# What is this ladle-ish thing made for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 17, 2026, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ladle-ish-thing-made-for/1030157 "2026-05-17T20:47:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ladle-ish-thing-made-for/1030157/1 "2026-05-17T20:47:38Z")
The photos say it all. It probably isn’t a combo egg holder and comb. [![](https://i.ibb.co/nMVxBbBh/ladel-20260517-163248126.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/nMVxBbBh/ladel-20260517-163248126.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ladle-ish-thing-made-for/1030157/2 "2026-05-17T20:49:20Z")
Pasta? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ladle-ish-thing-made-for/1030157/3 "2026-05-17T20:49:42Z")
Looks to me like a ladle that was designed to allow you to strain broth from solids, as well as ladle out the finished product. Suppose you are making vegetable stock. You boil the veggies, but you don’t want to leave them in after their flavor is extracted. This ladle lets you strain the stock back into the pot while fishing out the spent veggies. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ladle-ish-thing-made-for/1030157/4 "2026-05-17T21:00:20Z")
Yep. Strainer. Some people don’t like too much liquid on the plate, others like a lot. You can customize each serving. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ladle-ish-thing-made-for/1030157/5 "2026-05-17T21:01:43Z")
I think it’s more for serving than prep. But yeah, same idea. Scoop chunks or broth in a controllable fashion. Here’s almost the same product from the same manufacturer for sale: **[Wal\*Mart](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Goodcook-13-In-Epicure-Nylon-Ladle-25695/632337768)**. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ladle-ish-thing-made-for/1030157/6 "2026-05-18T03:58:22Z")
Apparently someone has already started cooking with that ladle, because it still has a sprout. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ladle-ish-thing-made-for/1030157/7 "2026-05-18T10:36:35Z")
I too enjoyed that typo. 😁