6 Ways to Put Ice Cream Scoops to Use
I’m not a fan of unitaskers, so if a gadget finds a permanent home in my kitchen, it’s got to pull its weight and hopefully do more than just its original task. In fact, I get a fun rush when I figure out new uses for gadgets, and ice cream scoops are no exception.
I rarely eat ice cream at home, but I proudly own three (yes, three!) different sizes of ice cream scoops and would never give up a single one. I use them constantly for everyday cooking. Here are six ways you can put them to use too!
1. Chocolate truffles
Portioning out ganache to form chocolate truffles is way easier when you have an ice cream scoop that has a release to get the sticky chocolate out. Plus, if you’re making the truffles as gifts, you’ll want them to look as uniform as possible, and a small ice cream scoop is the perfect tool.
2. Pancake batter
If you want to have a uniform stack of pancakes, ice cream scoops are great tools for scooping batter onto the griddle. Plus, if you have two different-sized scoops, you can even make fun shapes. My regular scoop makes a “head,” and my smaller scoop makes two “ears” to form an instant Mickey Mouse pancake, no special mold needed!
3. Muffins and cake batter
Dividing muffin or cake batter evenly can be a bit tricky, which is why I like grabbing my ice cream scoop. I do a scoop into each muffin well to start, so there’s less estimating by eye, and I scoop cake batter into cake pans by alternating scoops.
4. Cookie dough
If you want perfectly round cookies that are all the same size and shape, do what professional bakers do and use the ice cream scoop. Perfect mounds of cookie dough are now ready to bake or go straight into the freezer for another time.
5. Melon balls
You don’t need a melon baller if you have a small ice cream scoop. A scoop is the same size and shape, and you can use it to both scrape the seeds out of the melon and form cute little melon balls for fruit salad or drinks!
6. Meatballs
When making meatballs, you want them to be the same size and shape for even cooking, so I always reach for my ice cream scoop. Handling the meat mixture as little as possible is also important for tender meatballs, so using a scoop means that with one motion, I have the perfect portion to work with.