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I love to stir fry. What I don't love is the sticky grease coating that over time accumulates on every surface near the stove, including cupboards, kitchen items and the floor.

I don't have a range hood and can't get one because my kitchen is not on an outside wall, so I'm thinking about getting myself a metal mesh splatter screen.

It's obvious that such a screen works well against the bigger splatters since the drops are simply too big to pass the gaps, but will it work against the fine mist of oil that causes the sticky coating as well?

MaxD
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  • Have you considered a range hood that doesn't vent to the outside? You should be able to get one that filters the oil out and recirculates clean air inside. – Cindy Feb 16 '17 at 19:05
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    In my experience, they'll reduce, but not fully eliminate. (after all, there's that time when you're adding the food, and the cover's not fully on) – Joe Feb 16 '17 at 19:06
  • and related : http://cooking.stackexchange.com/q/36226/67 – Joe Feb 16 '17 at 19:08
  • Recirculating hoods are worth having, but you do need to keep on top of the filters (clean/replace as appropriate). – Chris H Feb 16 '17 at 19:50
  • Without a good hood, you cannot fry or stir fry. –  May 02 '19 at 23:23

2 Answers2

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I use a splatter screen any time I sauté or deep fry. I like the Cuisipro 13" screen. It's all steel, has metal feet on the rim so grease doesn't get on the counter when you put it aside, you can hand wash or just toss in the dishwasher. Mine is also sturdy enough to use as a makeshift cooling rack.

user27594
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If you're doing stir fry, you normally would want to use a Wok, which has a deeper base, glass lid, and is less susceptible to splattering happening outside of the cooking vessel. However, if a Wok is not available, a splatter screen can be found that allows steam to escape through a fine mesh in the inner middle of the splatter screen guard, while blocking all splatter from the outermost area. Some fine particles will still get through the inner circle mesh, but the splatter guard will also help prevent larger droplets of hot oil jumping out and damaging your skin.

nhunsaker
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  • Interesting. I know that many woks come with lids but I've never seen anyone actually use one. – Catija Feb 19 '17 at 03:47
  • That's a good point. Perhaps in indoor home cooking environments, the lid is more useful, while in restaurants, the steam that escapes is handled by industrial fans and ventilation. The one nice thing about the lid at home, is that if you only finish half of what's in the Wok for the night, you can put the glass lid on, put the Wok in the fridge, and reheat the Wok the next day for leftovers. – nhunsaker Feb 20 '17 at 01:59