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During testing, we noticed that no matter the ice cream texture, the Sumo scoop still made nice and even scoops. Instead of serving your ice cream straight from the freezer, we recommend letting it soften on the counter a few minutes before serving. (When the ice cream was too hard, we had to use our fingers and a spoon to help release it from the scoop.) Nevertheless, this reliable dishwasher-safe scoop got our stamp of approval for comfort and ease of use. Most ice cream scoops are made out of some kind of metal, typically aluminum or stainless steel, with a rubber or plastic handle, either coated or as a separate piece. Both stainless steel and aluminum scoops are capable of cutting through hard ice cream and offer similar advantages. Plastic scoops are less common and also not recommended: plastic will neither last as long nor cut through ice cream as well as a metal scoop or bowl. While the scoop itself is the most important part of the ice cream scoop, the handle design also varies. A basic one-piece scoop will be made from the same material as the bowl of the scoop. Others may have a rubber coating for comfort or an ergonomic grip. If a single-piece scoop has conducting liquid to soften the ice cream, however, any coating for comfort would interfere with the heat transference. Ice cream scoops are tools that are certainly not limited to frozen treats. They can also be used to scoop batter and dough for baking. The disher-style tool allows you to spoon up a precise serving and maintain that perfectly round shape. Plus, the trigger mechanism makes for an easy and smooth release. Many people enjoy using an ice cream scoop for cupcake, muffin, and pancake batter, as well as uniform portions of cookie dough. It's not limited to just the sweet stuff though—we've seen ice cream scoops being used to shape meatballs and patties for burgers. They can also be used to dish up charmingly round servings of mashed potatoes, risotto, and egg salad. The possibilities are endless. Pretty much all modern ice cream scoops are made from either aluminum or stainless steel,” say Wes and Kristen Bechtel, co-owners of Boombalatti’s ice cream shop in Wilmington, North Carolina. This makes sense, considering all of the options on our list are made of aluminum, zinc, or stainless steel. While we didn’t notice a certain material performing better than others in our testing, it’s worth noting that aluminum ice cream scoops are hand-wash only, while the other materials are typically dishwasher safe.
The Spring Chef Ice Cream Scoop has an ergonomic, comfortable rubber handle that comes in twelve different colors (we tested the purple one). The handle also boasts a notch at the bottom for lifting off frozen lids, similar to a bottle opener. No more cold fingers! Tip: If your freezer is very cold and the ice cream’s set hard, you may find it helpful to warm the Trigger Scoop in some hot water before use. Cookbook author Donna Currie is a writer and product tester for The Spruce Eats. An avowed "kitchen geek," she's compiled detailed roundups on various kitchen gadgets to make your life easier in the kitchen. Highlights include the best garlic presses, top cookie tools, and the best cookbook stands. We like the aluminum ice cream scoops that have a heat-conductive fluid inside,” says Kelly Williamson, co-founder of True Scoops ice cream. “The heat of your hand warms the fluid, causing the ball of ice cream to neatly release from the scoop. It makes the hardest of ice cream that much easier to scoop.” The size of a scoop of ice cream largely depends on who’s scooping—but in general, it can be anywhere from 2 to 4 ounces. Even though many of the models we tested don’t list the exact scoop size, those that do are within this range.
To come up with these recommendations, we tested 22 ice cream scoops in our Lab. Each scooper was tested on a pint and half-gallon container, and we evaluated them based on factors such as performance, design, and durability. In our testing, we found that the handle is quite important. If it’s too short, you’ll get ice cream all over your hands when scooping at the bottom of the container. First, we tested each scoop on a pint of Häagen-Dazs to see how well it can scoop ice cream with a firmer texture and maneuver around a pint container. We took three scoops from the pint, paying close attention to how easily the scoop cut through the ice cream and how well it released the ice cream. We also noted how comfortable it was to hold, and we even used our left hand at least once to see if the scoop is suitable for lefties. Then, we hand-washed and dried the scoop before continuing to our second test. This article was written by Nor’adila Hepburn, a contributing writer for Real Simple. To find the best ice cream scoops, we tested 22 models in our Lab and evaluated them based on design, performance, and durability. For expert tips, we also spoke to Wes and Kristen Bechtel, co-owners of Boombalatti’s ice cream shop in Wilmington, North Carolina, who have bought over 100 scoops in the last decade and have a full collection of antique scoops; and Kelly Williamson, co-founder of True Scoops ice cream.
The downside to these designs is that the ice cream scoop normally needs to be dipped in warm water to slightly soften the ice cream, although many scoops have conductive handles that become warm from the heat of your hand. This scoop is made from zinc alloy—it's also available in stainless steel—and the 3-ounce scooper creates medium-sized scoops that easily release from the scoop with minimal effort. We found the curved handle very comfortable to hold and it kept our hand warm while scooping. Though one of the heavier scoops, it felt comfortable and didn’t cause any wrist strain while using, even with a hard ice cream that included mix-ins. The single-piece ice cream scoop, even though it has no mechanical release, is typically favored by ice cream shops because there are no parts that can gum up with repeated use. Ice cream can then be loosened with heat, either by dipping the scoop in warm water—as many ice cream shops do—or through the conduction of heat from the handle to the scoop.Handles are usually made from rubber or plastic. The ice cream scoop will either have a coated handle, or it’ll have a rubber handle as a separate piece. Both rubber and plastic handles are comfortable and grippy, but you’ll lose any heat transference through the warmth of your hand which can make the ice cream a little harder to scoop. Grip
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