Crab cakes may be uber-popular, but fish or seafood cakes can be made of any kind of fish, along with some type of flour or binder, then fried or steamed to perfection. Fish cakes can vary in shape, but if you want to make perfectly even and flat cakes like celeb chef Ina Garten, you’re going to need this one kitchen tool.

In an episode of her Food Network show “Barefoot Contessa,” Garten tells viewers that she uses an ice cream scoop to create perfectly even and uniform fish cakes. She uses a two-and-a-quarter-inch scoop to portion out her fish mixture and create 14 three-inch cakes, which she then fries for a perfect seafood appetizer.

Garten also turns to an ice cream scoop when baking, using the same size to portion out batter for muffins and cupcakes, but uses a one and ¾ inch-scoop to portion out dough when she makes cookies. Either way, a scoop ensures perfectly-portioned foods that cook evenly, with not a single one either under- or overcooked.