Once the temperature heats up, it’s time to dust off your ice cream maker and pull your ice cream scoop out from the back of the drawer. What? You have no ice cream scoop? Or you have an old aluminum hand-me-down? If you want to upgrade to something it’s a relatively inexpensive purchase.
There are two types of ice cream scoop people: people who want a button and people who don’t. I’m someone who doesn’t. I want a simple scoop that’s going to last forever. That means no moving parts and food-grade stainless steel construction.
OXO Solid Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop
My ideal scoop is the solid steel scoop from OXO. This is a nice ice cream scoop that never disappoints. After all, when you are excited for some ice cream, a pained wrist or a drop on the floor can really hamper the experience of sheer joy that you know is coming (well maybe it’ll just tamp it down a tiny bit).
What do I like about this scoop?
- Comes from a name I know and trust
- Solid steel construction
- Pointed tip for digging into cold ice cream
- Comfortable handle
OXO Steel Lever Ice Cream Scoop
The OXO Steel Lever Ice Cream Scoop is basically the same scoop as the one we just detailed, but this one has a thumb button that pushes the ice cream out of the scoop and into your cone or bowl. This, of course, makes perfect sense as ice cream melts as soon as it touches the scoop and suction holds it into place in the convex shape of the scoop incredibly well.
The thumb button is a moving part but it’s simply a lever, with no gears or teeth or anything too complex. This means the mechanism is as simple as possible so there is practically nothing to break. This is different from a traditional cookie scoop-style where there is a button on the side connected to gears that scrape the bottom of the spoon area. This side-button mechanism is more complex and is much more prone to bending or breaking than the OXO direct lever.
What do I like about this scoop?
- Comes from a name I know and trust
- Mostly steel construction
- Thumb button has a simple, strong design
FAQs
- How do you get ice cream out of a ice cream scoop?
The best way to get ice cream to leave a scoop is by putting warm water on the scoop before dipping it into the ice cream. You can put the scoop in a bowl of warm water or simply run it under the faucet for a few seconds. A bit of warmth and a bit of water will be enough to get the ice cream to slide right off. Alternatively you can get a scoop with a thumb button and ice cream-release mechanism in it.