13 Foods That Always Leave Kitchens Looking Like a Crime Scene
Some meals are simply messier to make than others. Certain foods seem to guarantee splatters, spills, and sticky counters.
Here are 13 foods that can turn your kitchen upside down—and tips to help manage the mess along the way.
Spaghetti Bolognese
Cooking Spaghetti Bolognese often means dealing with splattering sauce as it simmers on the stove. Sauce spots can end up on your counters, stove, and even the floor if you’re not careful.
Stirring the sauce often leads to drips on your apron and kitchen towels. Boiling pasta at the same time can cause water to bubble over and spill on the stove.
Chopping onions and garlic for the sauce might leave bits behind on the cutting board and counters. It helps to keep a sponge or cloth nearby to wipe up splashes as you cook.
Buffalo Wings with Sauce
Buffalo wings are a game-day favorite, but tossing them in spicy sauce gets messy fast. The bright orange sauce stains fingers, clothes, and tabletops.
Biting into saucy wings usually results in splatters around your kitchen. Keeping napkins or wet wipes handy makes cleanup easier.
Serving sauce on the side for dipping can help control the mess. Enjoy the wings, but expect a little chaos.
Rib Rack with BBQ Sauce
Rib Rack BBQ sauce is thick and sticky, perfect for ribs but tough on your kitchen. Slathering it on means your hands and utensils get coated.
The sauce’s rich mix of brown sugar and molasses tends to drip and spill. If you’re grilling, expect splatters on your clothes and grill too.
Have plenty of napkins or paper towels ready. The mess is part of the BBQ fun.
Berry-Stained Pancakes
Making pancakes with fresh or frozen berries leads to colorful juice leaks. Purple, red, and blue stains can splatter across your counter, stovetop, and clothes.
Berry juice is packed with natural pigments and can be tough to remove from towels and plates. Syrup drips mixed with berry juice add to the mess.
Baking pancakes in the oven on a sheet pan can reduce splatters. Still, some juice may escape and leave your kitchen looking like a berry battlefield.
Tomato and Basil Pasta
Juicy tomatoes in pasta dishes often burst, sending sauce flying across your kitchen. Fresh basil leaves can scatter as you chop them.
Stirring pasta and sauce together sometimes causes drops to fly from the pot. Bits of garlic, cheese, and olive oil may also end up around your stove.
Be ready to wipe down counters and sweep the floor after cooking. The mess is a sign of a fresh, flavorful meal.
Sizzling Stir-Fry
Stir-frying can quickly turn your kitchen into a splatter zone. Oil and sauce spills, plus bits of food flying, are part of the process.
High heat and quick tossing make it tricky to keep things clean. Using a splatter screen or a larger pan helps reduce the mess.
Keep a damp cloth nearby to wipe up spills fast. Stir-fry is delicious and quick, but expect a little cleanup.
Sticky Honey-Glazed Ribs
Sticky honey-glazed ribs are delicious but messy. The thick glaze of honey, garlic, and soy sauce coats your hands and any surface it touches.
Brushing or pouring the glaze can lead to drips and splatters. Slow roasting and broiling add extra stickiness and shine.
Sauce splashes often end up on counters, cutting boards, and clothing. Cleaning up takes extra time since the glaze hardens as it cools.
Lining your tray with foil or using paper towels underneath can help. The sticky mess is worth it for the flavor.
Fried Chicken with Hot Sauce
Fried chicken with hot sauce brings a spicy, flavorful mess. The thick sauce splatters easily during cooking or brushing on.
You’ll find drops on counters, the stove, and your clothes. The sauce clings to the crispy chicken and can leave streaks everywhere.
Marinating chicken in buttermilk and hot sauce can create a wet, slippery mess. Handle over the sink or a large bowl to contain drips.
Keep paper towels or a damp cloth close for quick cleanup. The spicy treat is worth the mess.
Loaded Nachos
Loaded nachos pile on cheese, meat, beans, and fresh toppings. Digging in often means cheese stretches and toppings spill everywhere.
Crumbs, sauce, and bits of food scatter across tables and countertops. Melted cheese and sauces can drip down your hands as you serve yourself.
Carrying a big plate of nachos usually leads to broken chips and more mess. Napkins and a quick wipe-down are a must after enjoying this snack.
Sloppy Joe Sandwiches
Sloppy Joe sandwiches are known for their saucy, spill-prone filling. When you bite in, the mixture often oozes out, covering hands and plates.
The sweet, tangy sauce and ground meat tend to drip from soft buns. No matter the filling, these sandwiches require plenty of napkins.
A quick wipe-down is a good idea after eating. Sloppy Joes are a family favorite, just expect some cleanup.
Chocolate Lava Cake
Chocolate lava cake looks tidy until you cut inside. The warm, gooey chocolate center spills out, creating a mini chocolate explosion.
Serving the cake often leads to melted chocolate drips and smudges on plates and hands. It’s a fun dessert, but a little messy.
Baking lava cakes is simple, but some chocolate will escape and make a mess around your baking area. If you love chocolate, the cleanup is worth it.
Beetroot Salad
Beetroot salad is tasty but notorious for stains. Cutting or peeling beets releases deep red juice that can stain hands, boards, and counters.
Wearing gloves and working on easy-to-clean surfaces helps. Slicing and roasting beets can leave red spots around your kitchen.
Wipe beet stains quickly with vinegar or lemon juice for easier cleanup. A dedicated plate or bowl prevents the juice from spreading.
Even with the mess, beetroot salad adds a bright, fresh touch to your meal.
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Pulled pork sandwiches are a delicious, hands-on meal that can get a little messy. The slow-cooked meat is tender and juicy, which means it can get everywhere when you pile it on the bun.
Sauce often drips down your hands and plate, leaving sticky spots all around. The toppings and sides add to the mess.
Coleslaw or baked beans can spill over. Even if you try to be neat, the mix of meat, sauce, and toppings tends to scatter.
Using a slow cooker helps you get great flavor with little effort. Still, when you transfer the meat or serve the sandwiches, bits of pork and sauce are likely to drop.
You might want plenty of napkins or paper towels on hand. Just expect some spills and splatters as you enjoy this classic comfort food.
