Last Updated: March 1, 2022
The choice of a new ladle can turn into a philosophical problem, because the range is extremely wide, it’s not easy to choose without testing, because everyone lives in its own illusions about cooking. And each woman wants to prepare food for her family as tasty as possible, but the good taste depends on many factors.
Even professionals can sometimes have problems with choosing a new ladle for their collection of kitchen utensils. The ladles are one of the most important kitchen utensils. And their quality can be different.
A kitchen is a place where you can cook delicious meals. This articles will help you to understand the wide range of purchase, depending on the tasks and utensils available in your home. Each material has its own particular features, which can be compared by the characteristics of diameters, volumes and shape. What is the best choice for soup, pancakes, sauce? To easily navigate the kitchen ladles in the store, familiarize yourself with their types and features.
Appointments and Types of Ladles
The ladles, among other things, are useful for serving dishes. Ladles are characterised by a wide, deep bowl. They are used to take up items or liquids from other containers and can be moved without splashing. Serving soups is particularly easy with this type of utensil. Without a ladle, you would be dependent on another kitchen tool also known as a soup spoon.
Scoops are ladle-like utensils that have a more shallow design that make them the perfect instrument for serving flavorful accompaniments such as cheese sauces and rice. Home ladles may be made of stainless steel, plastic, wood, ceramic, or pottery. The traditional ladle has been around for centuries and remains viable and current in terms of use and styling. It is one of the most common and indispensable utensils found in the kitchen.
A ladle is a type of spoon with a large, deep bowl. Ladles are commonly used to serve soups, chowders, or stews. The size and capacity of a ladle can vary greatly, but it can typically hold about one cup or more of liquid.
Large ladles are usually referred to as scoops in the U.S., while smaller ones are known as dippers elsewhere. Ladles are generally used when serving food in deep bowls, although they can also be used for more shallow containers of food like cereal or spaghetti.
An eloquent example is a pancake ladle, required to pour a portion of dough into a frying pan. Also, deep spoons are needed to add broths to meat, vegetable stews, sauces. Choose the product most suitable for you and enjoy your cooking.
Soup ladles are used to serve the first courses in the soup bowl. Here, not only the volume is important, but also the design of the ladle. Ideally, the material and design should be compatible with other cutlery. But if you can’t get a suitable cookware, you can pick up a ladle under the soup bowls. Small serving ladles are needed for sauces. They are served along with the dishes for serving, in which, often, special recesses for ladle spoons are provided.
Types of Ladles
Ladles are subdivided according to the volume, diameter and shape of the scoop, the length of the handle, and the materials of manufacture. These parameters determine the purpose of the kitchen appliance.
For example, a ladles with oval-shaped compartment are used for the sampling of semi-fluid products. Ladles with long handles are used for cooking stews and soups, or stirring sauces. If you desire to cook food in a large quantity of boiling water, then purchase ladles with elongated handles and flaired scoops.
When you’re stocking your kitchen with new kitchenware, you’ll need to have a think about what type of ladle is best for you. With a wide variety of ladles available on the market – not to mention in professional kitchens – it’s important to make sure that you’ve got the right ladle for the job.
Medium bowls are most often used for making salads or minced meat and are also used for storing food. Large bowls are ideal for kneading dough, serving salads and other dishes to the table.
Soup Ladle
The task of the kitchen tool is to help the hostess quickly and accurately pour the first course into plates or soup bowls. The volume of the soup ladle depends on the purpose and ranges from 250 to 1000 ml. Knowing the volume of Soup ladle, it is easy to pour soups, liquid cereals, compotes into portioned dishes without fear of overflow.
On sale you can find soup ladle of different sizes. But for the home, it makes no sense to purchase a ladle for the first courses with a capacity of more than 300 ml. It is better to make a few movements than to look for a place to store a bulky ladle.
An important point is the length of the handle. It depends on the height of the pans used. In this case, the handle should remain on the surface and not immersed in the soup.
The soup ladle is perfect for soups, stews, broths. The easy grip handle makes it comfortable to hold and helps prevent spills. Use the scoop to serve vegetables, rice, noodles, meats, or any other delicious food.
Ladles for Cauldrons
Let’s talk about the first courses, which are cooked not only in pots, but also in cauldrons. Cauldrons, as a rule, are used to cook thick soups of oriental origin, kharcho and shurpa, pilaf, national dishes.
The main requirements for a special ladle for cooking in a cauldron – is strength, high temperature resistance, long handle – at least 40 cm. In choosing a ladle for cooking in a cauldron, the main thing – to adjust its size and shape to the capacity of the container. The cauldron and conformable ladle from it can be represented as a set; their dimensions should be equal.
A cauldron is an indispensable attribute in the house of a real connoisseur of national dishes. Be it wheat, pasta, mastika, soup or cabbage-cheese – all these recipes are cooked in a cauldron. The ladle must be made of a heat-resistant material – iron, aluminum, stainless steel.
The scoop for a small cauldron is, as a rule, much more convenient to use and is worth its cost. In the package it comes without an installation and, if necessary, can be easily attached to the vessel body. The ladle will be suitable not only for cauldrons of different capacity, but also for pots.
Thanks to the long handle you will not burn yourself and will not have to constantly dip the ladle in the pot. In the description of the product, manufacturers usually indicate for what volume of the cauldron the ladle is intended.
Ladle-Skimmer
A ladle with holes is also called a slotted spoon, but unlike a slotted spoon, it is deep. With such a device, it is convenient to take out small pieces of meat, vegetables from broth or water. Skimmer ladle is a must-have tool for your kitchen.
The skimmer ladle is the best tool for skimming your soup stock. Really, it is. This contraption should be in the culinary arsenal of any cook. The design is intended for restaurant line cooking and has since been used in home kitchens as well.
You can even wash berries and legumes in such a ladle. If the holes are small, it is convenient to remove foam or excess fat from the broth surface. For these purposes, it is more practical to use a ladle with a wide working part. With stainless steel ladles, you will cook with pleasure every day, these kitchen utensils will serve you faithfully for many years.
Ladle for Pancakes
For baking pancakes, ordinary small ladles were previously used. Later, pancake scoops with a more thought-out shape and spout for dosing the dough appeared on the market. They are sold separately and in sets with pancake spatulas. The main purpose here is to save time: cook the pancakes faster and spend your small precious leisure time in more useful things.
But not so long ago they came up with special ladles for pancakes with an oval scoop and two plums. The volume of the scoop is designed for a typical pancake pan with a diameter of 24-26 cm, which is 140-170 ml.
Table Ladles
A table ladle, unlike a kitchen ladle, is more often used at the dining table, and not in the kitchen. It is served with dishes served in soup bowls, saucepans, pots, gravy boats. A table ladle should be shallow and lightweight. This makes it easier for a diner to conveniently serve themselves from gravy boats set on their table.
Ladle Spoon
The standard volume of a ladle spoon is 250 ml. But there are no strict standards, so there are ladles and less, and up to 350 ml. The ladles are beautifully designed and comfortable. A long handle is not required here, but its length should be sufficient so that the arm does not sink into the tureen.
There are special models – the ladle with a spout. This convenient shape will suit for serving and reduce the amount of splashes and drops. Ladle spoon is round and oval-shaped.
The choice of materials is wide:
- Stainless Steel
- Brass
- Wood
- Plastic
- Ceramics
- Glass
In order to choose the most suitable ladle spoon it is important to consider their details. Ladle spoons are usually sold in sets of that include a soup bowl (250 ml) and on a lovely stand. The stand is convenient because there is no need to leave the ladle in the soup bowl. Eating soup just became much more enjoyable! Ladle spoons are among the most beautiful utensils to show off at each table setting.
Ladle With Sauce Spout
These are scoops designed for liquid sauces and sour cream. They are served with béchamel sauces, tomato, sour, spicy and sweet gravies. Spouts are provided for neat use. Thanks to the spout, the sauce is easy to spread evenly and beautifully on the platter. A separate ladle is served for each sauce.
Sauce spoons with a spout have a shorter handle – an average of 28 cm. It is important that the material of manufacture is not afraid of acids and high temperatures. You should not buy spoons for sauces made of porous materials; here it is better to give preference to stainless steel.
Recommendations for Choosing a Ladle
In choosing a kitchen ladle, the first thing you need to consider is what the ladle is made from. The material used can affect whether the product will last long or not. Metal ladles are more durable than plastic ones. Also, you should consider what it is made of. Stainless steel and hard plastic are also options.
The most durable and practical stainless steel ladles. Stainless steel is not afraid of corrosion and high temperatures, does not break on bending and does not break when dropped on the tile floor, does not absorb fats and odors. There is only one minus – they can scratch the non-stick coating of the pan.
When choosing, pay attention to the composition of the alloy, there should be stainless steel 18/10 and higher and the thickness of the metal. Handles that are too thin are prone to deformation. And if the risk of bending is low for dough or soup, then a cauldron needs a thick handle.
If you need an exclusive or want to make a status gift, choose ladles made of silver or a cheaper option – copper. Silver ladles are made of silver and can range in price based on the material as well as the size.
The Ladle is an ancient symbol, and ladles have appeared in many countries and civilizations of the world. This utensil is indispensable for cooking. So it has always been valued in society. And ladles made of silver, bronze or copper were status symbols.
Because everything depended on the material from which it was made. For example, in the first centuries of the era of the Roman Empire, ladies preferred to give elite gifts – ladles made of silver or bronze.
Plastic Ladle
The most short-lived and capricious. It makes sense to buy such only for infrequent use. Pay attention to the heat resistance of the plastic. And during use, do not leave the device in a saucepan and soup bowl. Check the manufacturer’s recommended maximum operating temperature.
Nylon Ladles
Cook’s ladles of various sizes are made from nylon. Nylon is resistant to high temperatures, but is afraid of direct contact with hot surfaces. May be damaged if left on the edge of a hot pot or near the stove. Nylon is inert, so you can safely use a scoop for tomato juice, sour compote. Safe for delicate non-stick coatings, does not heat up.
Teflon Ladle
Teflon kitchen pots are smooth – everything drains quickly from the surface , be it broth, sauce or dough . They are inert, are not afraid of high temperatures , do not heat up during operation.
Silicone Ladle
The silicon ladle is often small – 350 ml. It is lightweight and functional – for the kitchenor laboratory, for sauces or dumplings, for dyeing or glazing. They are resistant to high temperatures, can be dipped in boiling water safely. The silicone material retains its shape even with prolonged exposure to temperature changes.
Natural Wood Ladle
A natural wood ladle is gradually becoming decorative. They cannot be called practical due to the porosity of the material. Wooden ladles are made from moisture-resistant wood species. Woods like oak and cherry, which have high mechanical strength, are used for the ladles that can withstand pressure and long use. The favorite natural wood, such as ash and birch, due to its strength and hardness is defined as a material of choice for wooden spoons.
Wooden products with painting, varnishing look beautiful. But you should not use a decorative device for its intended purpose, especially for hot dishes. Varnish can not only lose its decorative effect, but also release harmful substances into food.
Comfortable and Practical Handle
The working part of both the cook’s and the table ladle, the hostess is more in contact with the handle, so it is important that it is comfortable, does not get hot and does not slip out of hands. The length of the handle depends on the purpose of the device. For the kitchen, choose according to the depth of the dishes in which you will cook – from 30 cm or more. For serving, 28 cm or less is enough.
In modern ladles on the handles, there are functional recesses for the thumb, notches to prevent slipping. At the end of the handle, there is a loop for hanging or a leg to place on a table or on a stand so that the ladle does not touch the surface.
Often the handle of a ladle in metal appliances is made of nylon or silicone so that it does not heat up and lies comfortably in the hand. Nylon and silicone are non-porous materials. They do not retain bacteria, do not absorb odors and do not change shape or stretch with time. This means You can safely use your ladle for a long time without having to worry about possible infections from the handle.
A ladle with a wooden handle is less and less common, and it is not always worth giving preference to it. The fact is that wood tends to shrink, which leads to a loose fit of the handle. Wood is a porous material that retains bacteria and molds.
Kitchen ladles is one of the kitchen tools that you can hardly miss in a cooking store. It is a versatile tool that helps you to quickly and without any hassle perform different kitchen prep tasks: from stirring food to serving it or portioning some liquid. It has become an inseparable element of both home and professional kitchens, which explains its wide variety of shapes, sizes, handles, materials, and other features.
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