The Best Ladles

It’s pricey, but this classic stainless-steel ladle is still the best we’ve tested over the decades. It holds just the right amount of soup or stew and dispenses it neatly and precisely, thanks to its gently curved pouring rim. The edges of its handle are rounded and smooth but not slippery, making it comfortable for hands of all sizes to hold, and in different positions. And it’s set off from the bowl at a 45-degree angle, so it’s easy to scoop out liquids without exposing your hand to hot steam.

This inexpensive plastic ladle had a great, gently curved handle that was exceptionally comfortable to hold in different positions, thanks to the grippy rubbery material covering most of it. And it was set at a 45-degree angle from the bowl, so we could easily scoop up hot liquids without getting our hands in the way of the hot steam. It held a good amount of liquid, and while it lacked a pouring rim, it still dispensed soups and stews reasonably neatly.

With a smooth, curvy one-piece metal handle that dramatically swooped up from the bowl at a 45-degree angle, this ladle was easy for all hands to grip, and in a variety of positions. And although it lacks a pouring rim, it still pours relatively neatly and precisely. We wish that it held a little more liquid, but otherwise, it’s a great and less expensive alternative to our winner.

While its bowl doesn’t hold quite as much as we’d like, this stainless-steel ladle did an excellent job of pouring soups and stews, thanks to its gently curved pouring rim. We just weren’t wild about its handle. Its dedicated metal grip limited our hand positions, and it was positioned at a steeper angle, so our hands were more directly over the hot steam as we scooped from the pot.

This sturdy restaurant-supply stalwart was great at pouring soups and stews very neatly since it had a pouring rim. We just disliked its uncomfortable, utilitarian handle—it was too long, so we had to choke up on it to avoid feeling like we were scooping up soup with the proverbial 10-foot pole. And its rough, squared-off edges dug into our hands, particularly when we applied pressure to force tomato soup through a fine-mesh strainer.

We loved how easy it was to grip this ladle’s well-cushioned, grippy silicone handle. We just wished that the handle were a tad longer—it was a little too short to scoop up chicken parts from the bottom of the stockpot—and that it could have risen at a somewhat gentler angle from the bowl, as its steep vertical orientation sometimes forced our hands into awkward positions. It came with accurate volume measurements etched on the inside of the bowl, and because it had a pouring rim, it served soups and stews cleanly and accurately. But the bowl itself was a bit oversize, feeling unwieldy as it maneuvered around the Dutch oven and strainer. And its front edge was floppy, so it sometimes felt as if thick stews or chicken parts might slip out.

This nonstick-safe ladle had a good-size bowl that held just the right amount of soup and stew, and it dispensed its contents fairly neatly, though it lacked a pouring rim. Its metal handle let us vary our hand position easily and was a good length for dipping into even deep stockpots. It was just a little more slippery to grip when our hands were wet, and it extended from the bowl at an especially steep angle, so our hands were directly over the hot steam as we ladled and occasionally put into awkward positions as we poured.

This stainless-steel ladle did a decent job of dispensing soups and stews, though its dedicated pour spouts made the process a tad messier than with other models and forced us to pour only from the sides. We liked the idea of this ladle’s thick, well-cushioned rubber grip, which promised comfort and a secure hold when our hands got slippery. But in practice, it was a little too thick, so even large hands strained to hold it over time; it also limited the variety of hand positions we could use as well. The balance of the ladle itself felt off, too—it extended steeply from the bowl and felt unusually heavy in our hands, even though other models weighed more.

This inexpensive ladle’s thick plastic handle was slippery and a touch hard for even large hands to grip without straining; it extended at a steep angle from the bowl, so our hands were directly over the steam as we scooped from the pot. Its bowl was sturdy enough but small and didn’t pour as neatly as we’d have liked, sloshing soup over the sides a bit.

This nonstick-safe ladle didn’t give us much to love. Its handle was too long, too slick, and too thick for even large hands to use without straining, and it was oriented at almost a right angle to the bowl, forcing our hands into especially awkward positions over the hot steam as we scooped and poured. Two pour spouts limited how or where we could pour and actually seemed to make pouring messier. But worst, the bowl itself was large and strangely flimsy, bobbing and flexing under the weight of chicken parts and heavy chili and making it impossible to press tomato soup through a fine-mesh strainer.