Antifreeze ice cream scoop

A simple ice cream scoop with a mysterious goop inside the handle which keeps it warm for easy pint bucket scraping. It's called the Antifreeze Ice Cream Scoop, but it should work on other flavors as well. $17.

Antifreeze Ice Cream Scoop [Crate and Barrel via Uncrate]

[#1 posted by strider_mt2k , February 10, 2009 9:45 AM]

Contents: Lava

-of course you'll need the glove accessory...

[#2 posted by Zan , February 10, 2009 9:58 AM]

I had one of these a while ago, although in paddle form instead of a small scoop. It was recalled because the toxic goop could expand enough to cause the end cap to "fly off with substantial force" when immersed in hot water.

Recall at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml02/02112.html

[#3 posted by pupdog , February 10, 2009 9:59 AM]

I purchased a very similar scoop at a home outlet - one problem - they're not dishwasher safe, the coating comes off in the heat.

[#4 posted by TC Giant , February 10, 2009 10:00 AM]

These aren't new by any standard. My folks have had one for at least fifteen years, and it's dishwasher safe and everything.

[#5 posted by The Lizardman , February 10, 2009 10:38 AM]

Per #4, I thought these were standard issue everywhere - my family got one in the early 80's and the two ice creams scoops I have bought in my lifetime were both like this and they were obtained by simply going to a grocery store and getting one off a shelf.

[#6 posted by dculberson , February 10, 2009 10:47 AM]

Ahh, ethylene glycol.. my favorite of the diol compound flavor groups.

[#7 posted by Anonymous , February 10, 2009 10:51 AM]

that is a zeroll, the official dipper of the penn state creamery.

[#8 posted by risser , February 10, 2009 11:03 AM]

Yeah, these have been around forever, and they don't really work all that much better than any normal scoop for digging out the hard stuff.

Here are my two favorite scoops:
Zyliss: Heavy, solid, nice thick handle, dishwasher safe
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008TAB2

Incredible Scoop: Also solid, with a nice thick handle, and dishwasher safe (they say it's not, but it has been so far... :). But most importantly, it has those pointy sides that let you jam it into rock solid ice cream & carve yourself out a scoop. I don't like the shape of the resulting scoop as much, as it tends to be flat and thin, but you could probably carve a block of ice into a swan with the thing.
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=14283480

We also have the one that punches little discs of ice cream. Cute, somewhat fun, but not particularly useful.

Also, for softer ice cream, I find that the spoon I plan to eat it with is more than sufficient to carve out a chunk of a scoop.

And finally, run your scoop under hot water before using it. That works just about as well as any fancy antifreeze scoop.

I love ice cream.
Peter

[#9 posted by Mike , February 10, 2009 11:24 AM]

John,

Got a hearty laugh out of the end of that post. Thanks for that!

[#10 posted by semiotix , February 10, 2009 12:38 PM]

What's so mysterious about high-purity radium? Also, that should read "$17 million."

[#11 posted by Adam Fields , February 10, 2009 12:49 PM]

It's a Zeroll. As indicated right in the post, they've been around since 1935.

http://www.zeroll.com/

[#12 posted by gobo , February 10, 2009 2:46 PM]

Hey, it's my grandma's favorite icecream scoop!

[#13 posted by Mythus , February 10, 2009 3:02 PM]

We have two of these from... what's that place... Pampered Chef, I think. Got them years and years ago. I don't know if it's possible to suck up that much body heat in the thirty seconds you use it to make scooping easier, but I still like them.

[#14 posted by Art Carnage , February 10, 2009 3:38 PM]

Anything else out of a 1985 Spencer's Gift catalog that someone wants to post as "new"?

[#15 posted by shMerker , February 10, 2009 3:44 PM]

The post doesn't actually say anywhere that the scoop is new.

[#16 posted by SeppTB , February 10, 2009 3:44 PM]

Also had one of these growing up, from Pampered Chef as well I think. I remember it being more effective than a normal spoon, and less effective than a normal spoon that had been run under hot water for a few seconds.

[#17 posted by kaiza , February 11, 2009 5:50 AM]

Had one of these - they're made of aluminium, which in our dishwasher at least means that after a while the surface starts to go blotchy white.

I thought the whole point of this scoop was to retain heat better once it has been run under hot water?

[#18 posted by Anonymous , February 11, 2009 6:15 AM]

The Zeroll was the official scoop of Baskin-Robbins ice cream stores, if I recall.

I've owned every other variation on an ice cream scoop under the sun, as well as bent spoons and a lot of potty mouth from not being able to make a decent scoop of ice cream.

I spent hundreds of dollars trying to avoid spending $10 on an ice cream scoop. Stupid me.

This one makes a lovely round scoop of ice cream, every time, no matter how hard or how soft the ice cream is.

I'll replace it with another one if and when the one I've had for 10 years ever gives up.

[#19 posted by dculberson , February 11, 2009 7:07 AM]

Kaiza, it might be that you use a citrus scented dishwasher soap. That tends to cause oxidation and pitting on aluminum.

[#20 posted by massspecgeek , February 11, 2009 7:48 AM]

Just to add my "this isn't new" story, my parents had one of these when I was very young and I'm not any more (as in I'm 47 now).

[#21 posted by Swampdog , February 11, 2009 10:50 AM]

As a formal ice cream professional (Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour employee thru high school and some summers home from college) (that's 1975 up to about 1980 for those keeping score) I can attest to this being the only type of scooper we ever used. It's great for scooping out of 5 gal tubs, gives a nice round scoop, but you need to have room to use it. And, we had running water that we dipped it in between each scoop which helped keep it warm. It's hard to make a good scoop with it in a gallon or smaller (damn you 1.75 liter ice cream cartons!) For home I prefer the Zyliss because you can drive it straight down into fairly hard ice cream and twist out a decent scoop. Of course, this is all moot with the Ben and Jerry's or Haagen Dazs single serving (pint) containers. You just need a spoon.

[#22 posted by Anonymous , February 12, 2009 11:33 AM]

Ah. Subtle humor like this is part of what makes BBG my favorite blog to read every morning.

I also love ice cream.