I was looking for a size 100 scoop for scooping chocolate ganache to make truffles. I tried four scoops: The Vollrath 47161 S/S Size 100 Squeeze Disher Scoop, the Jenaluca Mini Cookie Scoop, the Norpro 675 1.5 tsp scoop, and the Norpro 701 Grip-EZ 2 tsp scoop. The upshot: Of these four scoops I preferred the Norpro 701 Grip-EZ 2 tsp scoop (the one on this page). It had the strongest mechanism, was the right size, and was the best able to handle scooping thick ganache. (1) Vollrath 47161 S/S Size 100 Squeeze Disher Scoop (one star). This scoop turned out to be flimsy. It had a weak cog-and-ratchet mechanism which could not handle the stiffness of the ganache I was trying to scoop. When the scoop’s flange encountered the ganache the cog would jump several holes, and the flange would become misaligned. The flange’s resting point would be outside the bowl, and when I squeezed the handles together it would only travel partway across the back of the bowl. I was able to fix it by manually pushing the cog back into the correct hole, but this misalignment happened on my first, second, and third use of this scoop. The scoop was useless on ganache. I returned it. For more detail, see my specific review on this scoop. (2) Jenaluca Mini Cookie Scoop (three stars). This scoop had a similar cog-and-ratchet design as the Vollrath, but had a little metal overhang that largely kept the cog from skipping holes. It was stronger than the Vollrath, and was overall a better scoop. It was able to scoop the ganache and release it without becoming misaligned most of the time. However, it had some issues: (a) it DID become misaligned once — despite the metal overhang, the cog did skip holes, though I was able to manually fix it. (b) The return spring was sometimes not strong enough to push the flange back through the thick ganache, with the result that I had to pry the handles apart with my fingers to get the flange back to its start position. Lastly, (c) there was a relatively large gap (about 1/16+ inch) between the flange and the back of the bowl, which led to a thick coating of ganache on the back of the bowl, and either that gap, or the ganache coating it left behind, interfered with the release of subsequent scoops. I’d frequently get only a torn half of my ganache truffle out, while the remainder would be stuck to the flange or the back of the bowl. I’d have to dig it out with my fingers and stick it onto the other half. So I was able to scoop my ganache, but it was a hassle, and involved struggling with the scoop and repairing a lot of my truffles. I returned this one too. (3) The Norpro 675 1.5 tsp (four stars). This is a good quality scoop, with a strong spring and solid mechanism, but the 675 was too small for my needs. Scoop sizing can be kind of hard to figure out — Norpro does not put an official size on its scoop packaging. But this Norpro 675 scoop was noticeably smaller than the Vollrath and the Jenaluca size 100 scoops. Doing some research, I found that a size 100 scoop has about a 2 tsp capacity, while this Norpro 675 scoop had about a 1.5 tsp capacity. And on the 675 scoop itself, it has a "110" inscribed on the flange, so I think that's the official size. So, it was too small for me. I kept it, however, as it is a good solid scoop and the postage to return it was almost as much as the scoop was worth. (4) The Norpro 701 Grip-EZ 2 tsp scoop (five stars). This is a strong, sturdy, simple scoop. It is heavy in the hand and its mechanism feels smooth and powerful. Its cog mechanism is slightly different than the Jenaluca’s and the Vollrath’s: instead of a cog that runs along a metal strip with holes in it, it has a cog that runs along the edge of a metal strip with rectangular teeth on it. A metal tab prevents the cog from skipping teeth. The Norpro 701 is almost certainly a size 100 (though this size is not listed on the packaging). But its two teaspoon capacity is consistent with a size 100, and the flange was inscribed with "100," so I think that's the official size. When I tried this scoop on stiff ganache, the cog never skipped, so it never became misaligned. Next, the spring that pushes the flange back to its start position is more powerful than the Jenaluca’s. The vast majority of the time the spring was strong enough to propel the flange back through the ganache. Occasionally it would take a second to go back through, but only once or twice did I have to pry the handles apart. Lastly, the flange is positioned so that it sweeps very close to the back of the bowl, which means less interference with the release of subsequent portions. The scoops release with relative ease, either dropping out on their own or requiring only a gentle touch of a finger to finish the release. This scoop produced a whole tray of half-sphere portions of ganache, uniform in size and shape, which was just what I wanted. I have found my scoop! So, of these four scoops, I preferred the Norpro 701 Grip-EZ 2 tsp scoop for scooping chocolate ganache centers for truffles.
