Norpro Anti-Freeze Ice Cream Spade

A couple weeks ago, I was in the mood for some ice cream and luckily I had some in my freezer. The bad thing is that it was hard like ice. So like any normal human being, I grabbed one of my Mikasa flatware spoons and attempted to "scoop" out the ice cream. Now mind you this, my Mikasa spoon isn't one of those cheap ones you get from a $20 set from Walmart. I got the set for my wedding and if I remember correctly, it was a $200 flatware set. Not to say they are invincible but as I scooped, I felt the spoon's end flex a little bit because the ice cream was that hard. So instead of continuing to scoop, I immediately stopped because I didn't want to bend the spoon. Bottom line, I had to let my ice cream thaw a little before I got to enjoy any of it. So that's when I started looking for a real ice cream scoop. Not the kind with the thumb lever that tries to "release" the ice cream (I hated those) but a real scoop that you see at local ice cream shops. I checked Bed Bath & Beyond but all the good ones with brand names were at least $10.99 and up. I didn't want to spend that much on an ice cream scoop. Looking at Amazon with the following criteria: 4-star and up, under $10, I found this scoop, or rather... ice cream spade. I originally looked at this one Norpro Nonstick Anti-Freeze Ice Cream Scoop , which was near the same price but it so happens that most of the "negative" reviews is the black coating chips off. Not wanting to deal with the chip problem, I looked at this one (the item I'm reviewing) and the majority of the negative reviews is that it gets ruined when in the dishwasher. So it came down an ice cream spade that "gets ruined in the dishwasher" or an ice cream scoop that "chips eventually". I can control the dishwasher portion easier than I can control a chip problem, so I went with the spade. Now for the functionality. I also chose this based on the "antifreeze" functionality. Like other reviewers said, if you shake it, you can hear some kind of "liquid" in the shaft of the spoon. This liquid is how it keeps the ice cream from sticking/freezing to the spade. Because the liquid is at a warmer temperature (typically room temperature) than the ice cream, it keeps the spade at a warmer temperature. This in turn has a "melting" reaction when you scoop ice cream. Making it easy to scoop, easy to release into the bowl. Also if you haven't noticed, the other reviewers say "DO NOT PUT IN DISHWASHER". This is apparent by the labeling and the sticker on the spade if you purchase it. If you do, then this spade gets ruined. I'm not taking my chances and I will definitely hand wash this thing. With that said, I'm very happy with my purchase and would recommend it to anyone.

This scoop is very nice and shiny in appearance. It holds up well being cleaned per the instructions. I didn't realize when ordering it that it contained something to help it glide through the frozen ice cream. It seems to do the trick. It has become much easier to scoop out with this versus a regular rounded scoop. I hurt my wrist permanently while getting the hard frozen ice cream out with the regular metal scoop. I guess it was too frozen and the scoop twisted or did something and I chipped a bone spur. Who would have thought getting ice cream could injure you.

This is the best ice cream scoop. It makes scooping ice cream so easy. It is comfortable to hold and adds just enough heat to help scoop the ice cream easily. It is durable enough to scoop even the most frozen ice cream. The scoop itself does not weigh a lot.

Great ice cream scoop! Lightweight & very durable. My only complaint is that it's slightly larger than expected, but it's easy to use & works quite well!

This Norpro 682 Anti-Freeze Ice Cream Spade plows through ice cream like it's butter. Very sturdy and easy to grip. For those of you with dishwashers, in no fewer than four different places on the packaging and the spade itself, it warns you DO NOT PUT IN A DISHWASHER or immerse in water hotter than 140 degrees. If that's too hard for you to follow, then I suggest you don't buy this product. You will ruin the spade if you put it in a dishwasher, as several others have shown in their comments. I mean, come on, you're only scooping ice cream with this thing. All you need to do when you're finished using it is rinse it clean with warm water, towel dry, and put it away. How hard or complicated is that? If you do that, you will have a great ice cream spade to use for a very long time. UPDATE 10-01-14: It's been over two years since I purchased this ice cream spade and it still looks as good as the day I bought it. I also discovered that it works great for scooping out the meat of a watermelon. Just cut your watermelon lengthwise, then take the spade and push it down along the edge of the rind all the way around. The dull end of the spade won't cut into the rind, so you get all meat. Then just lift the watermelon meat out in one big piece and cut it into serving sizes.

Please don't put in a dishwasher. We did and it turned gray. Great scoop, thats why I am buying one again

Ok ice cream spade, however it doesn't seem to make the hard ice cream any easier to scoop up

I had one of these I actually inherited, and when I though it had been lost I ordered this to replace it. I found the original, thankfully, but the new one turned out to be very close to the one I had, so I was very well pleased. These are just perfect for scooping ice cream.