Yeah, spaetzle (I made some last night along with some chicken paprikas) can get messy and require some standing over the stove time for sure. But it’s like one of four things my daughter is guaranteed to eat every time, so I make them two to three times a month. And they are so satisfying. I’ve made them so many times I don’t even need measurements (though they are pretty forgiving and after a few goes, you can learn how to do it by feel pretty easily. I do always bring the water to boiling, though.)
I do as well, when I’m doing the “drop it in by the spoonful” approach. When I used the metal thing, like this, with boiling water, the surface got so hot that the dough was cooking onto the surface. If I’d remembered the comments / reviews, I’d have remembered that a lot of people had similar problems and said to turn the heat down under the pot.
I said “water” but I actually use chicken broth - gives it more flavor.
Interesting. I’ve always used the spaetzle maker like you and have never had any issues. Perhaps I leave more space than you do. There’s about a good three inch clearance when I use mine (which is rectangular.)