Customer Reviews

Oxo Good Grips Cookie Scoop

5 star:		(235)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

This cookie scoop from Oxo has improved my cookies markedly. You know how that last minute or two in the oven is critical--the difference between underdone, just right, and burnt-around-the-edges? Well, if your cookies aren't the same size to start, you're never going to hit that "just right" sweet spot. The big ones are underdone when the little ones are just right, or if the big ones are perfect, the small ones are burnt. I used to scoop cookie dough with a spoon, but this little gem of a tool is much more precise and neater to use.

Unlike cheaper scoops, the squeeze action is very smooth. It doesn't stick halfway through the squeeze, it doesn't require a lot of pressure, and the release is firm but not too firm--I used a scoop once that had a recoil like a rifle.

By the way, I have narrow hands but don't find the width of the handles to be a problem. Oxo is well known for its ergonomic designs, and this tool is no exception--I just baked 10 dozen cookies for a school event and my hands weren't tired at all. (My back is another matter!)

The dough releases well (even really sticky doughs like almond macaroons) and drops in a nice rounded ball into your hand. A quick roll to round off the bottom and it's ready for the cookie sheet.

The rated measure is 1-1/2 tablespoon (that's level, by the way) (well, of COURSE I checked for myself... I'm a baker, and that means "compulsive about measuring"). Oxo also makes a large and small scoop, but this one is the best size for the kitchen standard cookies: tollhouse, peanut butter, and the like.

I've thrown mine in the dishwasher several times with no problem. This is a good thing, because there are several crevices inside the handles and in the spring mechanism between them that could be a bit fiddly once the peanut butter dries.

Do yourself (and your cookie-eaters) a favor and pick up this gadget. I can't find a thing in the world wrong with it.

The medium-size scoop is just fantastic. It's my fourth or fifth cookie scoop; the others came from the dime store and broke in short order. I'm particularly pleased with the way the OXO scoops (I have all three sizes) release the dough. The spring actually works, so when you let go, it releases. With the cheap plastic kind, you fill the scoop, and then have to pry the handles apart again to get the dough out again. Having one that works like it's supposed to is definitely easier on my hands and wrists!

Cookies produced this way are uniform in size and round. It's not usually necessary to flatten the balls of dough before baking, but it does help in a few of the "stiffer" recipes, particularly with the largest size.

This medium size is good for "moderately large" drop cookies -- the size you feed to college students, not the size you feed to three year olds. It's also exactly twice the amount of dough you need to make mini-muffin-sized tart shells, and I use it regularly for that just to make sure the dough is measured properly.

The large holds 3 Tablespoons (level measure: it's really easy to overfill these scoops with cookie dough); the medium holds half that amount, and the small holds a little less than half of what the medium does.

I don't bake cookies often with the large size, although I do sometimes make "jumbo" size cookies (probably 3-4" across, depending on how thick they are). It's perfect for scooping properly sized (1950s size, not supersized) muffins and cupcakes. It's also useful for making small, uniformly sized hamburger patties.

I like the medium size for most cookies, plus things like meatballs or watermelon balls, which are quick and easy with a cookie scoop.

I like the small size for smaller cookies. I'm particularly fond of how our soft gingersnaps look in the small size, and of course most younger kids (and many adults) would rather have four small cookies instead of two regular-size ones. Regular size chocolate chips (and whole nuts) don't work so well with this scoop, so if you want small cookies, plan to use mini chips (or chopped nuts).

I have used all three sizes for ice cream; they're definitely strong enough to scoop through any ice cream that you have the strength for. I like the large scoop for normal size ice cream, and the smaller ones for preschool-size (or diet-size) scoops. We had a lot of fun one day putting a small scoop of each of two flavors of ice cream in small bowls and dressing it up with whipped cream, sliced strawberries, and a tiny drizzle of chocolate. We definitely got more fun out of this "diet-size" dessert plan than we would have out of eating half a carton of ice cream!

These scoops are also useful for portion control purposes with all kinds of food, and that's one of their primary uses in a commercial kitchen. You can use them for everything from spaghetti sauce to mashed potatoes. (For a fun presentation, scoop mashed potatoes into an ice cream sundae dish and top with "chocolate-colored" gravy.)

Overall, the OXO scoops are the best cookie scoops I've ever used, and I recommend them highly.

*UPDATE, December 2011* The workhorse that is my medium sized scoop is still performing like the day I bought it. :) It's over 5 years old now and not a blemish to be seen on it. The small and large size scoops are over 4 years old now and also still no marks to be seen on them either. I'm very pleased with the quality of these scoops. The squeeze action is still smooth, which is important to me because my hands aren't the strongest and are prone to cramping up.

**Original review**
I first had the medium size of the OXO Good Grips cookie scoop, and I love it to pieces. I've had it a couple of years, and leave it soaking in a mixing bowl of water all the time, and wash it in the dishwasher, top rack.... it looks brand new. I use it at least once a week. It's nice not to have to use 2 teaspoons to scoop dough and try and figure out if all the cookies are the same size. The cookies are also perfectly round and professional looking. I scoop dough and scrape off excess to level the dough against the side of the mixing bowl.

Then a year later, I got the small and large size cookie scoops. If you're wondering what size to get for yourself, here's what I use each size scoop for:

The small scoop (holds 2 teaspoons): Lots of little uses for this scoop. I use it to measure out ganache filling for cupcakes. I also use this one for baking "pumpkin pie bites" for my dogs... one of them can't have gluten or corn, so I make gluten-free cookies for both dogs (and since they're shelties, like 20 lb size, I scoop with the small scoop and then cut each dough scoop in half before baking). As for cookies for us humans, the small scoop is hard to use with cookie dough that has chocolate chips or coarsely chopped nuts in them, I feel, because it's too small for those additions to a dough. And if a dough has both nuts and chips in them, it's too difficult to get the dough/chip/nut ratio right in each cookie. However, this small scoop is a good size for super rich cookies, the kind where you eat one and you're good, there's no way you could eat a stack of them - like my peanut butter oatmeal sandwich cookies; they have a peanut butter creme filling and they're very rich, so it's nice to have a smaller cookie size for these. (And yet I still use the medium scoop for these, too.)

The medium scoop (holds 1.5 tablespoons): I use this one for all my cookies, it's the scoop I reach for the most. I love it. I have the other 2 sizes and use them and like them, but if for some reason I had to downsize my stash of kitchen gadgets and utensils, I could use this medium size for everything and be quite happy.

The large scoop (holds 3 tablespoons): I use this for scooping cake batter to fill cupcake tins, it's a great size for this! I also use it for scooping out dough for baked doughnut bites and for scones (I don't have a scone pan). I don't really use this for cookies, and especially not for rich cookies, like my peanut butter blossom cookies (peanut butter cookie rolled in sugar, and when they come out of the oven, a Hershey Kiss is placed in the center of each cookie to melt).... with such a large, rich cookie, I swear the large size of this cookie doesn't taste as peanut-buttery. When I mentioned this to my family as we ate them after dinner, they told me I wasn't crazy, it's the same recipe, but it doesn't taste as much like a peanut butter cookie. The large scoop is too big for rich cookies, I think.

I'm happy with these scoops and their performance (no need to handwash them, woohoo!). I certainly can't imagine baking cookies without my trusty medium size scoop.

I had a cheaper one and it cramped my hands. When I got this one, I was amazed at the difference. It was easier to use and didn't "lock" like the cheap ones did. Plus, the dough comes out easier. Also, you don't have to guess whether or not you put enough dough like you do when using the spoon method. Just scoop and drop. Hint: if you want to make smaller cookies, use a spoon to scoop out a little dough from the scooper.

I rarely have problems with the scoop, but I once got a blister from using it. In spite of this, I'm happy to have it and it's worth the price.

In case you are wondering, the small is a #60 disher, the medium an #40, and the large a #20. Approx 2 tsp, 1.5 Tbs, and 3 Tbs, respectively.

So I ordered all the small dishers available on Amazon. Sure, I'm nuts, but I have Amazon Prime, so the shipping was free. Anyway, I thought you all might like to see my analysis of them.

I added a picture of the scoops and the balls they created to the item, see the alternate pictures. The balls are made out of quite firm, straight from the refrigerator whipped white chocolate ganache. There are two scoops shown for each disher. On the left is a scoop leveled off with a knife, to the right is a slightly rounded "natural" scoop.

(from left to right, see picture) I also bought the Norpro Stainless Steel Scoop, 25MM (1.5 Teaspoon) and am keeping that, as I really wanted a very small scoop. The next smallest is also the most expensive, the smaller of the two Zeroll Universal Small EZ Disher Food/Ice Cream Scoop, Orange, followed by the Zeroll Universal Small EZ Disher Food/Ice Cream Scoop, Burgundy. They made nice scoops, but I returned the Zerolls as I found the plastic handles rather awkward to use with very stiff batter. These are followed by the Oxo Good Grips Small Cookie Scoop and the Adcraft (purchased at a local restaurant supply store), which I felt would be best for cookies or small meatballs, but if you like a larger truffle, they could be used for that too. The Oxo Good Grips Small Cookie Scoop has the most comfortable handle to use of all of them. It produced ganache balls of 14-19 grams.

I bought this for cookies, but I've ended up using it as a near-exact measure for just about everything. And at the end of its work, it happily takes a bath in the dishwasher and comes out looking like it did the day I got it.

A two-scoop drop of waffle batter in my Cuisinart classic waffle maker turns out waffles that exactly fit the round form. The sweep is close to the cup and turns out a clean scoop with no layer remaining in the cup - lower quality scoops do that a lot, at the same time tiring your thumb while this scoop uses your entire hand.

I dish out guacamole, potato filling, sometimes ice-cream (check out the Zyliss for ice-cream but when it's still unwashed, this one works ok) and even brown sugar. Basically anything that is on the firmer side of semi-solid is game for this scoop/disher.

I also have OXO's small scoop and it does an equally nice job. The larger one is more frequently used, though. If you get one you will find lots of uses, and like me, be tempted to have more than just one in your arsenal.

I must admit that I bought this because Alton Brown used a disher to make his meatballs. Brilliant! I've used it to make perfect meatballs, perfect cookies, and the cutest little ice cream scoops for dessert. It's been through the dishwasher at LEAST 10 times, and works perfectly every time. I used the small disher/scoop to make what my husband dubbed "the best cookies you've ever made." I HIGHLY recommend this set of scoops.

A scoop is one of two things that most people baking cookies at home don't have but should have. Not only does it make sure that each cookie is the same size and cooked evenly, it makes baking more enjoyable. The thing I hated most about making cookies was trying to wrestle the batter off a spoon.

While most scoops are packaged either Small, Medium, or Large, a more meaningful term is the number stamped on the inside of the handle. The large scoop is a #20, meaning that it takes 20 scoops to equal one quart (think ice cream) the larger the number, the smaller the scoop. Some reviewers are saying that the Medium produces too large of a cookie. It really depends on your ingredients and technique. In my experience, using a #20 with a butter-based batter gives me flat, 4" in diameter cookies. However, chilling the batter in the fridge about 15 mins before scooping, they're poofier and about 3" across (which is the perfect size in my opinion, if you're handing out one cookie per person). If you're using margarine or shortening, expect the cookies to be smaller, but taller, because they melt at higher temperatures than butter.

Oh, the other "must have"? Parchment paper (not wax paper) instead of greasing the cookie sheet. This allows you to lift the cookies off the sheet as soon as you take them out of the oven, before they'd be firm enough to spatula onto a cooling rack. This prevents the bottom of the cookie from over-browing due to the carry-over heat from the sheet. You can also use a reusable Silpat (search Amazon) instead. A roll of parchment paper is about $5 at the grocery store and a Silpat is $20 on Amazon, so it might be worth it if you bake more often than just the holidays.

You can scoop all kinds of things - cookie dough, pancake batter, ice cream. The possibilities are limitless. OK, well they're actually NOT limitless, but as long as something can be scooped, this scoop will do a great job scooping it.

These OXO people keep coming up with good ideas. I never thought to add a comfy handle to my other scoops, but I always reach into the kitchen drawer and root around for this particular scoop because it's a great medium all-purpose size and is really comfortable to hold on to.