Best cleaning device for bread dough bowls

[gfron1]

When I make my sourdough and need to clean the bowl I typically use a copper brillo after a scraping with a pastry scraper.  But the dough always makes the brillo so nasty that I have to pitch it.  What is everyone else using that is easier and less wasteful?

[heidih]

Perhaps in your commercial setting you don't have the luxury of time and space, but in my home kitchen I fill with warm water after the initial removal and let it sit for maybe half an hour. Generally use the side of my hand and then a greenie to get any stuck bits of which there are rarely any.

[choux]

I find cold water works a lot better, it doesn't make the leftover bits sticky and then I use my hand to brush off bits and then wash.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Cold water 5 minutes, use my handy-dandy cleaning spatula (basically the silicon blade of a spatula whose handle died) to remove excess gunk, then a cheap pot scrubber to finish the job.  (Commercial bakery - I do 5-10 big stainless steel bowls of poolish/pre-ferment a day depending on demand.)

[rotuts]

pretty much what has sead :

 

a cold water soak

 

then something w a sharp but a bit flex-able tip 

 

you then empty the water, scrape up those bits,

 

dont but those bit in you Garbage Dispoale   !!!

[MelissaH]

A trick that I learned from a breadmaking class at King Arthur: a handful of flour works wonderfully to clean up goopy dough from your hands, your bowls, etc. without clogging your sink. So if I have a bowl that's got sticky dough bits, I'll dump a spoonful of flour and use my hand to rub it around and loosen the dough, then rub it between my hands to clean them, and finally brush it all into the trash.

 

If it's dry dough, I soak in cold water for a bit, as others have recommended.

[Anna N]

Soak in cold water but then I use a long handled dish brush instead of a scrubby. It cleans up so much easier. And goes through the dishwasher without an issue.

[gfron1]

Cold water...who knew!  Thanks guys.

[Anna N]

Cold water...who knew!  Thanks guys.

Yep because hot water makes library paste! Ate a pile of that in my day as did most toddlers who had Nanas who knew the magic of a cup of paste, safety scissors, a scrap book and any old catalogue. Now I think they add salt to spoil the fun.

[Edward J]

Cold water and a cheapo plastic pastry scraper.  These are typically given by pastry suppliers to commerecial kitchens as a freebie/advertising gimmick.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Let the paste dry then brush it off with your hand.

[dcarch]

I  just switch the sink faucet to spray.

 

The spray blasts off the dough easily and quickly. No need to scrape.

 

 

dcarch

[Mjx]

I run hot water over the interior to set the dough a bit so it loses its elasticity, and simply scrape it out; takes about 15 seconds, and there remain just a few light smudges to clear away with a dish scrubber.

Also, I use the Goodby Detergent! scrubbers (admittedly, with detergent) which rinse clean much more easily than Brillo, and don't scratch.

[DianaB]

I use the hottest water possible from the kitchen tap, this 'melts' stuck dough from the bowl and the dough hook making both simple to clean in seconds. I've tried various sponges with green scoured backs but without exception these seem to retain some of the dough however thoroughly they are washed afterwards so I've completely given up on any such aids until all visible dough has been jetted off with hot water.

[Norm Matthews]

Those plastic scrubbies work well on dough not only in the bowl but on the beater blade too.  Use under running water. Afterward toss the scrubby in the dishwasher.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Norm Matthews (log)

[Kim Shook]

So glad that I saw this yesterday!  I made 3 loaves of bread today, so I had 3 mixing bowls to clean.  I used the cold water method and it was like magic.  Things like this make my time spent at eG very practical!  Thank you!

[Thanks for the Crepes]

You know those nylon? or otherwise very durable flexible plastic mesh bags that produce like onions or fresh brussels sprouts sometimes come in? The ones that are sort of a diamond shaped mesh that's expandable and very strong to contain heavy produce that needs to breathe.

 

Well, I used to toss them in the landfill trash because our local recycling program won't take them.

 

Now I've discovered you can save and use them to clean icky stuff like bread dough bowls and melted cheese stuck onto dishes that will gunk up the scrubbies you buy to the point they can't be cleaned. These durable mesh bags, wadded up, will make short work of scraping the worst gunk off. Then rinse in running water and shake the bag  into the sink, and the gunk goes down the drain.

 

They can be thrown in the top rack of the dishwasher for sanitation. I always do that after using with something like cookie dough which contains raw eggs.

 

They last a long time in a home kitchen, at least, cost you nothing, and they also keep waste out of the landfill for quite a while.

 

I've also found that they don't scratch anything, unlike the green Scotch Brite scrubbies. Those things will scratch 18/8 stainless with some vigorous elbow grease.

[Smithy]

That's a good tip, Thanks for the Crepes. 3M, who makes a blue scrubby that does not scratch steel or teflon, will not thank you. But I will. ;-)