# What is the purpose of this kitchen utensil (the sugar shell)?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-this-kitchen-utensil-the-sugar-shell/194508>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 11, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-this-kitchen-utensil-the-sugar-shell/194508 "2003-08-11T23:12:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Orange\_Skinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-this-kitchen-utensil-the-sugar-shell/194508/1 "2003-08-11T23:12:07Z")

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My mother recently purchased all new plates, silverware, pots and pans, the works. In with her new silverware, there’s the sugar spoon—a ribbed, tea-spoon-sized spoon that reminds me of a leaf, which is called the sugar shell. My mom made a big thing out of seeing that the sugar shell was placed in the sugar bowl instead of your average run of the mill teaspoon this afternoon, which got me to wondering… what is it about this spoon that makes it ideal for scooping sugar? Does the ribbed edge have some amazing scooping inhancement that I’m too dim to pick up on? Or, is it, as my father said, just a fancy bit of kitchen utensil uselessness, and has absolutely no reason for being a spoon apart besides _looking_ like it has a big important purpose, while in actuality, it does not?

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-this-kitchen-utensil-the-sugar-shell/194508/2 "2003-08-11T23:49:42Z")

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I don’t know, but sugar spoons are often oddly-shaped - [here](http://homepage.ntlworld.com/gurman/ThereIsNoSpoon.JPG) is ours - sort of shield-shaped with scalloping near the join of the handle and bowl.

My best WAG is that they are thus shaped to positively identify them as sugar spoons and prevent hapless gentlemen committing embarrassing breaches of etiquette by using them to stir tea or some such.

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**Author:** ![Tster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee59a6/32.png) [@Tster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tster)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-purpose-of-this-kitchen-utensil-the-sugar-shell/194508/3 "2003-08-11T23:52:17Z")

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Could it be because it would be easier to measure out a portion of a shell as opposed to a portion of a solid spoon? I mean if you know you like only 1/2 spoon, you can just fill up 1/2 of the shell things.

(I don’t know… seems kind of silly but it wouldn’t be the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of).