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The claim. The Kochblume Spill Stopper promises to “stop pots from boiling over.” You place the shallow silicone bowl over a pot or pan, and if the contents boil over, “petals” at the center of the bowl lift, causing excess liquid and bubbles to spill into the bowl, then slide back into the pot. Voilà! No mess on your stovetop. We bought 10-inch and 12-inch lid covers for $24.40 and $26.19, respectively.
The check. We turned burners to high and used Spill Stopper when boiling pasta, white rice, and brown rice.
Bottom line. If you’re often spacey enough to overfill a pot, turn the burner too high, and abandon the stove, you might find a use for Spill Stopper. It will stop a spill—unless the water level starts out too high, in which case the petals can’t catch all of the foam and boiling water just pushes the cover up and spills out. Spill Stopper might not be a great choice for simmering a food such as rice, which requires a tight lid and low heat. Other problems: Because some water stays in the cover, it’s a juggling act to lift it and stir the contents; when lifting the cover, which gets hot, you’ll need a pot holder; and once you’ve lifted it, the pot will start to boil over anyway, so you’ll have to turn the heat down.
This article appeared in the September 2013 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
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