Dessert spoons: distinctive features and choice

Everyone heard about the existence of a dessert spoon, but few people know how it differs from others, and how to use it correctly. Let's get to know this device better.

In order not to get into a mess, having come to a dinner party, you need to know the purpose of elementary cutlery and imagine how they look.

A dessert spoon, like any other, consists of a scoop, which is smaller than a tablespoon, but larger than a teaspoon, and an elongated handle that is comfortable to hold with three fingers. Devices decorate with all kinds of patterns, give them an original shape. For banal eating soup or porridge, this device is not suitable.

There are 2 types of dessert spoons - American and English. The second is more familiar to us, its volume is 10 ml. The capacity of an American spoon is more, but not by much - exactly 1 ml. The size of the dessert spoon is 18 cm.

As for capacity, then in the dessert spoon you will type:

• 10 ml of water and milk;
• 9 ml of honey;
• 10 ml of vinegar;
• 11 ml of milk yogurt;
• 14 ml low-fat sour cream.

The amount of bulk products that will fit in a dessert spoon:

• 3 g of powdered sugar;
• 5 g of sugar;
• 6.5 g of salt;
• 4 g dry yeast;
• 5 g of flour;
• 5.5 g of cocoa;
• 4 g of rice;
• 7 g of beans;
• 4 g of cinnamon;
• 8 g of raisins;
• 9 g of honey;
• 12 g of citric acid.

A dessert spoon can be of different types. For almost every dessert there is a special spoon, which is convenient to take and eat. Use the following dishes with a special spoon:

• sugar - scoop in the form of a scoop;
• sauces - eat with a device with an extended ladle;
• broths - a more in-depth and rounded spoon;
• cocktails and soft drinks - with a long handle;
• ice cream - rectangular, with folded edges and a shortened handle;
• honey is collected with a special wooden scoop in the shape of a miniature barrel with slots in diameter;
• olives and olives - with a long handle and a hole in the scoop, from which the marinade flows back into the jar;
• absinthe - a spoon for it is the most unusual, of a peculiar shape with rectangular ribs and intricate holes, so that it is convenient to place a piece of sugar in it and pour cold water, which flows in a thin stream into a drink;
• fruits - for an avocado, the scoop is in the form of an oval, for kiwi - rounded, and for grapefruit - elongated elongated with notches at the edges.

The simplest are disposable plastic ones, for special occasions - from cupronickel and silver. A set of such spoons with patterned handles and blackened painting - a whole piece of jewelry art - will be a worthy gift for a wedding or anniversary.

On sale there are items for table setting made of various materials.

• Wooden. They are used on trips, hikes. They are light, durable, they are convenient to eat hot food. Painted wooden spoons serve to decorate the interior and as a Russian folk musical instrument.
• Plastic Light, cheap but short-lived, good for a picnic. Popular in summer street cafes: reduce the possibility of the spread of intestinal infections.
• Aluminum. They were the most common in catering, but now they are a thing of the past. They have a nondescript appearance, fragile and unsafe for health.
• From stainless steel. This is the most common material. Spoons from it are light, aesthetic and safe.
• Ceramic. Often sold complete with souvenir cups, with sets for spices.

Comparing these items, There are several distinguishing features.

• A dessert spoon is larger than a teaspoon, but smaller than a tablespoon. The difference is as follows: 15 ml of water enters the dining room, and 5 ml into the tea room.
• The length of the cutlery is 20 cm, the tea is 15, and the dessert 18 cm.
• Cutlery is intended for eating basic hot dishes. Compared to others, a teaspoon is used when drinking hot drinks: stir sugar with it, take jam from a vase. A dessert spoon will be needed at a sweet table along with a dessert fork to taste sweets and delicacies.
• Location on the table. In the universal version of serving, the dessert spoon is placed together with the dessert fork in front of the plate, and the tea and then the dining room are placed immediately after the knives on the right side.

Tableware can be purchased one at a time or in a set.

When choosing a product, be sure to pay attention to a number of points.

• The appearance of the spoon. It should be of the correct form, not have extra thickenings, dents and nicks. The drawing should be applied evenly, without leaving marks on the hands.
• Smell. A normal appliance should not have a suspicious smell of paint, metal or plastic.
• The size of the spoon should comply with the standard: the depth of the scoop is 10 mm, the maximum thickness is not more than 4 mm.
• Patterned and painted spoons have a quality certificate. Be sure to ask if the seller has it.

Spoons of different metals have their own characteristics, as well as different costs.

In stores you can find dishes made of various metals that are not afraid of corrosion, do not darken over time, do not lend themselves to aggressive detergents and have an attractive shine. These can be instruments made of ordinary steel or a nickel-chromium alloy.Their price is low.

Products from the "space" or "medical" alloy, which have super strength and absolute food safety, are of high cost.

Silver appliances have an antiseptic effect. Spoons are always decorated unusually and festively, so they are used for serving in special occasions. Buying a spoon made of silver by a jeweler is an expensive pleasure, and purchasing it in a store from the manufacturer is quite realistic if you wish.

You should not use a silver spoon constantly: oversaturation of the body with silver ions is undesirable.

Cupronickel products are more durable and cheaper than silver. They are less susceptible to the effects of time, but also need careful care.

Plastic spoons are made from environmentally friendly, affordable and cheap material. For more than 20 years they have been conquering public catering. They are light, comfortable, and visitors do not take them with them as a souvenir, as their cost is cheap.

The cost of wooden products is low, and environmental cleanliness is not in doubt. Make spoons of linden. Spoons that are not coated with paint and varnish are appreciated, but they are less durable.

The price of ceramic products is also low. They are decorative in nature, it is inconvenient to eat them. It is better not to take brightly colored instruments: paints may contain lead and copper.

To serve tableware for a long time, they need care and proper storage. The main thing is to keep the spoons dry and clean in a separate container or any convenient drawer.

This is especially true for silver spoons - this is a very soft material. Store silverware in paper packaging and cardboard boxes is not recommended. The appearance of the products will deteriorate from the sulfur contained in the cardboard. Holiday devices are best stored in a box or linen bag designed for them.

The rules for caring for cutlery are quite simple.

• It is advisable to wash spoons immediately after use. They are washed with a liquid detergent and a soft sponge. The use of coarse abrasive products for products with a glossy metal surface is undesirable.
• A gentle but effective way to polish: ash, tooth powder, potato starch.
• Orthophosphoric acid, which is found in carbonated drinks Fanta, Coca-Cola and Sprite, will help return the perfect appearance to the devices. Just leave the appliances in soda for a while, then rinse with cold water and wipe dry with a cotton cloth.
• Steel products can be washed in a dishwasher if they do not have plastic handles. Items from other materials: plastic, wood, precious metals, ceramics - are washed by hand.
• Before loading spoons into the machine, make sure that it is clean. The remnants of food on the devices must first be removed with a sponge.
• If there are stains in the embossing and decorative notches on steel spoons, they are removed with a solution of soda and citric acid: 2 liters of hot water, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of citric acid. The devices are immersed in the composition and left for 20 minutes in a saucepan over low heat.
• So that stainless steel spoons do not have a gray coating, they are washed in a solution: 4 l of water per 0.4 cup of chlorine bleach. Devices will regain shine if they are wiped with a cloth dampened in a solution of 10% ammonia and water in a ratio of 1: 9.
• Plastic appliances are thoroughly washed with hot water, but do not boil. Attention is paid to the junction of plastic parts with metal. It often accumulates grease and dirt.
• Cupronickel appliances are cleaned with chalk, tooth powder, soft coffee grounds.You can wipe with alcohol or vodka. Products with gilding are recommended to wipe with wine vinegar or ordinary egg white.
• After any product, the dishes are thoroughly rinsed and wiped dry, otherwise the spoons will darken.
• Silverware is washed with a solution of baking soda, citric acid and sodium chloride. Toothpaste or powder will also help restore shine to the instruments.
• To remove black plaque from spoons, ordinary washing gum will help. Rub the darkened areas thoroughly with an eraser and you will again see the sparkle of silver.
• The gruel of chalk and ammonia cleans the silver: prepare a mixture of 1 part ammonia, 10 parts water and add the chalk powder to get a thin sour cream consistency. Put the product on a spoon and rub it. From black plaque there will be no trace.

From this video you will learn how to decorate a dessert spoon with polymer clay.