If you want to avoid getting burnt when you remove the trays from the oven, you should not rely on simple potholders and kitchen towels, but you should use oven mitts.
These are very useful to those who work in the kitchen as they not only keep your hands well protected from high temperatures but also allow you to grasp hot things with a firmer and safer grip.
However, being able to choose the best oven mitts it’s not really simple, and there are several questions that must be answered before purchase, such as: are silicone oven gloves able to manage heat? Can advanced materials such as Kevlar used for oven gloves also be suitable for a normal kitchen?
And how does good old and dear cotton behave on oven mitts? By continuing to read this guide, you will find lots of useful information, advice, the most important features to consider in order to be able to choose the best oven gloves.
Buyer Guide to Choose Oven Mitts
But what are the advantages of choosing the best oven gloves? Obviously, we all know well that oven gloves are used to avoid getting burnt.
When removing trays, pots, hot objects from inside the oven, or from above the hob, but because it is more recommended to use an oven glove compared to, for example, a tea towel?
Which Model to Select?
Kitchen gloves are a key element to keep the ends away from the excessive heat of the stove. Using them, you can, in fact, hold the pots and pans without having to resort to the most uncomfortable potholders, which can even slip out of hand.
A great advantage of many models on the market is that they can also be used for other types of activities, such as moving the wood in the fireplace or to assist grilling without running any danger.
However, it must be borne in mind that this object does not guarantee total safety for your hands: the levels of protection are different, but they will never be able to ensure that you hold a hot element for a long time.
You will, therefore, have to use it to remove something from the fire or, in any case, for a limited period of time. The function of kitchen gloves is, in fact, to slow down the spread of heat and not to cancel its effect.
Depending on the use you want to make of it, select a model with an affordable price but also able to make you feel comfortable while using it.
The Design
In our ranking, you can find different models to refer to. Once you have considered the use you intend to make of it, in fact, you can indulge in the most disparate style and shapes, so as to satisfy even the eye.
To the classic pair of gloves with the entrance only for the thumb, you can prefer the one that shows every single finger, so as to insert them more easily and have a greater grip.
The decorations and colors on the market are many, and therefore, you will not have to limit your imagination if you are looking for an object to customize.
Which Material to Prefer?
If you are part of the group of consumers who love to compare prices, a point to always keep in mind will be the material that goes to make up the object of your desires. The cheapest is certainly the fabric, which makes up most of the models on the market.
The gloves thus made are usually padded with polyester, which manages to isolate the heat and protect your hands when you want to remove a pot from the fire.
The advantageous aspect lies in being able to choose a richly decorated and colored model, which will add panache to the kitchen. A very safe and lately increasingly popular material is silicone, which can withstand a maximum temperature of 250 degrees.
The downside is the “professional” aspect that such a product will have, and that will perform its function without additional frills.
However, it is necessary to consider the possibility of allergies, in which case it is necessary to opt for fabrics with fibers, synthetic, or natural, which do not cause reactions to the skin. The reviews of other users can help you understand if the gloves you have chosen are suitable for your needs.
Cotton
Classic oven mitts made of cotton have been around for decades. Cotton is a material that has the qualities of being breathable, comfortable once worn, and flexible in movement.
However, due to the low level of heat resistance, cotton oven gloves are more suitable for quick use where temperatures are not so high.
Unless the gloves have been reinforced with additional heat-resistant material, the cotton oven gloves offer good protection only from temperatures of around 93 ° C and only for a few seconds, afterward the heat will begin to feel.
Neoprene
Neoprene prevents heat transfer much longer than cotton and is also a material used to make diving suits. This synthetic rubber offers a great balance between flexibility and heat resistance.
Most neoprene oven gloves are resistant to water, stains, and greases. Therefore they are a good choice for putting your hand on particularly hot food and objects that require a lot of attention in being handled in the kitchen to avoid getting burned. Most neoprene oven gloves are safe to use up to temperatures of around 200 ° C
Silicone
The silicone oven gloves offer excellent protection from the heat, they are also very flexible, offer excellent grip, and many of them for cleaning can be simply put inside the dishwasher.
Most silicone oven mitts are capable of withstanding maximum temperatures of 260 ° C for approximately 30 seconds at a time.
Aramid Fabrics (Nomex and Kevlar):
For those who want to choose the best oven gloves resistant to very high temperatures, they could turn to Nomex or the same material used for the protection worn by racing car drivers, astronauts, and firefighters.
Kevlar is used in bulletproof vests and needs no introduction. Not surprisingly, both Nomex and Kevlar are extremely resistant to open flame and heat.
Oven gloves made of these materials offer superior protection when cooking over high heat or on open flames, which is why they can often be found in some kitchens of large restaurants. The heat resistance of these kitchen gloves varies from about 260 ° C to just over 482 °.
