Kitchn Love Letters

If You Use Honey Ever, You Need This $10 Tool

updated May 6, 2021
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Red Clay Hot Honey being drizzled on grilled peach half and ice cream.
Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman | Food Stylist: Cyd McDowell

How many times have you made a mess out of your honey by trying to pour it out the side, then twisting the jar in an attempt to catch the drips? Every time? Cool, me too.

If you eat honey, you need a honey dipper. You may think they’re just twee frippery; cute on Pinterest but not actually useful. And I once did, too. But these things really work! Allow me to make my case.

Honey is my number-one sweetener. I love the way it adds a floral note to baked goods. It dissolves beautifully into tea. It’s delicious drizzled over grilled peaches. And, heck yes, I definitely cook savory recipes with it too. (Let’s just say “hot honey butter smashed potatoes” is a phrase you’re definitely going to want to get to know.) Suffice to say, the “sweeteners” section of my cupboard is essentially a rotating crew of five to seven different honey jars.

While those adorable squeeze-top honey bears do make for easy honey distribution, my favorite local beekeepers tend to sell their liquid gold in glass jars. The nice part about that is I can reuse the empty jars for storing snacks and dried goods. But it does make for some messy cupboards. For years, this was the routine I adhered to whenever I needed honey. 

  1. Unscrew the lid. 
  2. Tip the jar horizontally so that honey pours out.
  3. Accidentally pour out too much honey (not that I was mad about that part).
  4. Manically try and right the jar while a viscous drip smears itself all over the lip and side of the jar.

If I were a better woman, step 5 would be “Wipe down the entire jar and cap with a warm, damp cloth,” but, alas, we aren’t writing fiction, people. One hundred percent of the time, I would just swipe my finger alongside the jar and cap it, then return it to the cupboard. (Step 6 is “Get mad about the sticky honey jar next time I use it.”) 

In lieu of self-improvement, I decided to do some online shopping. 

And, now, it’s been about half a year since the Le Creuset silicone honey dipper came into my life. I’ve never been happier with a purchase. While you may be familiar with wooden versions of this tool, the Le Creuset version is so much better. Here’s why.

This honey dipper’s silicone top is stain-resistant and super easy to clean, which means you won’t spend time scrubbing in between the grooves. It also actually works very well and while I’ve tried a few wooden honey dippers, there’s a huge difference in performance with this one. Honey slides off this silicone version so easily, it’s like butter. This is what sets a honey dipper apart from a spoon: It’s no muss, and definitely no fuss. 

Credit: Rochelle Bilow

This version is also heat-resistant up to 482˚F, in case your honey really is hot. There’s even a little hole at the end of the handle, so you could hang it on a pegboard if you get your kitchen design inspiration from Julia Child. The folks at Le Creuset also tout the fact that the 6 1/2-inch handle is “ergonomic,” and I can tell you it’s definitely comfortable to hold. My honey dipper is white, but as with all Le Creuset products, you can take your pick from a few pretty hues. Plus, they’re all only $10!

Honestly, I never saw myself as the type of person who would rave over a tiny, one-trick pony kitchen tool. But, now that it’s in my life, I’ll never use honey without this amazing thing. You might even say I think it’s the bee’s knees. (Sorry!)

Do you have a honey dipper you love? Tell us about it in the comments!