It took me trying a new pair of pot holders to find that my pair had not served me well. My simple cotton pair was awkwardly shaped, not as heat resistant, and couldn’t grip anything securely.
While the Ove glove looks almost too tricky to be true, it is a superior oven mitt. As the name suggests, the glove shape offers every finger full flexibility and freedom of movement. This makes the difference when lifting very hot and very heavy dishes, especially when lifting dishes with small handles. Since both sides of the gloves have a non-slip silicone grip, you have a secure grip even if, like me, you have smaller hands that almost drown in the material. I wore my hot one Casserole dishes From the oven to the kitchen to the dining table with the certainty that I would not lose my footing and let food fall on myself. (This is a legitimate fear on my part.)
According to the manufacturer websiteOve gloves are made from the same fireproof material that firefighters use when fighting fires at a thousand degrees. I’ve never fought a fire before, but I know these gloves can withstand the hottest kitchen temperatures. I held a hot sheet of paper Cookies for about 30 seconds before my hands felt warm. With the gloves on, I slightly changed the position of my oven racks in my preheated oven. (I wouldn’t recommend this, but I had to put these gloves to the test.)
I’ve tested other non-slip silicone pot holders, including the Williams-Sonoma Ultimate Oven Mitt and the Fully covered textiles Silicone oven Mitt to see if the glove shape was actually useful. All of the pot holders I tested had similar heat protection. But even with the silicone handle, the traditionally shaped gloves offered less control than the Ove gloves. With the gloves on, I could easily pick up hot metal skewers or carry pliers.
Although the gloves can withstand temperatures of up to 540 ° C, they are not child’s play. Unlike most gloves, which cover more of my forearm, Ove gloves only go past my wrist. There is still a risk of burns if you dig deep into the oven or hit the grate. Of course one can only be careful at all times.
If you are looking for pot holders that not only protect you from getting scalded on hot dishes, but also prevent you from dropping the dishes, drop the gloves: the best hand protection is in the form of gloves.
