Scoop

Scoop is a kitchen tool which helps to dispense a uniform quantity of any semi solid food item. It has a long handle and a semi spherical cup at the base which holds the food being scooped out. It can also be described as a special kind of rounded cup like spoon, used to scoop out the food item. The scoop may have a free plunger mechanism or may be of simple desing. The scoop may be made of stainless steel, wood, aluminium or plastic and it comes in all shapes and sizes. It is useful in household kitchens as well as restaurants, ice cream parlours, cafes and canteens.

 

History of Scoop

 

The disher style of scoop was invented in the year 1897. It was invented by an African – American known by the name of Alfred L. Cralle, who lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States. It was patented in 1897, and after being launched in the market gained immediate popularity. It was a very useful invention as it helped to dispense foods like icecream easily without sticking. Even after over hundred years it is still an indispensable tool of the food wolrd.

 

Types of Scoop

 

  1. Transfer Scoop – This type of scoop is mostly shovel shaped and used for transferring dry food stuffs like flour, grains, pulses, spices and so on. It may be made of steel, wood, plastic, tin or aluminium. It is handy and mostly used in grocery stores and some household kitchens.
  2. Measuring Scoop – This is a cylindrical scoop which is used for measuring the exact quantity of the ingredient in a recipe or a food item being sold. It may come in small, medium and large sizes and can also be made of tin, plastic, steel or aluminium.
  3. Disher Style Scoop – This type of scoop is mostly used in both cooking and serving. It may be used to serve ice cream, jelly or other food items. A particularly small sized one is used to scoop out melon balls also known as a melon baller. This type of scoop may come with a mechanical device which helps to dispense the food item neatly. It is also available without a mechanical device and can be used simply. Some scoops come with a liquid filled, in order to keep the ice cream from freezing to the surface of the scoop. This liquid is heat conductive and therefore useful.
  4. Ice Cream Scoop – The ice cream scoop is specially useful as it measures out just half a cup of ice cream into the bowl. It works on a free plunger mechanism to dispense the ice cream into the smaller bowls. This helps to serve uniform helpings to one and all. It is also very helpful to those on a diet, as it helps to keep the portions consumed by them under control. It not only gives a neat ball of ice cream, but looks pretty too. This is a disher style scoop.
  5. Cookie Scoop – This type of scoop is typically used while making or baking cookies. It is a small scoop which is used for measuring equal portions of cookie dough to be baked. This ensures uniformity in baking and all the cookies look the same size. Same size also ensures that the cookies are baked through, evenly without burning. This is also a disher style scoop.
  6. Muffin Scoop – As the name suggests this is specially used while preparing muffins. Once the muffin batter or dough is ready it needs to placed in individual muffin cup or into different segments of a muffin tray. The muffin scoop measures out exactly the same amount of the batter or dough and places it in the muffin cups or tray. It not only ensures uniform portion sizes but also helps in baking the muffins evenly. This is a disher style scoop.
  7. Pasta Scoop – This type of scoop is meant ideally for lifting and serving pastas. However, it can also be used for other tasks which require straining and draining, like for steamed vegetables, deep frying and so on. The scoop comes with perforations on all sides. It is a combination of a scoop and a strainer. Most of these are dishwasher safe and may be made of plastic, stainless steel, silicone, non-stick material or even wood. The long handle has a hole for hanging on kitchen hooks. Another type of pasta scoop is a spoon which has tentacles or claws for easy serving of the longer variety of pasta such as spaghetti, angel hair pasta and so on.
  8. Canning Scoop – A canning scoop is useful for all household and professional kitchens today, as most dishes involve using ingredients out of a can. This type of scoop helps remove even the last left over contents from the can without any trouble and with lot of ease. It has a clip attached to the handle which can be attached to the can to prevent the scoop from slipping inside. The cup of the scoop has two spouts on each side which makes it perfect for use, by both right handed people as well as left handed people. The spout also helps to pour the contents with convenience and without any mess. They are usually dishwasher safe also.

 

How to Buy a Scoop

When buying a scoop one should ascertain the requirement for which it is required, as there are a number of different types of scoops available. It can then be decided whether a cookie scoop, muffin scoop, ice cream scoop, transfer scoop, measuring scoop, canning or a pasta scoop is required. One should also check before buying whether the scoop is dishwasher safe. Disher scoops are usually more cumbersome to clean. A good and reputed brand may cost a little higher, but is more durable and sometimes even lasts a lifetime.

Popular Brands Selling Scoop

Norpro 

OXO Good Grips

Wilton

Farberware