Product reviewed: Cook’s Innovations Adjustable Fruit Scoop
Since becoming a mom last year, I have learned that cooking and preparing food with a child can be tricky. Now that I’ve got a full-blown toddler, I am increasingly nervous about using a large knife while being climbed on like a jungle gym. My prep time is virtually zero, and my daughter is eager to help me in the kitchen in any way. I was excited to try the Cook’s Innovations Adjustable Fruit Scoop as a way to easily and safely prepare fruit and vegetables.
The fruit scoop by is designed to easily and safely scoop, slice and remove seeds from many different fruits and vegetables. Its handle has a rubber grip to prevent slipping and a sharp stainless-steel scoop, which can be adjusted by turning the knob at the end of the handle. Although the manufacturer suggests hand-washing the adjustable fruit scoop, I ran mine through the dishwasher and saw no damage.
The first thing I noticed about the adjustable fruit scoop was how sturdy it is. The stainless-steel scoop is thick but flexible. Its edge is not too sharp, so I was not concerned about accidental cuts if it fell. My daughter is too young to use this on her own, but a 3- or 4-year-old could use it with supervision. The scoop is easily adjusted by turning the knob at the end of the handle to match the size of the scoop to the size of the fruit or vegetable.
The manufacturer suggests using the adjustable fruit scoop on nearly any fruit or vegetable, including kiwi, avocado, watermelon, cantaloupe, mango, papaya, eggplant, zucchini, passion fruit, dragon fruit, cucumber or even a baked potato. After cutting a fruit or vegetable in half, you can scoop out seeds, scoop out the flesh or create balls of the food by rotating the scoop in a circle.
I tried the scoop on a few different types of foods: mango, avocado, cantaloupe, kiwi, cucumber and butternut squash. While it was easy to adjust the size of the scoop, the actual scooping process takes a bit of practice. In many ways, the scoop exceeded my expectations. It swiftly removed seeds from a butternut squash in one stroke, easily separated an avocado half from its skin and made beautiful melon balls. Some tasks, however, were better suited to a traditional knife or spoon. I was unable to cleanly remove mango or kiwi flesh from its skin, accidentally cutting too close to the skin and tearing it. And the cucumber I attempted to de-seed was very nearly massacred.
The adjustable fruit scoop would make an excellent addition to the kitchen of a family or person who consumes a lot of produce and would like an easy and safe way to prepare it. Someone who is less confident with a large knife, or would like to involve children in preparing produce, also would love this tool. But, if you prefer to have more control over your produce prep, you may find this tool is less precise than a knife and may favor the traditional chef’s knife for the job.
