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Because a clean kitchen is a serene kitchen. Stainless Mesh Screen
Maddy Sweitzer-Lammé is a passionate and voraciously hungry home cook and eater. She's been writing about food in all its forms since 2014 and is a big believer that anyone can and should love to cook.
A clean kitchen is a serene kitchen — at least for me. I cannot focus if my kitchen is in disorder. A full sink of dirty dishes or a stove covered with a medley of cooking juices is enough to derail me into a downward cleaning spiral before I can start. What can I say? I like a blank canvas.
The best solution for such a quandary is a splatter screen. Simple and lightweight in design, a splatter screen covers a pan to reduce spills and splatters during cooking, while its perforated holes allow for proper ventilation, which is vital for cooking tasks like reducing sauces. Different styles of splatter screens work for various types of cooking, from sauteing veggies to microwaving leftovers and frying chicken.
At one time, splatter screen design was just your typical stainless steel mesh, but now they come in various sizes and materials. I tested ten different models to find the best.
It fits many different pans and is easy to clean.
It has few bells and whistles and is super basic in its design.
A heavy-duty mesh splatter screen is the best option for most high-heat frying and sautéing, as it allows optimal evaporation and is incredibly sturdy — even at the highest heat. The extra-fine mesh blocks water and oil splatters and won’t warp and rust over time. It is exceptionally durable due to the rigid metal spine. The 15-inch size works for various pans, including large cast iron skillets or Dutch ovens. The nylon handle felt comfortable when I needed to peek at what I was cooking, and it stayed cool even after prolonged heat exposure. Overall, it did a great job keeping the surfaces of my kitchen oil-free, and it's dishwasher-safe. Although this is a basic design, it is the most common, and the price is right for something you might not use as often as the next person. If you always use a splatter screen, I suggest you splurge on my next pick.
Diameter: 15 inches | Material: Mesh | Heat Resistance: Not oven-safe
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
It has a handy folding handle, and the silicone protects pans.
It's more expensive than others on our list.
Le Creuset Splatter Guard was a close runner-up for best overall splatter screen. I would have awarded it number one if its price hadn’t been higher than the competition. No matter what I cooked, the fine mesh attached to the stainless steel ring kept it in check, and it didn’t collect an excess of moisture and kept all splatters at bay. The silicone protection for the part that touched the pan reassured me even with my prized Le Creuset Dutch ovens. It is also oven-safe up to 465 degrees Fahrenheit, making it incredibly versatile from stovetop to oven. The Le Creuset has a folding handle, making storage a dream if you don’t want stray handles poking out of cabinets or drawers. After each use, I threw it in the dishwasher, which cleaned up well, even with leftover frying oil on the mesh. If price is no consideration, this is the splatter guard for you. It’s the model I keep in my kitchen now that testing is complete.
Diameter: 12.75 inches | Material: Silicone and stainless steel | Heat Resistance: Oven-safe
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
It is entirely silicone and folds in half for storage.
The holes are larger than the screen mesh you find on others.
For the space-conscious, a foldable splatter screen saves precious inches in cabinets or drawers. My pick from Williams Sonoma folds in half for efficient storage. This splatter screen doesn’t have a handle, which helps the tool take up less space, but it also means I need to be careful when working with hot food — especially hot oil. There is a slight lip on each side of the handle, which makes grabbing it off of the pan easy. It also allows you to raise the lid halfway as you cook to check progress. No burned chicken here. Since it is silicone, it is heat resistant and can go straight in the dishwasher, making it painless to clean. It fit every frying pan and pot I used it on — even my Dutch oven.
Diameter: 13.5 inches | Material: Silicone | Heat Resistance: Not oven-safe
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
It collapses for easy storage and can be used as a colander.
The handle can be hard to grab sometimes and can become discolored.
Most stovetop splatter guards include some element of stainless steel or other metal, making them unsuitable for microwave use. If you’re doing a lot of microwave cooking or heating foods that tend to stain your microwave’s interior, a microwave cover is a great solution. I already owned it before testing it and love it. It has a collapsible design and is about 10 inches with an inset handle. It keeps splatters when heating plates of food up in the microwave. Not only does it do a great job of keeping messes in, but it also helps heat dishes in the microwave faster. The vents for evaporation also double as holes for use as a colander. I have never used it that way. It comes in three sizes, but I prefer the 10.5-inch version, which works for individual bowls and bigger portions.
Diameter: 10.5 inches | Material: Silicone and plastic | Heat Resistance: Not oven-safe
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
Food & Wine / Jennifer Zyman
I picked the BergKoch Splatter Screen as Best Overall for many reasons, mainly because it performed reliably. It is a basic design, but it easily fits most pans and pops into the dishwasher. We also like that it’s not too pricey so you can replace it if damaged. However, I have had one for many years, and it is still in excellent working order.
I tested ten different splatter screens in my home kitchen over a few weeks. Whenever I cooked anything that would spatter or splatter, like chicken breasts or steaks in cast iron, I tested the different screens to see how they stacked up against each other. For the microwave-friendly models, my family used both to heat leftovers and cook items like steamed broccoli in the microwave to see how effective and easy they were to use. Over time, I definitely developed favorites.
When selecting a splatter screen or guard, ensure it’s the same size as your pan, if not a bit bigger. Splatter screens that are too small in diameter can slip into the pan, potentially spilling hot oil or other cooking food, causing burns and hazards. For the best bet, opt for a splatter screen that is just a bit bigger than the largest pan you’ll be using.
Most splatter screens are made of stainless steel. Some are perforated steel, while others are made of stainless steel mesh. Others are made of silicone, which works well when heat resistance is essential. If you’re looking for a splatter guard for your microwave, your best bet is to buy one for that dedicated purpose, as most stovetop splatter guards have at least one metal component.
There are a few special features available when it comes to splatter screens. A popular feature is small feet, which prevent the guard's body from resting on your countertop, potentially getting it dirty. Other splatter screens are designed for specific tasks, like increasing the height of the walls of your pan to reduce splashing and spillage or to create a smaller opening for steam to escape. When choosing a splatter screen, consider what specific tasks you’ll use it for and which type of pan you’ll use most often, and then decide.
A splatter guard is worth buying if you do a lot of frying, searing, or other high-heat cooking on your stovetop. The majority of options are very reasonably priced, and it’s a simple, easy-to-clean tool that can save you a lot of time scrubbing your stove and countertops.
Splatter screens are simple to use. When you’re cooking something that is creating a lot of droplets around the burner on the stove, simply place the screen over the top of the pan. The screen will catch any oil or other droplets thrown off by the food without trapping water and making your food soggy.
Most splatter screens are dishwasher-safe, but consult the manufacturer's instructions before washing. Some of the odor-absorbing models I tested are best when washed by hand.
To clean a splatter screen by hand, rinse with hot water and use a stiff bristle brush and dish soap to remove oil and debris. Rinse well and let dry in the open air to avoid rust. For strong smells or stains, soak your screen in hot, soapy water for 10 minutes before scrubbing.
GlouGlou Microwavable Cover ($19 at Amazon) This fancier microwave cover is covered with a glass portion and collapsible silicone. I liked that it has a knob-style handle on the top, making it easy to take on and put off. It ultimately didn’t make my final list because its diameter didn’t fully cover a standard-sized dinner plate.
OXO Good Grips Splatter Screen ($23 at Amazon) The OXO has a folding handle and is constructed of thick stainless steel embossed grooves for different-sized pants. It worked well, but it has a very sharp edge and is so oversized in its effort to accommodate various types of pans that it overhangs onto other burners.
U.S. Kitchen Supply Set ($20 at Amazon) If you want a range of sizes with few bells and whistles, the U.S. Kitchen Supply Set has three different splatter screens for those seeking variety. Their design is similar to our overall winner. However, they didn’t make the list because they took up too much space.
Strong Wire Mesh Both the KitchenAid Splatter Screen and Farberware Stainless Steel Splatter Screen are marketed as odor-absorbing. However, I didn’t find those selling points accurate during my tests. I also didn’t like how the material used in each screen discolored and bled during washing. The All-Clad Stainless Steel Screen was equally disappointing. It has a fixed handle like its pans, making it hard to store. The part attached to the pans is rough, and I was concerned that it would damage the rim of non-stick or more delicate materials such as enameled Dutch ovens.