An ice-cream spoon is generally a specialized spoon which is used to serve ice-cream. In technical terms, it is known as a disher, which is used to serve and measure a portion of melon balls. Another type of spoon is scoop, which is used to measure a bulk of specified food. Dishers are usually hemispherical in shape while scoops are cylindrical. Some ice-cream scoops are filled with liquid to keep the ice-cream from freezing to the scoop's metal. When it comes to ice-cream, whether it is a single scoop or double, ice-cream is always a delicious treat. If you want to create a scoop of ice-cream like the ones you get in a shopping mall or an ice-cream parlor, follow these simple rules to make sure you scoop the most delicious-looking ice-cream.

1. Take out your ice-cream from your refrigerator a few minutes before you want to scoop, as the ice-cream may be frozen too hard and will be difficult to scoop it. Keep it out for five to ten minutes (depending upon the coldness of your freezer, this time may vary slightly). Note that it's difficult to scoop rock-hard ice-cream. Don’t keep it out for more than ten minutes as it can cause the ice-cream to melt and the consistency of the scoop will not be good; the ice-cream will not take proper shapes at all. You should encounter some resistance when turning your scoop into the ice-cream, but don’t do it so much that it strains you.

2. Fill a glass with lukewarm water and place the bowl of the scoop in the water. After placing it in the water, dig it into the ice-cream. This method acts as an additional safeguard to contamination and makes scooping easier. Keep a small bowl of hot water handy to put the scoop in between servings, warming it up and allowing it to glide smoothly through the ice-cream. Also keep a clean dishtowel handy to dry the scoop before serving.

3. Try to use an aluminum ice-cream scoop, preferably the one with a non-spring handle.

4. Place the bowl part of your scoop into lukewarm water for a few seconds before scooping.

5. Remove the scoop from the water, and shake off the excess water from the scoop.

6. Start scooping from outside of the container first, and then move towards the center. In order to make sure that none of the ice-cream on the outside goes to waste, turn your scoop toward ice-cream that's already been scooped through once or twice.

7. Place the scooped ball of ice-cream on a cone or in a bowl.

8. Add toppings if you desire. Enjoy a homemade scooped ice-cream!