Scoop (utensil)

In common usage, a scoop is any specialized spoon used to serve food.[1]

Disher style scoop

A measuring scoop

Model of an Ice Scoop, Eskimo, 1900-1930, Brooklyn Museum

Selection of ice cream scoop collection at Old Town Slidell (Louisiana) Soda Shop

In the technical terms used by the food service industry and in the retail and wholesale food utensil industries, there is a clear distinction between 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 manufacturers frequently advise against using dishers for ice cream and other frozen foods); ice cream scoops, and the scoop which is used to measure or to transfer an unspecified amount of a bulk dry foodstuff such as rice, flour, or sugar.

Disher

Dishers are usually hemispherical like an ice cream scoop, while measuring scoops are usually cylindrical, and transfer scoops are usually shovel-shaped. Some dishers have mechanical levers which help expel the disher's contents. Traditionally 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.

Ice Cream Scoop

Some higher-end ice cream scoops have a thermally conductive liquid in the handle to help keep the ice cream from freezing to the scoop's metal.

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, and taking time to adjust the amount in a scoop would slow the transfer rate.

Other types of scoop utensils

• Ice Scoop
• Coffee Scoop
• Spooner
• Dipper
• French Fry Scoop

Standard sizes

The table below is the standard definition in the U.S. food industry, but actual capacity varies by manufacturer.[2]

Disher Scoop Sizes

Handle Color	Scoop Number (Scoops per Quart)	Typical Use[3]	U.S. Fluid Ounces (fl. oz.)	Spoon Equivalent (Tea=tsp. Table=TBS.)	Metric (millilitres)	Diameter (inches)
Orange	4		8.0	16 Tbs. (1 cup)	236.6	3 ​^5⁄8″
Teal	5		6.4	12.8 Tbs. ( 0.8 cup)	189.3	3 ​^3⁄8″
White	6		5.3	10 ​^2⁄3 Tbs. (​^2⁄3 cup)	158	3″
Gray	8	ice cream, jumbo cupcakes, mashed potatoes	4.0	8 TBS. (​^1⁄2 cup)	118	2 ​^3⁄4″
Ivory	10	Texas-size muffins, popovers	3.2	6 ​^2⁄5 Tbs. (​^2⁄5 cup)	95	2 ​^5⁄8″
Green	12	Ice cream, Standard muffins	2.7	5 ​^1⁄3 Tbs. (​^1⁄3 cup)	80	2 ​^3⁄8 or 2 ​^1⁄2″
Sky Blue	14		2.4		71	2 ​^3⁄8″
Royal Blue	16	Pancakes	2.0	4 Tbs. (​^1⁄4 cup)	59	2 ​^5⁄16″
Yellow	20	ice cream, giant cookies	1.6	3 ​^1⁄5 Tbs. (​^1⁄5 cup)	47	2 ​^1⁄8″
Red	24	regular cupcakes, sorbet, mashed potatoes	1.3	2 ​^2⁄3 Tbs. (​^1⁄6 cup)	38	2″
Black	30	silver-dollar pancakes, candies	1.1	2 ​^1⁄8 Tbs. (​^17⁄128 cup)	33	1 ​^7⁄8″
Mushroom	36		0.94		27.8	1 ​^3⁄4″
Orchid	40	mini muffins	0.8	1 ​^1⁄2 Tbs. (​^3⁄32 cup)	24	1 ​^5⁄8″
Rust	50	mini cupcakes, canapés	0.64	1.28 Tbs. (0.08 cup)	19
Pink	60	large cookies	0.53	3 ​^1⁄5 tsp. (​^1⁄15 cup)	16
Plum	70	cookies	0.46	2 ​^3⁄4 tsp. (​^11⁄192 cup)	14	1 ​^1⁄4
Orange	100	chocolate truffles	0.32	1 ​^8⁄9 tsp. (​^17⁄432 cup)	9

• 
  Transfer scoop
• 
  Zerolon Ice cream scoop with heat conductive fluid and a green handle cap, indicating a #16 scoop (Zerolon Scoops use a different color coding, where the size # is the number of double scoop servings in a gallon of ice cream)
• 
  Small disher scoop
• 
  Large aluminum scoop, here with caramel corn

See also

• Ladle

References

1. "Scoop utensil United States Patent 6733056". Freepatentsonline.com. 2002-06-14. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
2. Chen, Kit. "Disher (aka ice cream scoop) sizes". Retrieved 30 October 2016.
3. "Dishers". Archived from the original on 23 May 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2016.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)