Would you believe that the type of spoon you use could actually affect how much you enjoy your ice cream? Summer is officially here, and ice cream is the American treat of choice when the heat hits. June and July are our biggest months for eating it, though we are happy to eat it all year round. Whether you’re enjoying a frozen dessert in a custom ice cream cup or a simple to go cup, here’s how your choice of spoon can actually enhance your experience.
What We Usually Do
Most of us are more than happy to down eat our gelato cup with whatever ice cream spoon is going. Some places have plastic spoons, and other ice cream stands offer wooden spoons or sticks. You can get biodegradable implements, too, so that you’re not destroying the environment by enjoying a treat. Some places offer metal spoons and provide a place to drop them when you’re done. The reality is that most of us don’t really care.
Meet the Researchers
Who actually thinks to test the spoons people eat with? Scientists, that’s who. Some scientists have tested yogurt eaten from a spoon. They found that, for yogurt, people preferred if it they ate it with a plastic spoon. The yogurt itself felt heavier when eaten with a plastic spoon. When eaten with metal spoons, people thought the yogurt tastes sweeter and didn’t like it as much.
Ice cream, though, is a different matter. Ice cream is supposed to be sweet, and when a researcher from Haagen-Dazs recently took part in an event held in London, she reported that certain spoons make ice cream taste better.
Which Spoons Came Out the Winner?
In the first place, any other spoon or any other type is better than those wooden sticks or spoons. Wood has its own flavor, and that flavor competes with the taste of the ice cream or gelato. But if your choice is metal or plastic, metal is better.
How Can Metal Be Better?
Metal has two things going for it. In the first place, it makes things taste sweeter. With ice cream or some similar frozen dessert, this is a plus. Interestingly, this means you might actually enjoy your soup more if you use a plastic spoon since most soups are meant to be savory!
The second thing that’s great about metal is that it gets cold as you eat the ice cream. It stays cold, too. This means that your whole eating sensory experience is enhanced. No one likes it when their ice cream starts melting, and cold spoons helps to offset that. A cold spoon also makes those last few sips of the melted bits at the bottom of your ice cream cup taste better.
So there you have it! Metal is the material of choice when it comes to ice cream, though you’re still going to enjoy it even with plastic spoons. Whatever you do, though, don’t use wood.