How A Simple Wooden Spoon Prevents Water From Boiling Over

If you scroll TikTok long enough, eventually you'll get a "kitchen hacks" video from a dubious source, purporting something like that simply resting a wooden spoon over a pot of water will, in fact, keep it from boiling over. That's too good to be true, though, right? How could something so simple as a wooden kitchen tool be so effective at stemming the tides of boiling water?

There are two reasons why this hack actually works (and is so genius in its simplicity). First, the wood handle of the spoon physically holds off the water bubbles, causing them to break up, and stopping them from rising any farther. Second, because wood is not a good conductor of heat, the wood handle stays cooler than, say, a metal one would. That difference in temperature also helps to break up the bubbles as they rise, preventing them from overflowing and making a mess on your stove.

Still, it's a not good idea to leave your boiling water unattended, even if you have a wooden spoon resting over the pot. This hack is not boil-over-proof, especially if you have the heat on its highest setting or the pot is nearly full (or both). In these instances, the bubbling of the water could prove too much for a wooden spoon handle to stop, and you may want to explore other methods.

Along with the wooden spoon, you might consider changing up the size of the pot that you're using. If you find you have to use so much water that it comes close to the lip, you might want to grab a bigger pot to accommodate the same amount of water plus whatever you're boiling. Adding a splash of oil can also prevent your pot from boiling over by disrupting the starch in the water. And, finally, you don't have to leave the pot boiling on high. Once the pasta, eggs, potatoes, or whatever you have in there, is boiling, you can often turn the heat to medium-high, medium, or even lower. In some cases, you may be able to finish cooking your pasta with the stove turned off.