Published October 15, 2005.
Do you really need this?
Six different culinary Web sites have recently added "Fruit Scoops" made by Progressive International (about $13 for a set of three different-sized scoops) to their list of efficient kitchen tools. We decided to take them for a test run. Each scoop has a stainless steel handle attached to a nylon hoop designed to scoop, skin, and core fruits and vegetables.
How did they fare in kitchen tests? The largest scoop did a nice job of removing seeds from a melon, but so did a large spoon. And, unlike a melon baller, the large scoop delivered irregular and unattractively shaped pieces. The medium and small scoops did a better job, but because the size of the loop can't be adjusted, the scoop could not adapt to variations in fruit size. Meanwhile, serving spoons and soup spoons scooped the flesh from large and small avocados and kiwis without a problem.
Our verdict? Save your money. Plain old kitchen spoons do an equally effective, if not better, job than these new gadgets.
