The Silicone Solution to Splatter-Free Frying

Splatter.

It's what keeps me from pan-frying dumplings, thickly breaded chicken cutlets, or slabs of eggplant as often as I'd like. I can't stand the post-fry clean up. The dirtying of the towels (or over-usage of paper towels), the spraying, the wiping, the hunting down of errant oil splotches on the backsplash. I do it, for the sake of the dumpling, but I don't like it.

Then Frywall arrived, newly available in the Food52 Shop, and dumplings everywhere cheered!

Frywall is a flexible silicone funnel that stands up in a 10" or 12" skillet (it's available in both sizes), and then performs two very important functions:

1. Splatter Catcher

The conical shape (faintly reminiscent of a scratch-preventing dog collar, yeah?) traps the fine mist of oil spraying up from a searing steak. Or the shrapnel from an exploding bubble of red sauce (whose range mystifies). Better yet, you can still access the food inside (unlike a traditional mesh splatter screen) to keep on flipping. Your apron might not need to be washed so much.

2. Greens Gatherer

Those recipes that require you to wilt down an unruly amount of greens—Frywall's good for that, too. The high walls it creates corrals your leaves and holds them together while they melt into the pot. (I'm continually amazed at how little spinach the entire fresh bunch yields.)

Frywall is silicone which means it's stupid-easy to clean. Either suds it up while you're doing the fry pan, or toss it in the dishwasher.

And because Frywall is so bendy, you can store it practically anywhere: in your utensil drawer, wedged in between pots in the cabinet, or rolled up with wherever you keep your batteries.

Excuse me, I've gotta go. I've got some dumplings to fry.

Are you also mystified by how far spattering tomato sauce travels? Spill below.