Types of holey spoons, what are they called and what they are for

I have an interesting tablespoon in the kitchen - Soviet, aluminum and... with holes! Cutlery has always been used by me to collect foam from broth or to "extract" berries from compote. True, I did not think about its name right up until my friend called her a slotted spoon.

Skimmer

The name of this instrument came to us from Poland (szumować — skim). This is the name of a large flat spoon with a scoop from a mesh, through which liquid passes freely, but foam and large particles of spices do not.

This device also has a second version: also with a long handle and a large flat, leaky scoop made of metal or plastic. It is also called a slotted spoon.

And although this version already has a little more resemblance to my nameless spoon, the worm of doubt nevertheless continued its movements: well, not this, not that. Therefore, I continued the poll, having received another answer - julep strainer.

Strainer

This is a professional bartender's tool to help clean cocktails from large particles while pouring a drink from a shaker into a glass. All steiners are usually divided into two types: hawthorn and julep. The first is easy to recognize by the spring attached to the scoop of the device and designed to ensure tight contact with the walls of the shaker.

And the julep strainer looks more like my spoon. His tasks are the same: to separate large particles so that ice, fruits and herbs do not get into the glass and do not interfere with enjoying the finished drink.

This answer also did not satisfy my curiosity, so the search for information continued. His results were mildly surprising with the abundance of options.

Types of spoons with holes

Let's start with the fact that there are a lot of spoons with holey scoops. However, many of them belong to the auxiliary cutlery that never make it to the dining table. So, in the kitchens of hostesses, at least 12 options for spoons may well find a place for themselves, the purpose of which is indicated by the name itself.

For stirring - a long hold (yes, the handle of cutlery is called that way) and a decent size scooped with a hole in the center.

This design ensures uniform mixing of the food during cooking, since it does not linger in the appliance, but flows freely through it.

For spaghetti - original design with a leaky scoop, the edge of which has characteristic protrusions.

Thanks to these prongs, stirring the cooking spaghetti or taking it out of the water is much more convenient than with a simple spoon.

For short pasta - a product very similar to a slotted spoon, which has not only holes, but also slots along the entire perimeter.

A very convenient tool: you can catch macaros with dumplings, and you don't have to tinker with a colander.

For vegetables - another version of the slotted spoon, and it works on the same principle. The only significant difference is that the most common variants of the product shine through with rather impressive slots in the scoop, the shape of which, by the way, can be very diverse.

If this spoon has not slots, but holes, then their size is also slightly larger than that of a slotted spoon. And this is quite logical, because the tool is focused on the extraction of vegetables and meat from the broth, and not on the collection of foam.

Filtering bucket - similar to a ladle, and the purpose, in fact, is the same. The only difference is a rounded protrusion with holes on one of the halves of the scoop.

This design makes it easier to strain off excess broth if you need to choose thick from the dish.

For tasting - very similar to a stirring spoon. There is one significant difference - it is made of wood or heat-resistant plastic, but not metal.

The reason is simple: wood and plastic do not heat up, facilitating the process of "sampling" and, thereby, indirectly influencing the cooking time.

For pickles and compote - a handy tool that can be large and small. The difference between them is only in the shape of the scoop (in the big one it is round) and in the general shape of the product (the small spoon is always straight).

This, by the way, is the second option, which is very similar to my nameless spoon.

For salad - almost an ordinary tablespoon. The only difference is the slot on the opposite side of the scooped side.

This design feature is needed so that the excess dressing flows back into the bowl. This significantly reduces the risk of accidentally splattering the tablecloth or splashing the dressing on neighboring dishes when serving the salad.

For absinthe. Honestly, the similarity of this cutlery with the desired one lies only in the holes: there are many of them, and they are different. Moreover, a spoon for absinthe is often not a spoon at all, but rather a decorative spatula.

But nevertheless, this cutlery has a purpose: to support the sugar cube, according to which the bitter drink is poured into the glass. The purpose of this trick: to soften the taste of absinthe, masking its bitterness with sugar.

For brewing tea - not my case, since it consists of two halves that can be locked using a bracket attached to the scoop or a special elastic handle.

We fill the leaf tea inside, immerse the spoon in a cup of boiling water, let it steam a little and take it out. A very convenient design that eliminates fiddling with tea leaves, which constantly strive to get into your mouth.

For olives - a small rounded spoon on a fairly long spoon. Often it is scooped up with a pair of sharp teeth, making it easier to catch olives from the jar.

But sometimes this cutlery is also full of holes so that the marinade stays in the jar, and does not migrate into the plate.

For eggs - a very handy tool, which for some misunderstanding continues to be called a spoon.

It is designed to get eggs out of the water. The shape contributes to this, securely holding the egg, but allowing absolutely all the water to pass through.

The climax of the quest: the wonder with the slits

Another miracle, misunderstood as a spoon. This is a device for honey. My only consolation is that it has alternative names, which include Drizle and Spindle.

The tool is very handy. If you get used to it, then you can forget about crumbs in a jar of honey, drips on the sides of dishes and ubiquitous droplets. Apparently, it was for these merits that the people endowed him with their own name, and even more than one.

Not like my unfortunate spoon with holes, the name of which has never been found. If you know him, dear readers, please suggest in the comments. Please satisfy my curiosity, otherwise it’s hard to believe that over the decades of its existence, a simple tablespoon with holes did not deserve its own name, and not a descriptive one.