# Tips for Pouring Soup

Category: Daily Living

## Post 1 by ApplePeaches (If the zone bbs was a drug, I'd need rehab.) on Monday, 16-Nov-2015 23:06:16

I do not know how to use a ladle for the life of me. A friend of mine on
facebook doesn't even know what a ladle is. Anyway, Whenever I try to
ladle soup from a pot into a bowl, I wind up getting soup all over the counter,
the floor, and my shirt. I also have a hard time holding things straight which
makes using a ladle even more difficult. Does anyone have any tips on this?

## Post 2 by Frozen Teardrop (Veteran Zoner) on Monday, 16-Nov-2015 23:25:29

if possible, put the bowl right against the pot so it doesn't have far to go

## Post 3 by SilverLightning (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 17-Nov-2015 7:56:24

You can also get a bigger laddle, or one that is easier to control for you. They
come in all shapes and sizes.

## Post 4 by SilverLightning (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 17-Nov-2015 7:58:28

Also, keep in mind that the laddling motion is different than the spooning
motion. For a spoon you dig in and then pour it out. With a laddle, hold the
handle in your fist and go straight down into the pot and pull straight back up.
Don't try and scoop the soup. Then, to pour, just turn your hand sideways.
What I do is laddle up some soup, then put the bolw over the pot and put the
laddle in the bowl itself before I start pouring out the soup. That way anything
that does spill will spill into the pot.
Hope that's clear.

## Post 5 by Shadow_Cat (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 17-Nov-2015 9:14:05

Thanks, Cody. I was trying to figure out how to explain that, and you did it very clearly.
The other thing you could do is put paper towel down under your bowl, on the surface where you're going to be pouring. That way less gets on the counter and clean-up is easier. But I think Cody hit on the main thing that using a ladle is very different from using a spoon. I used to make the same kind of mess you're talking about because I didn't understand this. Also maybe to start with, don't fill the ladle absolutely full. Pour some of it off into the pot before you bring the ladle out of it, so it's not brimming when you're trying to pour it into your bowl. As you get more practice with this kind of thing, you can keep it fuller when you bring it out of the pot.

## Post 6 by forereel (Just posting.) on Tuesday, 17-Nov-2015 11:49:03

Use a coffee cup with a big handle. That way you just dip the cup in, but the handle stays cool.
Now you have a cup of whatever.
Find the bowl, and go.
Good tips on the other.

## Post 7 by forereel (Just posting.) on Tuesday, 17-Nov-2015 11:50:52

Also, maybe get dishes with deeper bowls and larger ones. Even though I don't have this problem, larger bowls are just easier to deal with.

## Post 8 by ApplePeaches (If the zone bbs was a drug, I'd need rehab.) on Tuesday, 17-Nov-2015 16:11:47

Yeah that is the problem, I use a ladle like a spoon. I also when carrying a
bowl of soup from the kitchen to the table, I have a hard time holding things
straight, so I spill soup along the way leaving a trail of soup. I know I can
get a deeper bowl that I use strictly for soup. Someone else suggested
putting the soup in a lock lid pot then pouring it into the bowl, but the issue
with that is that only the broth would come out and you wouldn't get any of
the meat or vegetables or anything.

## Post 9 by write away (The Zone's Blunt Object) on Tuesday, 17-Nov-2015 16:25:06

Ok, two suggestions. Get a deep square bowl for your soup. They make square bowls. This would be easier to balance when walking with the bowl. Second. Though I love cody's suggestions, I think if you have balance and gripping issues, you'll just end up making a bigger mess if you try to hold the bowl over the pot while ladling the soup into it. Instead, use a plastic tray, like the kind you might get at a food court or a cafeteria. (They sell them cheap). Put both your pot and your bowl onto the tray when you're ready to pour the soup. If you spill it, it'll be contained in the tray, and you won't get the counters dirty plus the only thing you'll need to clean would be the tray.
if you really find you can't use the ladle for the life of you, get a large measuring cup with a spout on it. You can dip the cup into the pot, scoop the soup with all it's components, then pour it into the bowl through the spout. This should really help to minimize the mess. Also if you're going to go for a square soup bowl, you can put the spout of the measuring cup against one of the bowl's corners when pouring, which will ensure that the mess is decreased even more.

## Post 10 by SilverLightning (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 17-Nov-2015 16:53:35

Ading onto Bernadetta's post. If you choose to go with the ladel route, you
can get ladels of all shapes, sizes and configurations. They make ones that are
basically a giant coffee mug with a spout. Foind one that you are comfortable
with and use that one. My favorite one is a heavy ceramic one, so any tremors
in my hand don't translate as much to the soup, and it has a spout so pouring
liquid is a lot easier. Lots of options for you.

## Post 11 by Frozen Teardrop (Veteran Zoner) on Tuesday, 17-Nov-2015 16:59:37

another thing that's probably been mentioned but in different words, get a bowl
with higher sides for when your carrying it and just don't fill it as much.

## Post 12 by Shadow_Cat (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Tuesday, 17-Nov-2015 20:26:04

Ah, knowing that you have some issues with gripping and balancing does change the suggestions a bit. Others have made good ones. The other kind of bowl that can work well are those coffee mugs that look a lot like bowls. They're very big around, and very deep. It truly does look more like a bowl than a mug. The problem with most bowls that are actually labeled as, "soup bowls," is that they're wide, but shallow. That makes them hard to carry, but probably looks cool for sighted people. Bernadetta, I didn't know they made square bowls. Good idea. I might look into that for myself.

## Post 13 by Frozen Teardrop (Veteran Zoner) on Tuesday, 17-Nov-2015 20:36:37

i have a bowl that's kind of wide and not that shallow, but it has a small handle
on the side.

## Post 14 by ApplePeaches (If the zone bbs was a drug, I'd need rehab.) on Tuesday, 17-Nov-2015 21:40:54

Yeah I didn't know they make square bowls and now I know how to use a
ladle the right way.

## Post 15 by vh (This site is so "educational") on Tuesday, 17-Nov-2015 22:40:58

I suggest practicing (whatever method and bowl and ladle type you are using) with water. Fill your pan full of water and practice ladling the water into the bowl. Place one hand on the ladle handle and the other on the cup of the ladle so you can perhaps feel if you are keeping it straight. Maybe you can improve your technique over time, maybe not. One thing for sure, water is a lot easier to clean up than soup. If your spatial difficulties prevent you, there is no shame in it. Plastic trays are great.
Good luck .

## Post 16 by SilverLightning (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Wednesday, 18-Nov-2015 14:10:14

It kinda depends on why you have trouble balancing things. If its a physical
disability, then you can find tools to help around that. if its simply a blind thing,
and you haven't been taught how to not spill things you're carrying, rthat's
something different entirely. The suggested methods will change based on that.

## Post 17 by forereel (Just posting.) on Wednesday, 18-Nov-2015 14:16:44

Lots of dishes, or newer models now have complete sets. The bowls, plates, and all are square.
Even different shapes,like 6 or 8 sides.
Some are better containing heat, so can be carried easy.
I guess designers decided, why does a plate, or bowl have to be round.
My last set of dishes was square. Pretty slick.
I have round now, but that was due to liking the style and such.
I find it easier to carry a plate of food that is square though.

## Post 18 by ApplePeaches (If the zone bbs was a drug, I'd need rehab.) on Wednesday, 18-Nov-2015 20:21:41

No I do not have a physical disability; not being able to hold things straight is
a blindness thing. I was never taught how to carry without spilling. Someone
on facebook suggested practicing with water.

## Post 19 by SilverLightning (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Wednesday, 18-Nov-2015 21:30:38

Well, carrying is pretty easy, there are lots of ways to do it if you want to
discuss that.

## Post 20 by loves animals (This site is so "educational") on Saturday, 05-Dec-2015 23:05:13

As people have suggested there are many different ways of doing this and i'm sure they have been helpful but another thing why not carry the pot of soup and put it on the table and then empty bowl on the table where you are going to eat and serve the soup there so then you don't have to carry the bowl of soup from kitchen to table and that could also avoid spilling things and can put a tray under your bowl so that it goes on the tray and not on any thing else.
Good luck and hope your able to manage things better as it can be frustrating making messes but unfortunately from time to time that is going to happen and we can clean it up as best as we can and then if you don't think you've done a good job then just ask your mum if she can check it for you so then you feel better.

## Post 21 by Reyami (I've broken five thousand! any more awards going?) on Tuesday, 08-Dec-2015 19:34:53

If it's a very heavy pot and you have trouble holding dishes straight, you don't want to leave a soup trail behind as you carry the pot over to the table, in addition to burning yourself with stuff that's just been made on the stove. This is especially the case if you've made soup for a large number of people. not a good idea. If it's just one person, then I'd say go for it. plus, you'd just end up carrying the pot back to the stove after serving to save space on the table, anyway. IMO, to save yourself the extra trip, and if this involves preparing soup for a large crowd, it's best to just leave the serving dish on the stove, then let people get more food for themselves as they need it.
If preparing soup for a family-style setup where dishes are passed around and you've given yourself enough time to do this, have soup bowls waiting for family on the table at their place setting so you won't have to bring a large, hot soup pot over to the table, or worry about bringing small bowls back to the table and spilling as you go. agree about the tray idea if you're comfortable with carrying multiple bowls that way.
Another suggestion: if one's kitchen or dining space is big enough, place serving dishes on a utillity cart and pass them around. Once dishes are empty or everyone has taken their fill, put the dish back on the cart, leaving table space for things like condiments, salt, pepper, a drink pitcher if it's being served in such a container – extra bits like that. Get up periodically to re-fill empty dishes if food is being kept warm in an area separate from the dining room.
Since I usually prepare food for just myself, (This can be a challenge if ever I have the impulse to cook things from scratch, and, given how crazy this semester has been on top of everything else, it doesn't happen as often as i'd like.), I usually have a large bowl, usually reserved for rice, but it works well for soup, up against the pot once the burner has been turned off. I pick up the pot with both hands, one on the handle and the other supporting the pot on the opposit side, then, (making sure pot and bowl are in contact with one another), tilt the pot with the pot hovering slightly over the edge of the bowl to prevent the bowl from flipping. this ends up in broth going in the bowl first, followed by the meat and whatever else is in there. stir once pot is empty.
Another thing you could do if you're really in a hurry and need to grab a quick lunch, is to open the can, pour into a microwave-safe bowl, nuke soup in the microwave, and there you have it: lunch in under fiftee minutes.
these are all just suggestions, do what feels comfortable. as with anything else, the more you practice, the easier pouring and serving will become.

## Post 22 by HauntedReverie (doing the bad mango) on Tuesday, 08-Dec-2015 19:39:41

I straight up use a measuring cup to dip out soup. For me, it's just easier and faster than using my ladel. I leave the pot on the stove, leave the bowl on the counter, that way it all stays level. Move the bowl as close to the edge of the stove as you can. As for balancing and carrying, the other suggestions here sound great. Don't fill the bowl as much. You could also get a soup bowl with a lid and carry it with the lid on.

## Post 23 by sia fan bp (I'm going for the prolific poster awards!) on Tuesday, 08-Dec-2015 20:01:44

I never thought of that but thanks! I was learning this in FBc (in the
foundation for the blind) and I've learned how to pour watter in different cups
and stuff. Now, with all the suggestions here, I basically learned how to
serve/pour soup in a bowl! apple, thanks!

## Post 24 by Reyami (I've broken five thousand! any more awards going?) on Wednesday, 09-Dec-2015 20:56:56

Taking suggestions and putting them into practice to find out personal preferences for what works and what doesn't, and actually going through the motions to perform the task that needs learning, are two very, very different things.