You know how syrup and ketchup bottles have those little spout tops, but excess stuff always drips out and down the side making a mess. Well you could just put small indentations or wells in the top that would catch all the drippage, maybe even putting small holes at the bottom of each well so it just drips back into the bottle. No muss, no fuss.
-- MikeOxbig, Nov 24 2005

Aunt Jemima (as spoken of by [Darkelfan]) http://www.auntjemima.com/
For those who, like me, wondered. [angel, Dec 01 2005]

Spravy _22Spravy_22_20-_20The_20Aerosol_20Gravy
[hippo, Jan 17 2006]

How would the wells work if the bottle is being squeezed upside down?
-- skinflaps, Nov 25 2005


Cause you don't have to worry about it dripping when squeezing it, its after you squeeze it when you turn the bottle right side up and the little bit of stuff left over will drip down the side.
-- MikeOxbig, Nov 25 2005


From the explaination, it seems like some product would squeeze out of the 'indentations or wells in the top' when you are pouring, thus dampening the effect.
-- sleeka, Nov 25 2005


[Quickly checking] Tide clothes detergent bottles have such a scheme - adapt that.
-- DrCurry, Nov 25 2005


...due to that drain in the lid!
-- DrCurry, Nov 25 2005


[sleeka], any product that is squeezed out of the holes in the wells while pouring would simply drain back thru the holes after you flip it back over again.
-- MikeOxbig, Nov 30 2005


[Ian] Not to worry, that crud is already an inherent problem with today's condiment bottles.

I agree that this is really just the well-baked laundry-detergent bottle adapted to foodstuffs.[+] I suspect it's only a matter of time now....
-- sophocles, Nov 30 2005


That laundry-detergent-bottle bit would work well on condiments that pour well, but how well would it work on condiments that don't pour well?
-- Freefall, Dec 01 2005


I figure it'll work just about the same as any liquid will be trapped in an indentation.
-- MikeOxbig, Dec 01 2005


Aunt Jemima bottles don't drip. They have some strange funnel shape for the spout and it works really well. Which is awesome as encrusted fake-syrup crap is terribly terribly disgusting.
-- Darkelfan, Dec 01 2005


Damn it [darkelfan], your link has given me a craving for pancakes.
-- MikeOxbig, Dec 13 2005


it's certainly a problem and without reading the hb annos, I doubt if we have a solution. now, a hamster might...

MO hates badgers? how queer is that?
-- po, Dec 13 2005


C'mon, badgers are just so...badgery.
-- MikeOxbig, Jan 17 2006


Just redesign all condiments so that they're either thick and cannot be poured or squeezed from a bottle, or as runny and liquid as water and can be dispensed from vinegar bottles or (cf. "Spravy" [see link]) an aerosol dispenser. Condiments of a middling viscosity are just asking for trouble.
-- hippo, Jan 17 2006


I agree completely with [hippo]'s comments, but some condiments are nicest at that middle viscocity. It would be nice if the condiment could be designed to thicken (or thin) on contact with the air to the correct viscocity, this would be the perfect solution.
-- Minimal, Jan 17 2006


[Minimal] Perhaps what's needed is two-part condiments, modelled on two-part adhesives which contain, typically a tube of adhesive and a hardener. A two-part ketchup for example would contain a tube of thick tomato paste which could be squeezed like toothpaste onto the plate and a small bottle of sweetened vinegar (tomatoes, vinegar and sugar being the key ingredients of tomato ketchup). Using these, there is a significantly reduced risk of spillage and gunge, and the user is able to mix the condiment to the desired viscosity on the plate.
-- hippo, Jan 17 2006



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