Mash rake

A mashing fork, mash rake or mashing rake is a tool traditionally used in the mashing process of brewing and distilling. The mashing fork is used to mix the mash by hand to ensure the various grains are properly homogenized and wet everywhere, so no starches are wasted. In modern parlance, the term 'rake' is used most commonly to refer to mechanical knives used to cut the mash bed to optimize the efficiency of the runoff and 'fork' is most commonly used to refer to the traditional, mostly archaic, tool.