The Best Way to Pour Batter in a Muffin Pan Without Making a Mess
Whether it's cupcake or sticky muffin batter, filling a muffin pan can be quite messy. When using a spoon to fill the pan, batter may spill onto the edges of the cups or even down under the cupcake liners, making the pan harder to clean. The spilled batter can also burn, creating an unpleasant odor in the kitchen. Luckily, there are three ways to fill a muffin pan without making even a tiny mess. Add this to my Recipe Box.
2-Qt. Measuring Cups
Those over-sized measuring cups found in the baking section aren't just for measuring large quantities of liquid. They can actually be used in place of a mixing bowl. Better yet, 2-qt. measuring cups with a pouring spout are perfect for filling up muffin pans. After the batter is prepared, it can easily be poured into a muffin pan without creating a mess. This method is best for cupcake batter or other thin batters. Muffin batters can be a bit thick and sticky and require other methods.
Ice Cream and Cookie Scoops
Ice cream and cookie scoops aren't one-trick ponies when it comes to desserts. Both can be used to quickly fill muffin pans without making a mess. The key is to choose a scoop that best fits the size of the muffin pan cups. For example, cookie scoops come in various sizes, but the most common sizes include 1 tsp. and 1 tbsp. The 1 tsp. size is perfect for mini muffin pans. While the 1 tbsp. scoop can be used for larger pans, it will take more than one scoop to fill them, depending on the size of the pan. A small ice cream scoop is more ideal for standard muffin pans and a large ice cream scoop is perfect for the jumbo size. To make the process even cleaner, the scoops can be sprayed with nonstick cooking spray to help thicker batter slide from the scoop more easily. Scoops should also be scraped against the side of the mixing bowl to remove excess batter before attempting to fill the pans.
Spouted Ladles
Spouted ladles are perfect for pouring gravy, but they're also perfect for thin batters. The spout allows the batter to flow from the ladle into the cups without creating a mess. Best of all, when the ladle is tipped back, the excess batter drips fall into the cup and then the other cups can be filled. This prevents a mess from occurring in between the cups of the pan.
