What it does beyond serving
- Portioning batter — pancakes, Yorkshire puddings, drop scones. A ladle gives consistent sizes without measuring.
- Adding stock to risotto, a ladleful at a time, which is how the method is written for a reason.
- Straining stock by ladling rather than pouring a full heavy pot, which is far safer and gives a clearer result because the sediment stays behind.
- Skimming, tilting the edge just below the surface to lift fat and scum.
- Filling jars with jam or chutney, in combination with a funnel.
- Basting, where a small ladle is easier than a spoon.
- Removing hot liquid from a pan that is too full or too heavy to pour.
What to look for
- A pouring lip
- One or two spouts at the rim. The difference between a neat bowl of soup and a ring around it.
- Bowl depth and shape
- Deeper bowls hold more and are harder to tip cleanly. A shallower wide bowl pours better and skims better.
- Handle length
- Long enough to reach the bottom of your stockpot without dipping your knuckles in.
- A hooked or notched end
- Hangs on the rim of the pan so it does not slide in.
- Material
- Stainless steel for durability; silicone or nylon if you use non-stick pans; wood for the traditional and the impractical.
- Heatproof
- Matters if it is going to live in a simmering pan.
- Size
- A standard ladle is roughly a portion. A small one is genuinely useful for sauces and risotto.
Serving without mess
- Fill the ladle by dipping it in the middle of the pan and lifting straight up rather than dragging it across.
- Pause for a second over the pan to let the outside drip.
- Bring the bowl to the pan rather than carrying a full ladle across the kitchen.
- Tilt using the lip, not the side. That is what it is for.
- For soup with solids, stir the pan first so each ladleful has a fair share rather than all the liquid coming off the top.
- For risotto, ladle stock in and let it be absorbed before the next; the method depends on adding it gradually.
- For skimming, tilt the ladle so its edge is barely below the surface and draw it across.
If you do not have one
- A large serving spoon works for thick soups and badly for thin ones.
- A mug or a heatproof jug for filling bowls — inelegant and effective.
- A measuring jug with a lip for anything being poured rather than portioned.
- A slotted spoon plus a jug for soups with a lot of solids.
- A ladle is one of the cheapest useful tools in a kitchen, and one of the few where there is little reason not to own one.
Common questions
Why does my soup spill down the side of the bowl?
The ladle has no pouring lip, or you are tipping it sideways rather than using the spout.
What size ladle should I buy?
One around a portion size for soup, and a smaller one for sauces and risotto if you cook them often.
Should it be metal or silicone?
Silicone or nylon if you use non-stick pans. Stainless steel otherwise.
Why ladle stock rather than pour it?
It leaves the sediment behind and gives a clearer stock, and a full pot is heavy and dangerous to pour.
Can I skim with a ladle?
Yes — tilt it so the rim is just below the surface and draw it across.
Try this next
- Stockpot the pan it is designed to reach into
- Risotto where ladling is the method
- How to make chicken stock straining by ladle
- Soup the obvious use