This Genius Tool Solves The Mixing Bowl Problem Every Cook Knows

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If you've ever mixed something vigorously in a large bowl during a cooking project, you have probably experienced the universal frustration of a tilting, wobbly bowl. Maybe you're whipping cream by hand, whisking a vinaigrette, or even just beating eggs for a casual, but perfect, omelette, and notice the bowl starts migrating across the counter. There are some low-tech workarounds, like a damp towel or a silicone mat slipped underneath the bowl. Neither works terribly well, especially with super-slippery granite countertops. Luckily, there's a genius tool that solves this dilemma.

The Now Designs Staybowlizer is, first of all, a good pun. Secondly, it's designed to eliminate the whole unstable mixing bowl issue. Made of flexible silicone, it both cradles the base of your mixing bowl and grips the counter underneath, which keeps the bowl steady without suction cups or clamps. Just drop it down onto your work surface, set the bowl inside, and get on with the task at hand. Your mixing bowl will stay exactly where you need it to be.

There are plenty of single-use kitchen tools in the world always promising to rock your routine but, ultimately, just take up space in the back of your cabinet. These are often "as seen on TV", patent-pending items — they are the hard-boiled egg shellers, the pancake batter dispensers, avocado sectioning gadgets, and so on. They're mostly novelty items that solve a problem that doesn't exist, or could be solved with tools that already exist, like spoons or even hands. The Staybowlizer is not one of these items. If this tool joins your household, it will become a standby, taking a seat next to other essential and esteemed tools like your cutting boards, strainers, and wide-mouth funnels. Mixing bowls are central to how most people cook, so a tool that eliminates unwanted movement is infrastructure worth investing in.

It costs almost $50, which sounds like a lot, but what makes the Staybowlizer feel like less of a gimmick and worth every penny is that it's a tool that actually works. Plus, it also does solve a couple of other problems once you have it in your toolkit. Because it's made of BPA-free and heat-resistant silicone, it can be used as a buffer between a hot bowl and a countertop, kind of like a futuristic trivet. It can also stabilize a mixing bowl set over a pot for gentle double-boiler tasks like melting chocolate or warming egg whites for a meringue. Of course, you could use a colander to double boil or steam your veggies, but because the Staybowlizer is designed to securely hold a large bowl, there's no boiling water balancing act.

The Staybowlizer also earns its keep outside textbook cooking scenarios. If you cook in small or unconventional spaces, like on a boat or in an RV, you know that counter stability is hard to come by but matters a lot more than in a sprawling suburban setup, where you're not working against the motion of the ocean or the open road. It can also be of use as a disability assistance tool, or in rehabilitation exercises, if grip or tremors are issues. The Staybowlizer can keep bowls steady so no matter who or where you are, you can mix marinades, toss salads, or prep batters with less precarity.

Even in a standard home kitchen, it's useful for jobs where one hand is busy pouring and the other is whisking, and you need a third limb to pin the bowl in place. Whether you're a baker, a butcher, or a candlestick maker, this tool will come in handy, and is totally worth the space it takes up.