This Simple Trick Will Prevent Ingredients From Sticking To Your Spoon

Honey, maple syrup, and molasses are among the magic elixirs that make desserts divine. But measuring out these delicious ingredients for your cookies, cakes, pies, and more results in that all-too-familiar kitchen scenario: Your measuring spoons and cups are left with stubborn remnants of the syrupy substance. Naturally, you try to use your finger to scrape out every bit, but you can never get all of it — and then, of course, your hands get sticky as well.

Not only does the sticky stuff remaining on your spoon or cup (and now your hands) prevent every drop of the ingredient getting into your recipe, an essential when baking, but it means you have to thoroughly clean the utensils (and your hands) before you can use them again in whatever you are baking. Well, it turns out there is a solution to this sticky situation — and it's a pretty simple one.

According to Gemma Stafford of Bigger Bolder Baking, just use some flavorless oil on your measuring spoons and cups to prevent any sticking from happening in the first place. A light coating of oil will give your spoon just the slip it needs to keep anything from getting stubbornly stuck.

While oil is certainly very effective, there is another easy method to get the same effect. According to Spoon University, simply spray your cups and spoons with non-stick cooking spray whenever you are measuring out sticky ingredients. Using a non-stick spray, or even an oil spritzer, also has the benefit of being able to control just how much gets on your utensils.

So the next time you need to add something like molasses, honey, or peanut butter to a baked good, sauce, or other recipe, keep this trick in mind. It will definitely make the clean-up much easier and ensure that every bit of the ingredient gets into your dish.