The Frywall made famous on 'Shark Tank' is a game changer that reduces the mess of cooking - here's why I like using it

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• Making delicious fried foods and other oil-intensive dishes comes at a cost: the mess of oil splatters on your body and surrounding kitchen space.
• The Frywall ($17.95-$28.95), a silicone kitchen accessory that fits into your pan like a funnel, is a twist on the traditional splatter screen.
• It does a better job of containing oil splatters, doesn't cause condensation, and lets you easily access your food, so you can enjoy your food with less danger and less clean-up.

Crispy bacon is an indulgence as integral to homemade brunch as pancakes doused in maple syrup and mimosas with a concerning OJ-champagne ratio. What usually precludes the excitement of digging into my plate of grease, however, is pure anxiety. As I dance around my stove avoiding the splashes of oil - sometimes successfully, most of the time not - I think, maybe one day I'll be able to cook bacon without breaking a light sweat.

I know splatter screens exist but a few problems run common with traditional designs. They're made from the wrong materials and aren't heat-resistant enough, they cause condensation to form and weaken the frying intensity, or they block your pan so you can't check on or otherwise access your food.

A new approach to the splatter screen, made famous by the show "Shark Tank" in 2018, is a better way to protect yourself and your kitchen from oil splatters. More appropriately described as a splatter guard, the Frywall is a BPA-free silicone funnel that fits into your pan and forms a protective wall around it.

Founder Yair Reiner created the Frywall in his kitchen after a "particularly splattersome duck breast" proved to be the last straw. His innovative solution provides protection from splatters while allowing steam to escape and you to access your food at all times.

The Frywall works in all types of cookware (pans, sauciers, skillets, etc.) and materials (cast iron, stainless steel, ceramic, etc.), and there are three main sizes (8", 10" and 12"). It can withstand temperatures up to 450°F, meaning you can use it in the oven (as long as it's kept away from the open flame), and it's also safe to clean in the dishwasher.

Read more: 18 "Shark Tank" home products that are actually useful

I tried the Frywall in my own kitchen and can confirm it's a game-changer that reduces the mess of cooking.

I used more oil than normal to see just how much the Frywall could handle. To my relief, most of the splatters that would normally hit me or the adjacent wall, which has received its fair share of greasy oil stains, stayed within the Frywall. It's not a completely perfect catch-all, but it worked better than splatter screens I've tried in the past to do its job.

In general, it was larger than I expected. The walls are tall, obviously to catch the splatters, though that did make reaching tongs or a spoon into the pan a little difficult. But I could still see and access everything I needed in the end, and the overall cooking experience was easier because I didn't have to keep lifting up a screen to check on my progress.

Other than preventing splatters and bubbling oil spillage, the Frywall is great for keeping your food contained. I sometimes underestimate the number of ingredients I put in the pan, so I'm left with an overflow of vegetables or diced meat threatening to escape. With the Frywall, my inability to select the correct-sized pan wasn't as crucial because my food had extra vertical surface area to bump up against.

All in all, I'm glad to have this $20 accessory in my kitchen now because I'm less nervous about cooking foods with a lot of oil. It saves the time and frustration spent cleaning up my stove and countertop after I cook, plus the Frywall itself is easy to clean. I don't have a dishwasher, but the silicone can be hand-washed, and the flexible shape makes it easy to roll or fold up for storage.

Shop the Small 8" Frywall (4 colors) for $17.95 at Amazon here

Shop the Medium 10" Frywall (3 colors) for $21.95 at Amazon here

Shop the Large 12" Frywall (4 colors) for $28.95 at Amazon here

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