Text size:

Shopping for an ice cream scoop

2:25 PM EDT, August 3, 2007

The expert: Mitch Cohen, Baskin-Robbins franchisee (in Bay Shore), holder of the Guinness World Record for scooping the most ice cream cones in one minute (19). "The most difficult part about eating ice cream is getting it out of the container

The product: Ice cream scoop

What I want: The scoop I use at Baskin-Robbins isn't available to the public, but for home use I recommend a durable aluminum scoop.

I must have: A good grip (not slippery or with sharp edges), decent-size circumference (holding 21/2 to 3 ounces) and no springs (the traditional scoops that work on spring action have led to many sore thumbs!).

What I hate: The quality you typically find in the regular marketplace with scoops that have a plastic handle, aren't in one solid piece and/or made of multiple moving parts

Savvy shopper: Restaurant supply houses have commercial quality scoops, and they do sell to the public. Here's my secret to successful scooping: First you dip the scoop into warm water and shake off the excess so you don't get ice crystals in the ice cream . . . scoop in an S pattern ending up around the edges of the container -- don't do what everybody does, namely dig immediately into the center (ice cream melts from the outside in) . . . tap your scoop gently to release the ice cream.

My pick: A solid aluminum scoop with half-moon-shaped circumference. The Original Zeroll Ice Cream Scoop is made of an aluminum alloy, has no springs and is a one-piece design ($15.95, Broadway Panhandler, Manhattan, www.broadwaypanhandler.com).

Next best thing: A scoop with an easy release that doesn't put pressure on your thumb. Oxo Good Grips I-Series is aluminum and has an ejector button ($14.99, Bed Bath & Beyond).

-- as told to Laurie Squire