Nearly a century later, we’re still reaching for the Zeroll because of that well-designed scoop. It’s the perfect shape to make round balls of ice cream that slide easily out of the scoop, and a sharp (but not dangerously sharp) edge that cuts into even the hardest frozen ice cream. It’s the heaviest option on our list at 8.16 ounces, and it created ice cream mounds that were a little more square than round. This kitchen tool has the look of a classic ice cream scoop, but its thoughtful design made it stand out during our testing. This is the only ice cream scoop we tested that is designed to stand upright, so we didn’t have to lay it down and dirty up any countertops between scooping. Zeroll Original Tubmate Ice Cream Spade: The spade on the Zeroll Tubmate is two and five-eighths inches wide, making it difficult to work with in smaller, pint-sized containers.

Midnight Scoop: The pricey Midnight Scoop looks like a piece of modern sculpture. To use it, you push with the palm of your hand, rather than pulling, like with a traditional scoop. There’s a bit of a learning curve to use it correctly; for us, it pushed the ice cream like a bulldozer, never really scooping it. This ergonomic model also needs a wide-open area to work in, so, if you buy ice cream in narrow pint or quart containers, this probably isn’t the right tool for you.O’Hara says that his ice cream shop scoops have a 3-ounce capacity, but the size of the ice cream mound can depend on the person scooping the ice cream. “As for the ice cream itself, our standard size scoop is about 4.5 to 5 ounces,” he says. During our original scoop testing, we reached out to Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams for her scooping wisdom. Bauer's ice cream empire now includes dozens of shops and two ice cream cookbooks, so naturally she has a favorite model that she uses at her shops and doesn't love ones with moving parts like a release lever. "The spring/lever ones don't work well for American hard body ice cream," she says, "Too many pieces and they pop apart when scooping. I don't recommend them." To help further prevent messes, there is a bowl-like collar around the base of the scoop that collects any ice cream drips from falling on the counter. If you’re planning a summer ice cream party, this would be the perfect tool to keep out for your guests to use.

If you have room in your budget to splurge, we recommend the Good Cook Smart Scoop because of its split-head design, which made it simple and straightforward to release ice cream into a bowl. It works best to hand wash ice cream scoops, most are not dishwasher-safe,” O’Hara says. “We simply scrub them with dish soap, sanitize them, and allow them to air dry.” We also appreciated ice cream scoops that had an easy-to-grip handle. The best ice cream scoops from our testing often had a material, such as silicone or rubber, on the handle that allowed us to better grip the scoop.First, we tested each scoop on a pint of Häagen-Dazs to see how well it can scoop ice cream with a firmer texture and maneuver around a pint container. We took three scoops from the pint, paying close attention to how easily the scoop cut through the ice cream and how well it released the ice cream. We also noted how comfortable it was to hold, and we even used our left hand at least once to see if the scoop is suitable for lefties. Then, we hand-washed and dried the scoop before continuing to our second test. Part of what we like about Zeroll scoops or similar models is that they have a nice weight to them,” O’Hara says. “That helps provide leverage when scooping hard ice cream, and it also helps make them more durable.” The Zeroll 1020 Ice Cream Scoop weighs 4.16 ounces, which makes it one of the lightest weight ice cream scoops on our list. Sherman Kelly vacations in West Palm Beach and observed a young woman struggling while scooping ice cream. He resolved to find a better way.

Additionally, we washed each ice cream scoop according to the care instructions provided. After washing the ice cream scoops, we noted whether or not there was any damage or discoloration. We then evaluated our results to determine the best ice cream scoops. Alfred L. Cralle, a businessman and inventor, first patented the "ice cream mold and disher" in 1897 after noticing servers struggling to release ice cream from spoons in the hotel he worked for as a porter. His original tool is reflected in the design of modern-day scoops that include the scraper mechanism. It features a heat-conductive liquid inside the handle that helps provide an easy release. The aluminum design helps protect the scoop from oxidation and corrosion, so it's made with durability in mind. Both right- and left-handed users can scoop ice cream with this tool since it’s symmetrical. This scoop glided seamlessly when used, although we did notice it created more square-shaped ice cream mounds compared to other ice cream scoops that created round mounds. Though the shape was slightly different, it still worked well and earned a 4.5-star rating for its performance after we tested it.

What we looked for 

Add a pop of color to your collection of kitchen tools with the Spring Chef Ice Cream Scoop. Available in 13 bright hues, it offers the most color selections out of all the ice cream scoops on our list. Jennifer Zyman is a Senior Commerce Writer for Food & Wine and a former restaurant critic with a culinary school degree and over 15 years of food writing experience. Her work has appeared in Atlanta Magazine, Bon Appetit, Eater Atlanta, The Kitchn, Local Palate, National Geographic, Simply Recipes, Southern Living, and Thrillist. OXO Good Grips Solid Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop: The OXO Good Grips Solid Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop was simply too heavy. Testers also had a hard time getting the ice cream to curl into a pleasing ball. Our experts have some pretty helpful tips on how to scoop ice cream like a professional. "Ice cream softens from the outside in, so you want to pull the scoop around the outside of the container you’re scooping from (and the larger the container, the easier it is to scoop),” the Bechtels say. “As you pull the scoop through the ice cream it should curl itself into the perfect ball of ice cream, ready to nestle perfectly into your cup or cone."