This Multifunctional Spoon Has Become a Mainstay in My Kitchen — And It’s Less than $20 on Amazon

As a home cook who is trying to do a lot in an incredibly small studio apartment kitchen, I’m always seeking multi-functional utensils and appliances in a compact and streamlined package. This need has already made me a very loyal fan of gadgets like the air fryer, but also classics like the cast iron pan because to me, these are all items that can do a lot of things while taking up limited space.

This same desire for both streamlining and multitasking is what initially drew me to the Joseph Joseph Scoop Plus Colander — a simple handheld utensil that I wish I was using before now. But can a simple kitchen utensil truly be a game-changer? After all, at first glance, it looks like a good ol’ slotted spoon (albeit, larger than most). After a couple nights spent in the kitchen with this tool, however, I quickly came to see how wrong that assumption was.

Although at first glance, the product — which is currently available for under $20 on Amazon — seems to be just a large, slotted spoon, it’s actually so much more than that. Not only does it have smart pan hooks on the underside so you can clip it right onto a pan for draining, but it also has the capability to let you scoop straight out of a hot pan — whether making pasta, steaming vegetables, or even draining the oil from fried foods. Could this be the best utensil out there? Maybe so!

To put my thoughts to the test, I ordered the slotted spoon on Amazon last week, and used it for the first time this weekend when making shrimp scampi. I was so excited to see I was able to use this new utensil in around a half-dozen different ways while making just a single meal!

I first tested the pan hooks by resting the spoon on the pot as I made my pasta. Then, I used it to scoop the pasta directly out of the water and drain it before putting it into my pan of shrimp scampi. This method eliminated the need to carry a heavy pot to the sink, and for that I’m truly thankful.

The spoon’s usefulness didn’t end there, though. After roasting lemons in my air fryer to give an intensified citrusy flavor to my scampi, I scooped the hot lemons out using the spoon, avoiding burning myself. Next, using the same spoon, I strained the shrimp from the simmering scampi sauce — so as to not overcook it — and added the shrimp back in to toss with the pasta. And if you’ve been keeping count, you’ll know that was indeed six distinct uses for one meal.

While I’ve been trying this utensil out on multiple things over the last few days, the possibilities are nearly endless and I’m looking forward to using it for everything. It’s truly a game-changer for anything that needs to be drained, strained, or scooped while cooking, and I can really see it becoming a mainstay in my kitchen. It’s not too often I get to say that about something small and light enough to be stashed in any drawer!

Buy: Joseph Joseph Scoop Plus Colander, $16.95