Porcelain spoons great for more than egg-drop soup

Published 3:16 pm Friday, February 8, 2013

My sister has eight Chinese soup spoons, which I have always coveted.

There is something pleasing about the size and shape, the heft, of these sturdy porcelain spoons that come with soup in Chinese restaurants.

For Christmas this year, I received my own set of eight. I want to use them all the time, but as cool as they are, they have limited functionality on the dining table.

I was searching my kitchen cupboards for a suitable cupcake-batter ladling device, however, and spotted the Chinese spoons. “Ha!” I thought.

And I was right. They are just the right size to spoon batter into paper muffin cups and not all over the tin.

Now, a version of the spoon stars on the new TV food show “The Taste,” with Nigella Lawson and Anthony Bourdain (8 p.m. Tuesdays on ABC). Contestants have to create a meal, then serve the judges one spectacular bite of it on each spoon.

The nifty spoons cost about $1 each at Asian markets and some grocery stores. They are a great kitchen toy for an $8 investment.

Here are some other uses for the spoons.

Batter up: Great size and nimbleness for ladling cupcake batter into cups.

Avoid the double-dip: On a buffet for individual servings of dips and spreads, like salsa, guacamole and hummus.

Mise en place: That’s French for “everything in place,” and refers to prepping and setting out all the ingredients in a recipe before starting to cook or bake.

Soup’s on: Good for all kinds of soup, whether thick or brothy, but especially for pho and egg drop soup.

“Measuring” spoon: Test your spoons — mine hold about 1 tablespoon of liquid and about 2 tablespoons of heaped food, like chopped nuts, dried cranberries or diced peppers.

On the side: Offer individual servings of dressing, dippers or sauce for dieters.

Service station: Use one with each topping when serving curry (peanuts, coconut, chutney) or build-your-own tacos (onions, queso, chopped tomato).

Tea time: Retire your used tea bag when you remove it from the cup. Also good for a juiced lemon wedge after the salmon is seasoned.