Pancakes and cupcakes are a huge part of the diet in my household, particularly on the weekends, when I have extra time to cook. One way to my fiance's heart is through his stomach and to get there, it takes a perfect pancake and a delicious cupcake. To save time and ensure each looks just as perfect as the next, I've been entertaining the idea of a batter dispenser. These handy tools can be used to dispense batter for pancakes, cupcakes, crepes, waffles, and more — and they don't cost an arm and a leg either!
• Batter Dispenser, $29.95 at Williams-Sonoma: Easy to load and even easier to dispense, this batter dispenser also has the ability to accomodate small berries, chocolate chips or other small additions to delicious treats.
• Kuchenprofi Stainless Steel Batter Dispenser, $24.00 at Amazon: Made from stainless steel, this Kuchenprofi dispenser is larger than the previous but also has a stand on the bottom so it can be placed above the area the batter needs to be dispensed on. The stand also provides an area between the counter and the spout to make for easy cleanup.
• Batter Squeezer, $9.95 at Sur la Table: This is the simplest shape in terms of batter dispensing and reminds me a lot of the Pyrex container my mother used to use to shake up and pour batter. This is definitely an all in one container and could easily be used for many more tasks.
• Jobar Handy Gourmet Batter Dispenser, $12.99 at Target: Shaped much like the Kuchenprofi dispenser and slightly better priced, this Jobar dispenser is chic and really easy to use. Pour the batter in the top and easily squeeze the handle to release the batter.
• Batter Dispenser, $16.95 at Kitchen Krafts: Working much like the two stainless steel versions, except this is made of acrylic. Holds up to 4 cups of batter and has a locking lid to store left over batter in the dispenser, so there's no need to dirty another dish.
What do you think? Is a batter dispenser worth it? Do you use one? Tell me if I should take the plunge and pick one up!
Related: Tip: How To Divide Cake Batter Evenly Between Pans
(Images: Williams-Sonoma, Amazon, Sur la Table, Target, Kitchen Krafts)
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My somewhat "imperfect" pancakes provides further proof, beyond a taste you will never get in a restaurant, that they are indeed home-made. I am an@l-retentive about enough things in the kitchen, I do not need to be that way about the shape of my pancakes.
You can recycle an old ketchup bottle as a batter dispenser... It's a lot cheaper and it's always nice to reuse. (like http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41qjTI7JBOL.jpg)
These just look like extra things to have to clean. :(
I use a soup ladle.
I just use dishers. I like having several different sizes around for cupcakes, pancakes, waffles, etc. Much easier to clean!
I don't know about "not costing an arm and a leg" but thats 30 bucks spent on what any pyrex cup, bowl, or ladle can do for free.
These look totally useless.
My wife and I picked up the last one this weekend. Used it last night for dinner (mmmm breakfast for dinner) and it was fast, easy and very great on cleanup. I did a preliminary rinse and then put it in the dishwasher.
I see many uses in the future for this product, especially with a little girl that likes to be in the kitchen with us. Would be simple for kids to help with cupcake batter, pancakes, waffles, ....mmmm... I need to go home and cook.
I just use a mechanical ice cream scoop if I want to keep pancakes uniform.
You're teasing, right? I just use a measuring cup or a mixing bowl with a pour spout.
A lot of these just look silly and complicated...
I agree with Julia2711 and ph33,
A ladle or squeeze bottle is so much cheaper and easier to clean...
Ladle if it's runny, disher (aka ice cream scoop) if it's less runny.
Less to wash and less to store.
What the others said, use a ladle or measuring cup.
I got my sister and brother-in-law the one you show from Williams-Sonoma. (They both worked at McDonald's in high school and college, so it was somewhat tongue-in-cheek.) My sister used it once and it was so difficult to clean - she couldn't get it completely clean - that she exchanged it for something else.
Seriously? Nobody needs these. This is an example of companies trying to create a demand where there never was one by offering a product people have been doing without for ages. Plus they take up space in your cupboard, look hard to clean, and I'd bet they're still about as messy as a measuring cup to the average user. Thumbs down!
really?
Like Chibirobo, I use an ice cream scoop for most batter. Cost me < $5. Takes up next to no space in a drawer. Also scoops ice cream.
My second choice would be a measuring cup because I already have one.
I knew this post would encourage these types of responses.
I actually have been considering getting one. It may seem silly if you just make a small batch of cupcakes occassionally, but I tend to make them for bake sales and friends' parties so not having to ladle (and not having the ladle drip on the edge of the paper - which is always a problem no matter how careful I am) gets to be much slower and definitely more messy.
Also, how does an ice cream scoop work on pancake or cupcake batters (both are runny)? I do use one for cookie batter, which is a stiff dough that wouldn't go through one of these anyways.
Anyways, I think it depends on how frequently you make cupcakes/muffins/pancakes and in what quantities. Everyone has a tool that makes cooking/baking faster/easier/more fun for their individual needs.
As to other uses - anything that is runny and needs to be poured into multiple containers. Melted chocolate into moulds, for example, or filling verrines (little glass cups filled with layers) which require precision so that they don't look sloppy.
I'd like to get one for cupcakes simply because I don't like having to scrape the heck out of my pans when the batter inevitably drips off the side of the bowl. I would imagine a squeeze bottle would eliminate that issue.
I also have problems with my waffle iron, batter dripping from the edge of the bowl and down the sides of the iron, instantly crusting on. I can't even immerse that baby in water so it's REALLY fun to keep clean. =P If these products (which I would imagine I can toss in the dishwasher) eliminate the need for finicky cleaning of appliances, I'm all for it.
The majority of the comments on this post are really unnecessarily biting. So you don't feel the need for a tool like this, good for you. But if you make this type of stuff often, then I could see it being exceedingly useful. Filling tray after tray of muffins cleanly could get tiresome.
The key here would be to get a really good model, easy to use, easy to clean, long lasting, versatile for many types of batter. I'd be in for such a tool. A batter dispenser is definitely on my wish list.
Save your money and use a ladle.
Like I said, I use a ladle.
The products, however, made me think of a peeler. I absolute adore mine (ok, that's a little of an overstatement) but my mother never thought of using one. So when I help her cook I miss it, and when she helps me she's annoyed I don't own a proper peeling knife.
Each to their own, I guess.
I'd like something like this if you could measure a specific amount each time. Like an adjustable pipette. Even with a measuring cup I get different sized pancakes and waffles.
I have the last one shown, I use it to make baked doughnuts for Christmas time since my mom got sick and I took over her baking. I literally make thousands of doughnuts throughout December, and it makes filling 6 baking pans and a mini doughnut maker a snap. Really sped up the process.
I bought the "Batter Dispenser" one, I got tired of always having to clean the batter off my muffin pans and I also use it for pancakes.