How to Scoop Meatballs Like a Pro

You may not be familiar with quenelles , but they are often found in restaurants and, well, they make a big difference. Chefs make quenelles for a lot of things, and for good reason. Even if you don’t care about haute cuisine, cooking at home that looks good is still important. Because you deserve it.

Even if dessert is served at the coffee table, you still want it to look seductive. It’s the reason we stuff stuffed eggs or stack omelettes just for fun, and it’s the reason you cook meatballs at home – to make a dish you’re proud of and a meal you want to dive into. With a couple of rounds of practice, you can master this exquisite cooking technique in your home kitchen. (Or just use the cheater’s method.)

To clarify: quenelles are shaped like an elongated egg. It is three-dimensional and round, with one tapered end and a slightly rounder end. You can make quenelles from ice cream, or whitefish salad. You can’t get this shape with an ice cream scoop or an ice cream bowl, and in fact, that’s the difference that elevates it. I like to make quenelles at home, like meatballs and shortbread, because it gives me a bit of variety, it can change the texture, and I can keep my hands clean. (And sometimes a girl likes to indulge in cooking techniques.)

Achieving this form is difficult only because the movement of the hand takes some getting used to. It’s probably not a move you make with something else when you’re cooking. Some people also prefer spoons, such as those with a pointed tip and a deeply concave side instead of a shallow one.

There are three ways to scoop meatballs. The first two are faster once you get the hang of it, but they work best with smooth materials like ice cream and mousses. The third takes a little longer, but you can do this with just about any food you can scoop up and use whatever spoons you have. Try them out and see which one works for you. Keep in mind, this takes some getting used to, so don’t give up if your first or even tenth try comes out weird.

Start with a can of smooth ice cream (large chunks like pretzels and pistachios can cause problems) and a glass of warm water. This will wash off the spoon, smooth the surface of the quenelles, and prevent the cold ice cream from sticking to the metal spoon. I set up my towel station next to the water and a cold foil landing pad for my quenelles (but you could just use brownies, pie or any other dessert that is ready and waiting for your quenelles). I used a pint of mango. sorbet. The small tub made maneuvering difficult, but it still worked.

A few tools for quenelles to get you started:

Useful Spoon if Your Daily Spoons Don’t Work: Mercer Culinary Plating Spoon

Classic Vanilla Ice Cream: Turkey Hill Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Kitchen towels for washing spoons: a set of 4 pieces of lemon dish towels.

J-curve

This approach works best with an average surface area and material to be scooped up, such as a quart and a half of Turkey Hill ice cream. Ice cream should be softened in the refrigerator for about 40 minutes so that it is pliable, but not liquid. Remove spoon from water and shake off excess. Hold the spoon in your dominant hand with the concave hole pointing down and the tip of the spoon at a sharp downward angle. Hold the ice cream to your body. Then turn and tilt the spoon towards the center of the body. Finish the scoop in a J-curve (this will be on the left if you are right-handed and on the right if you are left-handed). As you lift the scoop, run it along the edge of the rim of the container to cut off the scoop and shape the side.

Retreat

Using the same starting point as the J-curve – a spoon in water and a large tub of pre-softened ice cream. Shake off the spoon and start with her dominant hand parallel to the surface of the ice cream and with the concave side away from you. Dip the spoon into the food and scrape it down and away from you. As soon as the ice cream begins to roll off the spoon, quickly twist your wrist 180° so that the spoon sinks into the ice cream and turns completely to face your body. Scrape towards the body, going back along the same path, and lift up, using the edge of the container to cut and shape the scoop.

Johnny 2 spoons

This is what I call the scam version, but in fact it is just as legitimate. I like this one because the mixture doesn’t matter and you can make quenelles with just about anything, like coconut macaroons, ground beef, or egg salad. In the photos I used whipped cream. Unlike the other two methods, you can use this method with the end of the mix or a small amount overall, you don’t need a tub of excess to help form the quenelles.

You will need two spoons of the same size, one in each hand. Pour some ice cream into one spoon (Spoon A), then place the other spoon (Spoon B) on the back of the ice cream spoon with the edge of the spoon inside the edge of the other spoon facing your body. Spoon A is facing up and Spoon B is facing you. They are actually going to spoon each other. Scrape off spoon B inside spoon A, effectively replacing it.

Now spoon B is holding ice cream and spoon A is free. The area where spoon A was is now flat and smooth. Repeat this pattern several times until you get a rounded, slightly triangular quenelles.

If you’re having trouble pulling off the perfect quenelles, make sure you dip the spoon in water and shake it or dry off the kitchen towel between each attempt. You don’t want a spoon to add a lot of water to the mixture, but a small amount will help form the quenelles and allow the finished quenelles to slide off easily. If you’re scooping up ice cream, sherbet, or anything else frozen, rub the bottom edge against your palm to warm it up just before placing the quenelles on your plate. Try Cool Whip Meatballs, Mousses, Tuna Salad, Butter, Dumplings, Cookie Dough or Falafel.