The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

bench knife and dough cutter

codruta's picture
codruta

bench knife and dough cutter

Hello everyone. I have a short question. Bench knife is the same thing with a straight dough cutter?

I want to buy a bench knife, but I don't know which is the best. I'm from Romania, I can purchase from amazon.co.uk (or amazon.fr.). Is there a brand you prefer, that's better than other?

thank you, Codruta

mrfrost's picture
mrfrost

Yes, they are the same thing. For home use, I think a basic one is fine. I would go with the seemingly least expensive one there. Looks like a great deal, and has a measuring ruler built in. I am assuming it is made of stainless steel. It appears to be.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dough-Cutter-Scraper-from-Betterware/dp/B004QX12A4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310404484&sr=8-1

richkaimd's picture
richkaimd

The product listed at the URL in the previous note looks good.  The last thing you'd want is something flimsy.  The one in the picture looks just fine.

Matt H's picture
Matt H

weirdly, the measuring marks on mine wore off pretty quickly. Makes me wonder if I ate lots of little bits of black ink. Yum.

hilo_kawika's picture
hilo_kawika

Because I have a plastic composite counter, I can't use any metal dough cutters.  So I opted for this inexpensive set of drywall tools from Home Depot:

http://www.homedepot.com/Building-Materials-Drywall-Tools-Taping-Knives/h_d1/N-apsyZ5yc1v/R-100567823/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&cata...

They developed small cracks on the scraping edge initially but have never gotten worse - and that was more than a year ago!  They're inexpensive, easily cleaned and lightweight.  What's not to like?

  aloha,

Dave Hurd, Hilo, Hawaii

Just Loafin's picture
Just Loafin

The one I use looks very similar to the one you listed at amazon UK. Mine is a Wilton Baker's Blade:

http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=F5E5B96F-423B-522D-F50E717CB1BFFC61&fid=F5E5B97F-423B-522D-F4B28517284FA427

I've had mine for over 3 years now. The measurements have not worn at all (they are etched in, impossible to wear off under normal use). The edge is great for cutting things like cinnamon rolls (no more thread or dental floss). The difference between the Wilton and the one at A-UK is the handle. The Wilton's handle doubles as a 'hopper' for anything from candy pieces to raisins, etc. It's supposed to be a multi-purpose tool to be used for working with fondants, cakes, icings, candies, as well as doughs.

Wilton does not ship internationally, but there are 2 Romanian distributors ( http://www.wilton.com/about/contact/intl_distrib.cfm ). B&B Super Import has a website in Romanian:

http://www.bbsuperimport.com

That might be a nice website/resource to have for the future, even if you get the Amazon product. I did not find the Wilton Baker's Blade on the A-UK site, only the Wilton flexible dough scraper, which I would assume is not what you're looking for. Good luck and take care!

- Keith

codruta's picture
codruta

Thank you for the links, Keith. I looked, but the prices in romania are outrageous. What you buy in america for 7.99 $, at romanian store is 15.3$ + 6$ transport (from store to my city), that is 21.3$. I don't mind paying 21 $ for something that worths 21$, but to pay 21 for something that worths only 8...

I'll have to keep looking.

codruta's picture
codruta
PaddyL's picture
PaddyL

And buy a nice wide plaster scraper.  They have good sharp edges and work perfectly as bench knives.  And they tend to be cheaper than the official bench knives made for baking.

Zeb's picture
Zeb

http://www.pattersons.co.uk/products/bowl-scrapers-0

Hi there, Pattersons in Bristol (trade but deal with public in their shop)  supply these packs of x 10 scrapers at a very good price (don't forget to add the VAT). They work well as dough cutters as well as all purpose tools.   best wishes, Joanna

lumos's picture
lumos

I don't need a scraper at the moment since I already own 6 or 7 (How did I get here...?) , but never heard of that supplier, and it's always really great to find another baking equipment online shops because we don't have too many of them here in UK. Thank you for the information, Zeb.  I'll enjoy browsing through their catalogue to see what else I can get too many! :p