Scoop (utensil)

In the technical terms used by the food service industry and in the retail and wholesale food utensil industries, there is a clear distinction among three types of scoop: the disher, which is used to measure a portion (e.g. cookie dough), to make melon balls, and often to serve ice cream (although some manufacturers frequently advise against using dishers for ice cream and other frozen foods); the ice cream scoop; and the transfer scoop which is used to measure or to transfer an unspecified amount of a bulk dry foodstuff such as rice, flour, or sugar. Dishers are usually hemispherical like an ice cream scoop, while measuring scoops are usually cylindrical, and transfer scoops are usually shovel-shaped. == Disher ==

Some dishers have mechanical levers which help release the tool's contents. Traditional dishers are sized by the number of scoops per quart, but may also be sized by ounces, the diameter of the bowl, or the number of tablespoons they hold. Standard sizes The table below is the standard definition in the US food industry, but actual capacity varies by manufacturer. == Ice cream scoop ==

Some designs have a moveable mechanism to help release the ice cream from the scoop, while other designs rely more on keeping the scoop warm enough to partially melt the frozen dessert. Some ice cream scoops have a thermally conductive liquid in the handle to help keep the ice cream from freezing to the scoop's metal. History Alfred L. Cralle, a porter in a drug store and at a hotel in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, noticed that servers at the hotel had trouble with ice cream sticking to serving spoons, and he developed an ice cream scoop. On June 10, 1896, Cralle applied for a patent on his invention. He was awarded patent 576,395 on February 2, 1897. The patented "Ice Cream Mold and Disher" was an ice cream scoop with a built-in scraper to allow for one-handed operation. Cralle's functional design is reflected in modern ice cream scoops. == Transfer scoop ==

Transfer scoops (a.k.a. utility scoops) are used to transfer bulk foods from large storage containers to smaller containers, and generally do not have any measurement markings, as their purpose is to transfer efficiently, and taking time to adjust the amount in a scoop would slow the transfer rate. An ice cream spade is a sturdy spade-shaped large shallow spoon, used to transfer large amounts of hard frozen ice cream, stiff frozen desserts, or some other stiff food paste. It is also well-shaped to scrape the insides of ice cream containers and tubs. ==Other types==

• Ice scoop • Coffee scoop • Spooner • Dipper • French fry scoop • Cheese scoop ==Gallery==

File:Small_transfer_scoop.JPG|Transfer scoop File:빙그레 그라시아 쿠앤크 6.jpg|Ice cream spade in use File:Ice Cream Scoop.jpg|Zeroll ice cream scoop with heat conductive fluid and green handle cap, indicating a #16 scoop (Zeroll scoops use a non-standard color coding, where the size # is the number of double scoop servings in a gallon) File:CaramelCorn.jpg|Large aluminum scoop, here with caramel corn File:Model of an Ice Scoop, 1900-1930, 36.83.jpg|Model of an Ice Scoop, Eskimo, 1900–1930, Brooklyn Museum ==See also==