We never want to let the name of something lock us in to what that something can do. A cookie scoop is a perfect example of this. They come in at least three sizes, which adds to their versatility.

While it’s the perfect tool for measuring out consistent size balls of cookie dough, it does so much more. I recently did a random survey of friends, family, and neighbors, to see how many different uses folks could come up with for this handy utensil. Oodles of ideas were shared, some I was already aware of, but others were new to me. Here are some of the ideas; see if there’s anything new to you:

The most common use was for making perfect meatballs. A good idea for a couple reasons. Not only does this turn out uniform balls, but don’t you love how it keeps your hands clean?

The next most common idea was to measure out muffin batter. The point being that using this tool ensures the muffins all come out the same size. It’s a fact—uniformity gives a clean, professional look to just about everything.

Speaking of muffins, do you have that delicious recipe for 6-week refrigerator bran muffin batter? This came up in my random cookie-scoop-uses discussion with some of my neighbors. If not, here you go. It’s so nice to have a container of muffin batter in the fridge, always ready for when you’re hankering for warm muffins.

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One friend said she uses hers to scoop out hush puppie dough. That’s a smart idea, too. Hush puppie dough can be so difficult to handle and using a scoop means uniform dough balls (there’s that word again).

Along these lines, a couple neighbors use theirs to measure out pancake and waffle batter. (Uniform pancakes…how pretty.)

Other neighbors said they preferred the cookie scoop for making melon balls because the spring-loaded action releases the balls so easily.

And a clever family member uses hers to remove the seeds from apple slices.

And how about using it to serve up the perfect dollops of sour cream? Thanks to one creative neighbor, we now know to do that!

Then there’s using the mini scoop to stuff manicotti shells. We’d never heard of that one either! But it makes perfect sense. Folks who do this use no-boil lasagna noodles instead of pasta tubes. That means no need for a piping bag to fill them, and they come together quicker and easier.

And here are three of my own ideas: First, I use an old mini scoop when planting seeds in my garden. It takes out just the right amount of soil to allow space for a few grains of seed starter as well as the delicate seed. Then I just gently drop the tiny ball of soil that’s in the scoop, back into the itty bitty hole it created.

Second, I puree fresh fruit, freeze it until it’s a fairly solid slush, then scoop out balls (honeydew melon is show here). I lay them out on a cookie sheet and freeze, then later I repackage the balls into plastic freezer bags. These fruit balls make the coolest ice cubes ever, and of course I add them to my green smoothies all the time as well. This balling technique is so much easier than tediously scooping balls from a fresh melon.

Third, I like to make whipped butter, chill it, and then make butter balls using my mini cookie scoop.

So, when you have a few minutes, play this game with your other kitchen utensils. Open your drawer, pick one up, and ask yourself, “Does this little item have any other uses?” Don’t let the name of something lock you into thinking that’s all it can do—it’s my experience that there’s a world of surprises attached to those utensils!