The Weird Kitchen Tool Redditors Swear By

No one asked, but here’s a life update from me: I just bought wooden cooking utensils to replace my old plastic ones (I’ve been on a real “microplastics are bad” kick lately; thanks for that, health OCD), which sparked a full-on, hyperfocused kitchen clean out (thanks for that, ADHD). Now I actually have some room in my kitchen drawers and I’ve been wondering what to put in them. Naturally, I consulted Reddit. 

And Reddit told me to buy a cookie dough scoop. 

More accurately, Reddit suggests I buy three of them, since cookie dough scoops typically come in small, medium, and large sizes (roughly 1 tablespoon, 2 tablespoons, and 3 tablespoons). But I’m not much of a baker, and I simply don’t need three of one thing. I ordered the big boy for myself to start, and if I find it helpful, maybe I’ll put the other sizes on my wishlist, too.

If you aren’t using a cookie dough scoop for cookies, what’s it for? 

You bet! Homemade meatballs, for one. (Thank you, @KitchenMoxie, for that genius suggestion.) Pancake batter, for another. Muffin batter, falafel mix, latke patties, couscous or quinoa scoops, pasta shells stuffing, and (my personal favorite) ground coffee portions. You can also use them to portion out dairy servings, like yogurt and sour cream, for your sauces and smoothie mixes. Really, the list goes on. 

Also, it’s just worth noting: People swear by them for cookies, too. Obviously. Like, they’re life-changing for any beginners who are still rolling their cookie dough into balls and hoping their cookies don’t look like little goo monsters out of the oven. Just saying! 

How is a cookie dough scoop any different from an ice cream scoop, Ariana?

Cookie dough scoops are smaller, spring-loaded, and designed to portion thick mixtures with actual precision rather than wrestle your too-frozen ice cream into submission. They’re usually thinner, flatter at the edge, and calibrated to exact volumes, which means you get consistent portions without guessing or eyeballing it.

Okay, you’ve convinced me with your persuasive tone and feminine wiles. What are the best cookie dough scoops to buy? 

Right now you’re probably thinking, “Damn it, I bet this b*tch is sponsored by Big Cookie Dough Scoop.” Nope. I’m pulling from Reddit, fam. I have no skin in the scoop game. I’m just here to inform. 

One problem people seem to have with them is their fragility. Some brands break pretty easy. Keeping that in mind: 

This Reddit thread suggests Vollrath, which seems to be the industry standard for restaurants. Plenty of people second this, though there is a comment claiming their new Vollrath scoop broke almost instantly. It seems like one hack would be to find an older model, since everything is made to break these days. Also, don’t trust every single dissenter you see on Reddit, alright? 

Again, this other Reddit thread speaks to the phenomenon that new cookie dough scoops are just made to break. Such is the state of our world. Still, commenters recommend the (admittedly more pricey) ones from King Arthur Baking, which have color coded handles (cute!).