrapers

Kuchenprofi Dough Scraper Set: If you can't decide which material you need, this 3-in-1 set has a scraper for every task. It includes a kitchen bowl scraper with a flexible curved edge, a plastic D-shaped bench scraper for smoothing out pastry cream, and a stainless steel dough cutter with measurements. All three can be used for transferring ingredients, and all three are dishwasher safe. They nest together to save space in your kitchen drawer. Shop here.
Paderno Dough Scraper (a Borough Kitchen Favourite): Don't be fooled by its simple appearance – this little red scraper is a powerhouse that costs very little but helps quite a lot. It features a curved edge for bowl scraping, and the straight edge is stiff enough to effortlessly cut dough, transfer chopped ingredients, and clean countertops, without scratching surfaces. Shop here.
De Buyer Stainless Steel Dough Scraper: Designed with professional bakers in mind, this straight-edged stainless steel scraper is more innovative than it first appears. The rolled handle ensures a firm grip while minimising heat transfer, meaning your warm hands won't melt the butter in your pastry or warm up dough as you work. Shop here.
Marcato Heritage Il Tarocco Dough Cutter: Marrying function and beauty, this dough cutter is crafted from strong canaletto (American walnut) wood, featuring a deep colour and dark veins. It is a handy, gorgeous tool for preparing fresh pasta, biscuits, bread, and pizza, and makes an incredible gift. Shop here.
Epicurean Dough Scraper: Made from an eco-friendly wood composite, the straight-edged scraper is a dishwasher-safe alternative to a traditional wooden dough scraper. Heat resistant up to 176°C, it’s a great tool for scraping tough stuck-on bits from pans and counters. Shop here.