This Easy Hack Will Help Prevent Batter Splatter

Maybe you've heard the term "batter splatter." You don't have to be a clean freak to want to keep post-baking cleanup to a minimum. Have you ever found yourself making some old-fashioned pancakes or maybe a tray of fudge brownies? For many of us, that means breaking out the electric mixer — a stand mixer or hand mixer — to save a little time and effort. And let's be honest — we don't always remember to put on an apron.

Remember that nice shirt you decided to wear while you were mixing? Or how nice and clean your countertop looked? What should have been an easy way to make dessert or breakfast can sometimes result in a session of scrubbing up dried hunks of cake batter and raw pancake off of the counters and elsewhere. Fortunately, thanks to a cook's ingenuity, we can safely say there's a way to protect ourselves and our possessions from splattered batter.

Even better, this particular hack/solution doesn't involve yet another kitchen gadget. The websites for Self and Cuisine at Home both bring up an inexpensive and simple answer to the problem, with materials that you might very well already have at hand.

Simply find a paper plate — any kind will do, as long as it is sturdy. Take the beaters for your electric mixer and poke them through the plate as you attach them to the mixer otherwise as normal. The end result should have the paper plate right above the beaters, like a protective shield. When you go to mix your batter, the possible splashings of batter splattering up from the bowl will hit the paper plate as it hangs over the bowl, preventing most, if not all, of the batter from coating you or your workspace. It's as easy as that!

Next time you're mixing up some pancakes or waffles or a cake, look for some paper plates nearby. It'll save you cleaning time — and maybe laundry time, too.