It doesn’t get much simpler than this:
Nylon pan scrapers from the Pampered Chef.
My fiancee got three of them with a stoneware casserole dish, the idea being that you shouldn’t use soap or abrasives to clean stoneware, much the same as with cast iron. I’ve found this to be the ideal pre-sponge tool for just about any cookware that gets caked and baked on food. The edges are tapered for scraping and the corners are cleverly designed so that one is good for getting into corners while the others are good for swooping around rounded surfaces.
They do their job remarkably well and after three years of use they show no signs of wear. If you have cast iron, these are really recommended but, even for general use, it’s amazing how something so simple can be so handy.
Of course, they are plastic and I’m trying to reduce my plastic consumption which leads to my next recommendation, glass tupperware containers with snap-on lids:
They are easier to wash than plastic, they’re more durable and more environmentally friendly. The snap on lids are brilliantly easy.