As a longtime cook, I used to be anti-microwave. I thought that if something was worth eating, it was something I could prepare with my own hands. I heated leftovers in a saucepan and steamed veggies in a steamer. But once I moved into a nice apartment with a microwave built in, I learned I had been wrong. I began using it to heat food, defrost bread, and even give my coffee a little zap when it gets chilly. As a relatively new microwave user, I was immediately hit with something that microwave lifers know all too well: They can be extremely messy if you aren’t careful. 

Long story short, I was recently perusing the trending section of Amazon, looking for things that shoppers can’t get enough of, and, lo and behold, one of the top trending items was a microwave splatter cover. I had never heard of such a thing, so I knew it was worth looking into.

Tovolo Microwave Splatter Cover

As a professional food writer and kitchen gear tester, I thought I’d seen it all. Advent calendars full of whiskey? Can’t believe it exists, but it does. Cast iron skillets with Dolly Parton’s lyrics printed on them? Those are also real. And while a product will come across my desk that truly scratches an itch I was aware of, sometimes I’ll stumble onto something so genius that I didn’t even know I needed it. These microwave splatter covers fit squarely into that category.

Basically, these collapsible covers from Tovolo expand, and you put them over your food before heating it. There are three sizes in this set, so you can find ones that fit any normal-sized bowl or plate you’re warming up. Vents on the top let steam escape and promote good airflow, ensuring your food cooks evenly, and when the covers are inverted, the vents allow them to become colanders, which is kind of genius. They’re made from microwave-safe, BPA-free plastic and silicone, meaning they won’t bring any unwanted contaminants into your food. Finally, they have a nice little handle on top, so you can easily place them on and take them off your warm food.

Shoppers love this product, which is great, though I can’t help but feel a little embarrassed about not knowing about a kitchen tool that about 60,000 people gave five-star ratings to. One shopper writes that the cover is “well made, easy to clean, and collapsible, so it is easy to store.” Another concurs that the cover works as intended: “It covers my dishes and prevents food from splattering inside my own. I even used it to wash and strain lettuce.”

Whether you, too, didn’t know about this amazing tool or you were just waiting for the right moment to jump in, I think your microwave will thank you. I know mine definitely will.

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