Oxo Good Grips Spade, $8
A spade, with a flattened digging end rather than a round bowl, is a great tool for serving up heartier portions, but not just any old one will do. Too flat and, as testers found, chunks of ice cream slip off. Also, spades with rounded edges tend to chip ineffectively at hard ice cream. Oxo's spade (with the same nonslip handle as on its Lever Scoop) has a big surface area and the deepest bowl of all those tested, so it held a generous slab of ice cream without spillage en route to cone or dish. Slightly squared corners made it especially easy to cut an entry point into hard ice cream — one reason a spade is a good choice for those whose wrists aren't strong, like our tester with tendinitis, who gave the Oxo five stars. Hand wash.

To Buy: www.oxo.com.