Oven mitts or gloves are a necessity for many kitchens, because it’s easy to get distracted while moving hot pans around and end up with a nasty burn. An oven glove can help a cook avoid burns and allow him or her to get a better grip on hot objects to manipulate items easily around an oven, stovetop or grill. There are two primary types of materials used to make heat-resistant oven gloves. Silicone gloves are good insulators and are easy to clean, but they are often stiff. Gloves made from fiber are usually more comfortable and pliant, although they can get dirty with splattered food and grease.
Cooks use a variety of insulators to help them move hot pans around and keep counters from scorching. Many professional chefs use kitchen towels for this task, because the towel can serve several purposes. Home cooks, particularly new ones, may need an oven glove or mitt to keep them from burning the top of their hand on the oven when reaching in. While the oven glove may not be quite as versatile as a towel, it will do a better job of preventing burns over a larger part of the hand.
The cook must decide whether he wants a five-fingered oven glove or an oven mitt. Mitts are more traditional and come in a wider variety of colors and styles, while gloves offer a more natural grip and allow for more fluid movement. Gloves are also well suited to outdoor grilling or frying, where very high heat may be involved.
Silicone is a popular material for bakeware and cooking utensils and is also used for hand insulators. Silicone gloves offer some unique benefits for cooks. They are heat-resistant up to 500° Fahrenheit (260° Celsius) and are waterproof to help keep boiling liquid away from the skin. Most silicone gloves are dishwasher safe and easy to clean. This type of oven glove tends to be somewhat stiff and can hinder finger movement.
Fiber gloves are made from materials such as Nomex® and Kevlar® and offer heat protection similar to the silicone products. Some of these gloves feature a cotton interior for added comfort, as well as silicone strips on the fingers for a better grip. These gloves provide a convenient way to delicately handle hot food and pans. Fiber gloves may wear out faster because of fraying and tears in the material and can be difficult to clean. They will not protect against scalding injuries, because liquid can soak through the material.