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. If your ice cream is coming straight from a household freezer, chances are it’s too hard to scoop. (FYI: Ice cream shops have temperature-controlled freezers to keep their ice cream soft and scoopable.) But that’s where this Good Cook Smart Scoop shines. By design, this aluminum scoop is made to handle frozen ice cream. It has metal claws that look clunky but are actually a genius way to cut through ice cream that’s too hard. It’s also a good option when serving up ice cream for guests, as it produces uniformly round scoops. Expertly engineered, the ratchet trigger mechanism sends a bar sweeping around the bowl to easily release a perfectly round orb of ice cream or sorbet and deliver it precisely into wafer cones, waffle cones or dessert dishes.

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.

Sometimes you're craving more than just a little ice cream. One of these jumbo scoops is all you need for a generous serving of the delectable dessert, which means less scooping and more eating! During testing, we found it was comfortable to hold, balanced, and doesn't cause any wrist strain when used. Plus, the non-slip handle ensures a firm, comfortable grip and keeps your hand from getting cold while using. With no moving parts, this scoop is sturdy and durable, and, as an added bonus, is dishwasher safe. This type of scoop isn’t the best for scooping small portions or for making ice cream cones since it can scoop a lot and it's hard to control the serving size and appearance. When we used this scooper with a pint of ice cream we found it a challenge to see over the paddle since it was larger than the container itself, so that's something to keep in mind. However, it worked very efficiently in the half-gallon tub of ice cream. We tested 22 ice cream scoops in our Lab—including traditional scoops, dishers, spades, and even a scoop/disher combo—and evaluated them on performance, design, and durability. Each scoop was tested with two types of ice cream: Häagen-Dazs and Blue Bell. Five minutes before scooping, we took the ice cream out of the freezer and placed it on the countertop. 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. 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.

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. 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. Ice cream spades are usually seen in gelato stores, but you should really give one a chance over the traditional scoop. The Good Grips Stainless Steel Ice Cream Spade has a paddle that is slightly curved and slides through hard ice cream, or ice cream with mix-ins, easily. The spade is great for scooping large portions, as well as transferring homemade ice cream from the ice cream maker to a freezer-safe container or pint. The handle is hollow and filled with antifreeze, which makes cutting through hard ice cream a breeze. (Though this also means you shouldn’t put it in the dishwasher.) In terms of performance, we hardly found any negatives except that it’s impossible to shape your ice cream scoops into balls due to the nature of spades. But if you don’t care about perfectly round scoops, this was one of the best-performing ice cream scoops we tested. Most ice cream scoops are made from some kind of metal, usually aluminium or stainless steel. These are durable and can generally be cleaned in the dishwasher. Both metals can cut through hard ice cream and are more durable than plastic.For Kelly Williamson, co-founder of True Scoops ice cream, the best way to scoop ice cream is to let the ice cream soften on the counter until it gives slightly with the touch of a finger. “Dip your ice cream scoop in at a slight angle and drag it towards you until a ball of ice cream has formed,” she says. “If you’re scooping from a pint, dip into it at the same slight angle but ‘go around the world’ which basically means to go around the outside of the pint scooping up all that ice cream.” To be labeled as ice cream in the United States, a gallon of ice cream must weigh at least 4.5 pounds and contain a minimum of 10 percent milk fat,” they say. “Milk fat is both delicious and expensive, so budget-brand frozen dairy desserts will often replace a good deal of the milk fat with whipped air in an attempt to mimic the creaminess of ice cream (while also decreasing the calories). This means a scoop of super premium ice cream will weigh significantly more than an equal-sized scoop of a frozen dairy dessert.” Why are some ice cream scoops hollow? 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.” Some scoops (especially those used in commercial settings) list the size "with a number that corresponds to the number of scoops that you would get from a quart of ice cream,” the Bechtels say. “This means that larger-sized scoops will have a smaller number because you’d get fewer scoops from a quart of ice cream from a larger scoop."

Unlike traditional scoops, the HIC Kitchen spade is wide and flat with a rounded edge that makes it ideal for scooping out hard ice cream. We tested this space on both half-gallon and pint ice cream containers and had the best results with the half-gallon container due to its size. We found that the edge was way better for digging ice cream from around the rim compared to a regular 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 The Zeroll 1020 Original has long been a favorite among those in the know because it contains a heat-conductive liquid inside the scoop that aids in cutting through your ice cream or sorbet. However, after testing it extensively, we also found that it is an excellent choice for lefties due to its symmetrical design. We tested this scoop with our left and right hands, and both produced the same type of scoop. We also liked that this ice cream scoop’s handle was substantially wide and offered a firm grip. Our tests showed that its design made it able to better accommodate a range of hand sizes, too.For mechanical scoops, the handle can also be where the release is. The release is typically a lever that is operated with the thumb or, in some models, squeezing the handle itself. These are typically designed to be done one-handed. The hollow design of some ice cream scoops helps with heat transfer. "Anyone who has tried to scoop ice cream from a tub that just came out of the freezer knows it’s not easy, so most scoops are designed to transfer the heat from your hand to the ice cream you are scooping," the Bechtels say. "Most hollow scoops are filled with a conductive liquid that warms the scoop, making it just a bit easier to get through a tub of ice cream.” This conductive liquid will often be advertised as an anti-freeze. 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.

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. 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. Not sure what to look for when it comes to the best ice cream scoop? Take a look at this buyer’s guide. DesignThe 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. In our testing, we found that the Sumo Ice Cream Scoop can give you a scoop of ice cream that looks like it came straight from your favorite ice cream shop. This scoop made it to the top of our list because of its durable stainless steel construction and grippy handle, which felt more comfortable in our hands than many of the other scoops on our list. Additionally, because the weight is distributed evenly throughout the handle length, you can scoop practically effortlessly without straining your hand. Plus, we felt that its pointed edge made it easy to dig the ice cream out. As well as being ideal for frozen desserts, the large round scoop is brilliant for serving measured doses of cake mix into cupcake moulds, or doling out portions of batter to make identically sized pancakes or crêpes – and of course, it's great for serving perfect portions of creamy mashed potato too. 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!