Best Microwave Splatter Covers for Dorm Kitchens

How the Five Compare on the Numbers

Every figure on this page comes from what the maker publishes. The five picks are ranked by published width and depth first, because a dorm kitchen gives up very little counter, and a cover that is wider or deeper than the space it sits in is a problem no feature list can solve. The GLICPIX cover is published at 10.5 by 10.5 inches and 0.3 lb. The Tovolo Medium is published at 10.5 by 10.5 inches and 0.4 lb. The AIDACOM set is published at 10.5 by 10.5 inches and 0.57 lb. The Tusjiain is published at 11.02 by 11.02 inches and 0.31 lb. The Tovolo Large is published at 12.46 inches wide and 0.34 lb, with no depth figure published.

Weight separates them more cleanly than size does, because every one of the five makers publishes a weight and only some publish a full set of dimensions. The GLICPIX cover is the lightest of the five at 0.3 lb, and the AIDACOM set is the heaviest at 0.57 lb, a difference of 0.27 lb. The Tusjiain sits at 0.31 lb, the Tovolo Large at 0.34 lb and the Tovolo Medium at 0.4 lb. For a dorm shelf that has to hold a plate, a mug and a cover, that spread is small but it is the only figure stated for all five.

The table does not tell you how any of these covers behaves over a plate of leftovers. Nobody at Lush has used them, and no figure here describes performance. It also does not resolve the Tovolo Medium, whose published width of 3.25 inches sits beside a published depth and height of 10.5 inches each, and the maker does not say which measurement is which on the object. Read those figures plainly rather than as a shape.

Storage and the Dorm Drawer

What collapses and what does not

A dorm kitchen usually means one drawer and one shelf. Two of the five picks publish a collapsed height. Tovolo states that both its covers collapse to 0.75 inch, and AIDACOM states that its cover changes from 0.8 to 3.2 inches. That is a difference of 0.05 inch at the folded end, which is close enough that either will sit flat in a drawer.

The other three publish nothing for a collapsed height. GLICPIX, Tusjiain and Nordic Ware give no figure, so a reader cannot say how flat they store. That is not a reason to avoid them, but it is a figure the makers have chosen not to publish, and this page will not estimate it. If drawer clearance is the deciding thing, the two Tovolo covers and the AIDACOM cover are the ones with a number attached.

Weight on a small shelf

Weight is the one figure all five makers publish, and the spread is 0.27 lb between the lightest and the heaviest. The GLICPIX cover is the lightest of the five at 0.3 lb. The AIDACOM set is the heaviest at 0.57 lb, which is expected because it includes a silicone mat alongside the cover. The Tusjiain is 0.31 lb, the Tovolo Large 0.34 lb and the Tovolo Medium 0.4 lb.

On a dorm shelf that also holds plates and a mug, none of these weights is a burden. The figure matters more for a different reason: it is the only specification every maker states, so it is the only clean comparison across all five. Where a maker publishes no width, depth or height, weight is what remains.

Vents, Handles and Second Uses

Steam and heat claims

All five picks state that their covers vent steam. The differences are in what the makers are willing to publish. GLICPIX states a heat limit of 266 F, or 130 C, and states that the longest heating time cannot exceed 10 minutes. That is the only published temperature figure among the five, and it is also the only published time cap.

Tusjiain states that its cover has enlarged perforated steam vents to encourage airflow and prevent condensation. Tovolo states a vented design that releases steam. AIDACOM states vented holes on the top and a center handle. None of those four publishes a temperature, so a reader comparing heat tolerance has one figure to work with and four blanks.

What each cover does besides cover

Tovolo states that both its covers double as a colander, draining water through perforated holes, which makes them useful for rinsing produce in a dorm sink. Tusjiain states the same colander function. GLICPIX states the same again. Three of the five picks therefore list an identical second use, and the maker text does not distinguish them on it.

AIDACOM is the one pick that adds a separate object. Its set pairs the cover with a silicone mat the maker lists as a bowl holder, trivet, pot holder, spoon rest, utensil rest, place mat, hot pad, jar opener, coffee coaster and drying mat. For a dorm kitchen with no trivet and no drying rack, that is a second job done by the same purchase. The maker also states that the cover is not oven safe while the mat is both microwave and oven safe.

Which One Fits Your Kitchen

Buyer with the least counter space. The GLICPIX cover is published at 10.5 by 10.5 inches and 0.3 lb, the lightest of the five, and it is the only pick whose maker publishes a heat limit and a maximum heating time. It stores flat in a narrow drawer.

Buyer who wants it to fold away. The Tovolo Medium is published to collapse from 3 inches to 0.75 inch, and its maker states it fits plates and bowls less than 10 inches in diameter. It also drains as a colander. That combination suits a single dorm drawer.

Buyer heating large plates. The Tusjiain is published at 11.02 by 11.02 inches, the largest published width and depth of the five picks, and 4.72 inches tall. Its maker states enlarged perforated steam vents and warns against grill or convection mode.

Buyer who needs a trivet too. The AIDACOM set pairs the cover with a silicone mat the maker lists as a trivet, pot holder, spoon rest and drying mat. It is published at 0.57 lb, the heaviest of the five, because two pieces ship together.

Buyer with a wide microwave. The Tovolo Large is published at 12.46 inches wide and 3.5 inches tall, and its maker sizes it for extra large microwaves and oversized plates. It collapses to 0.75 inch. The maker publishes no depth figure.

What We Could Not Verify

Several figures a dorm buyer would want are simply not published by the makers, and this page does not fill them in.

• Nordic Ware publishes no width, depth or height figure, only a 10.4 inch interior diameter at the lip and a 10.5 inch exterior diameter, so it could not be ranked on the measurement this page turns on.
• CasaCulina publishes no width, depth or height figure, only a 10.8 inch diameter and a 3.2 inch height inside its feature text, so it also could not be ranked.
• No maker among the five publishes a heat temperature for the Tovolo Medium, the Tovolo Large, the Tusjiain or the AIDACOM cover.
• GLICPIX, Tusjiain and Nordic Ware publish no collapsed height, so the flat-storage comparison covers only two of the five picks.
• The Tovolo Large maker publishes no depth figure, and the AIDACOM maker publishes no height figure for the cover.
• No maker states how any cover performs over food. Every claim here is a capability the maker publishes, not a result anyone at Lush observed.