Today's best ice cream scoops: Seven ways to sundae

L.A. Times Archives

Aug. 1, 2007 12 AM PT

Emily Dwass

Special to The Times

ALL the way home on the freeway, the sun beats through the windshield, and the only thing that keeps you smiling through the enervating August afternoon is the reward in your freezer: a pint of sweet, cold ice cream. But when you open the freezer door and take out the carton, the ice cream is so solidly frozen your biggest spoon barely makes a dent. There’s got to be an easier way. But what is it?

There are dozens of ice cream scoops on the market, most for less than $20, and they not only come in an amusing array of colors and shapes, but they also employ very different strategies to tackle what seems to be a simple problem -- dishing out that hard-frozen ice cream with attractive results.

I tested seven popular and widely available ice cream scoops, including new-this-year models from KitchenArt and Calphalon, a few that have been on the market for several years, and one classic, the Zeroll, that dates from the 1930s. My priority was finding a tool that could really dig into super-hard ice cream without exerting a lot of force (I’m a weakling). The scoopers also were judged by how comfortable they were to use and by whether their design innovations translated into performance. Also considered was the appearance of the ice cream once it landed in the bowl -- were there handsome spheres or messy little slabs? The tools had to prove themselves without benefit of head starts such as running them under hot water or letting the ice cream sit out to soften.

Ice cream scoops, old-school and new, can be divided into two categories. They’re either non-mechanical diggers that require some elbow grease or low- to high-tech ones that have a gadget or other short cut. Most diggers, which are basically little shovels, now have ergonomic handles for optimum comfort. The gadget-oriented scoops can have ingenious features: levers, warming devices and carefully engineered business ends.

The best overall scoop I tested was the simple but well-designed KitchenArt; it’s a champion at skating through super-hard ice cream. Least impressive was Deni’s plug-in ice cream scoop that warms a large upright spoon, with predictably gooey results. Calphalon’s three-petal scoop is unique and tested well, allowing for a lovely presentation of ice cream but requiring some muscle. It came in behind Cuisinart’s colorful and inexpensive but burly chrome-plated scoop that’s perfect for the heavy-duty assembly scooping. Several other models performed well enough, but their quirky features didn’t make enough of a difference to justify seeking them out.

Form and function

Some scoops are so cool-looking they could hold their own in an art gallery. In fact, one dipper, the Zeroll, is on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Patented by Ohio businessman Sherman Kelly in 1935, the Zeroll has a hollow handle filled with antifreeze-like self-defrosting liquid. When you grasp the handle, the heat from your hand transfers internally to the scooper. The new incarnations of the Zeroll are available in high-grade aluminum or nonstick Teflon. I tried the aluminum one and found the thick handle a comfortable grasp. But it still was challenging for me to form round spheres of ice cream. The scoop’s surface also immediately became marred by scratches and water spots.

I had no complaints about that new KitchenArt scoop, discovered when I spotted two little kids playing at a store display with the cheery green and blue gel-grip diggers. It’s easy to see why the kids were intrigued -- this scoop looks like a cross between an action figure and a Barbie doll. The handle has a nice, squishy grasp, which made it wonderful for serious shoveling, and the end result was a bowl filled with inviting spheres of ice cream.

For pure entertainment value, the Deni Electric Ice Cream Scoop is a hoot: The severe silver-and-black design seems to be channeling Darth Vader. But evidently I didn’t shovel fast enough, and the heat caused the ice cream to melt as I scooped. There were puddles in the bowl and soupy streaks left to refreeze in the carton. That’s no fun -- and fun is the one thing scooping ice cream should be.

food@latimes.com

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Get a grip

The new KitchenArt Gel Grip, available in lime green and blue, looks and feels like a toy with its colorful, pliable silicon handle. The dishwasher-safe scoop is made of die-cast zinc.

What’s the difference: The squishy handle molds to the hand. The deep spoon is tapered for sphere-shaping.

What we thought: This well-designed scoop is fun to look at and use. Grasping the unique handle gives you the leverage to barrel into rock-solid ice cream and end up with nice orbs.

How much: About $12 at Crate & Barrel and Amazon .com.

Size matters

The dishwasher-safe Cuisinart Ice Cream Scoop, introduced in 2004, has a large chrome-plated zinc spoon and a rounded handle of ABS plastic (the stuff used in football helmets). It’s available in pink, black or red.

What’s the difference: The spoon capacity makes it easy to form large, round scoops of ice cream without exerting a lot of strength.

What we thought: Really gets the job done. The sleek handle has nice indentations for your palm and thumb. It looks cool and is comfortable to use.

How much: About $10 at Bed, Bath & Beyond, Macy’s and Amazon.com.

Flower arrangement

Calphalon’s dishwasher-safe scooper, the 3-Way, introduced this year, has a stainless-steel spoon that resembles a flower with petals. The handle is made of easy-grip nylon and soft silicone.

What’s the difference: The unique shape allows the tool to extract ice cream in three directions from any kind of container. The goal here: no lick left behind.

What we thought: This scoop has an elegant look and a comfortable handle but requires some force to use. Its carving action forms attractive curls of ice cream.

How much: About $10 at Bed, Bath & Beyond and Amazon.com.

Clever lever

OXO currently has six ice cream scoops on the market, including this 9-year-old design that uses a pop-up lever to eject the ice cream. The spoon is round, stainless steel, and the black soft grip handle is rubbery santoprene. You can put it in the dishwasher, and there’s a hole in the handle for hanging.

What’s the difference: There are little finger-friendly fin-like ridges on the handle. Although this scooper has been around for a while, the catapulting mechanism is unique, kind of like one of those rock-hurling weapons from the Middle Ages.

What we thought: You need to exert some force for effective digging. But once you get the spoon filled, the lever works really well in gently releasing rounds of ice cream. The little fins are nice to grasp.

How much: About $10 at Bed, Bath & Beyond and Amazon.com.

A cute triangle

Wilton’s Incredible Ice Cream Scoop, introduced in 2004, has a triangle-shaped stainless-steel spoon and a handle covered in light blue silicone. There’s a hole for hanging, and it’s dishwasher safe.

What’s the difference: The points of the triangular spoon are designed to pierce and slice through ice cream. There’s a ridge on the back of the ergonomic handle for your index finger, and a little thumb rest on the other side.

What we thought: Nice to hold, but a little awkward to use. When a lot of force was exerted in digging, the ice cream almost went flying out of the carton.

How much: About $7 at Williams-Sonoma and Amazon .com.

Midcentury marvel

This new edition of the classic 1930s Zeroll is made of high-grade aluminum. The same design also is available coated in nonstick Teflon. Hand wash only.

What’s the difference: The handle contains nontoxic self-defrosting fluid. In theory, your hand instantly activates this liquid, which heats up the interior of the spoon portion (it doesn’t feel warm to the touch).

What we thought: The handle is thick and comfortable, but our results weren’t great. We ended up with slivery slabs instead of spheres, which is a mouthful to say but not to eat. Also, does “antifreeze” -- even if it’s nontoxic and sealed -- belong in a kitchen?

How much: About $17 at Crate & Barrel. The Teflon-coated version is $28 at Williams-Sonoma.

Globule warming

The Deni Electric Ice Cream Scoop, introduced in 2005, is a one-piece stand-up unit that looks like a giant spoon in a hooded cape. The aluminum scooper is covered with nonstick coating; the ergonomic handle has santoprene grip strips. The cord is 76 inches long. Only the spoon portion can be washed (by hand).

What’s the difference: Plug it in and the spoon gets warm in minutes. The plastic collar keep drips from traveling down your hands.

What we thought: More of a novelty act than a practical tool. The warmed spoon melts the ice cream. That’s not only cheating, but it’s also messy.

How much: About $15 at www.deni.com; $24 at Target .com and Amazon.com.

Emily Dwass