Yahoo Finance 7 best oven gloves that take the heat out of the kitchen
Whether you relish spending time in the kitchen creating marvellous eats, or hate toiling over a hot stove, the risks remain the same.
In a room with scorching hot pans, scalding ovens and billowing clouds of steam, there is no need to school anyone on the importance of a reliable pair of oven gloves. No cook could be without them and those that have tried to bear the scars to prove the point.
Gone are the days when the only type available were the traditional double oven glove. Now there are single mitts, those that resemble outdoor winter gloves and circular pot grabs to select from.
Some are made from cotton, others from silicone, and there are even products made from materials that are strong enough to protect firefighters. Choosing which of these kitchen essentials to go for can be confusing.
How we tested
To help you pick the right protectors for your hands, we put some of the best we could find to the test in our own kitchens and even when cooking on the barbecue. We checked out a range of unique designs for heat resistance, padding, flexibility, comfort and style.
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Whether you need to take hot dishes from the oven to the table, are manoeuvring sizzling pans on top of the hob or are cooking outdoors over flames, we’ve got you covered.
These are the best oven gloves for 2021:
Best overall – Lakeland heat shield gloves: £16.99, Lakeland.co.uk
Best design – Eleanor Bowmer magical eyes oven gloves: £22, Eleanorbowmer.co.uk
Best for hygiene – ProCook silicone oven mitt: £13, Procook.co.uk
Best for AGA owners – Blake and Bull pot grab: £12.95, Blakeandbull.co.uk
Best budget buy – ProCook oven glove pair: £9, Procook.co.uk
Best eco credentials – The Organic Company morning grey oven gloves: £38, Designvintage.co.uk
Best pro gloves – Coolskin 375 GTX mid gauntlet: £22.75, Coolskin.com
Lakeland heat shield gloves
Best: Overall
Outer material: Meta-aramid and silicone
Fill material: Cotton and polyester lining
Size: One size fits all
They may look like something you might wear when throwing snowballs, but these gloves are perfect for glorious summer days in the garden when it is impossible to resist the urge to light the barbecue. Lakeland’s oven gloves are made from knitted meta-aramid, the same material used to protect firefighters from blazing temperatures, and are heat-resistant to an incredible 350C. That means they keep hands safe not only when taking food out of the oven, but also when cooking on a scorching barbecue or a pizza oven.
We seized the opportunity to put them to the test with a flaming barbecue and felt safe and confident when turning sausages and lowering the grilling rack. Despite the high-level protection, the gloves are still super flexible for brilliant dexterity and silicone dots on the fingers and palms of both sides provide a firm grip when holding hot utensils or dishes. And when they get dirty, you can simply pop them into the washing machine on a 30C cycle. These come with a whopping three-year guarantee.
Buy now £16.99, Lakeland.co.uk
Eleanor Bowmer magical eyes oven gloves
Best: Design
Outer material: Cotton 1/2 panama
Fill material: Cotton
Size: One size fits all
Few people enjoy being watched over as they cook, but the eyes on these gloves are welcome in the kitchen. With a beautiful eye design on one side and a contrast checkerboard pattern on the other, the bold hand-painted print is fun, bright and injects colour into even the drabbest of kitchens.
The British designed and made 100 per cent cotton double oven glove is thickly padded and gave us solid protection from heat while feeling comfortable to wear. We always appreciate a hanging loop for easy storage, as featured on this product, and they are easy to clean in the machine on a 40C wash. These oven gloves would make a perfect gift because they come packaged in a gorgeous box that includes a postcard featuring the striking eye print.
Buy now £22.00, Eleanorbowmer.co.uk
ProCook silicone oven mitt
Best: For hygiene
Outer material: Silicone
Fill material: Cotton
Size: 29.5cm x 20cm
Cooking can be a pretty messy business, which is why a silicone mitt, like this one from ProCook, makes perfect sense. Any dirt can be wiped away, leaving it as good as new even after daily use. The grey mitt with black trim will fit in with any kitchen’s colour scheme and the soft quilted lining makes the glove comfortable to wear.
Most impressive is the heat resistance of this mitt. It can handle temperatures of up to 260C and when we put it to the test, taking piping hot trays out of the oven, we felt safe and were left burn free. The silicone means you can be sure of a solid grip on all hot objects in the kitchen too, but we feel this mitt would be best suited to people with bigger hands. It also comes with a one-year guarantee.
Buy now £13.00, Procook.co.uk
Blake & Bull pot grab – ‘the chickens’
Best: For AGA owners
Outer material: Cotton
Fill material: Cotton
Size: 23cm diameter
A country kitchen must-have, this beautifully made hand protector is specially designed for stovetop work. Use the practical loop to hang it within reach of your hob for easy grabbing when hot handles and pans need to be moved. With the delightful chicken pattern on one side and terry towelling on the other and inside, it ensures a good grip. Although the circular design has no thumb or finger features, we found it to be flexible for a secure grasp on pan handles and suitable for all hand sizes.
Most importantly, the high-performance insulation protects against heat and steam to prevent injury. The pot grab is made from 100 per cent cotton and can be machine washed at 30C to keep it fresh and clean, while those with an Aga can complete the look with a chefs’ pad and hand towel in the same charming design.
Buy now £12.95, Blakeandbull.co.uk
ProCook oven glove pair
Best: Budget buy
Outer material: Cotton
Fill material: Cotton
Size: 28cm
With tremendously thick padding, these 100 per cent cotton oven gloves feel comfortable and safe. The simple check design of the fabric is smart, and the muted colour palette means they are a stylish addition to any kitchen. We particularly like that these gloves measure 28cm long because they come up high enough to protect wrists from catching the edge of the oven shelf when removing trays and pots – a fate we were regrettably all too familiar with until these entered our world. Overall, these are an exceptionally good value pair of durable oven gloves that can be machine washed at 40C and come with a one-year guarantee. More stock is expected by 16 September.
Buy now £9.00, Procook.com
The Organic Company morning grey oven gloves
Best: Eco credentials
Outer material: GOTS-certified cotton
Fill material: GOTS-certified cotton
Size: 100cm x 22cm
The high quality of the make of these gloves is immediately apparent and the pure organic cotton is sumptuously soft. They also carry the “global organic textile standard” stamp, which means the manufacturer has met certain environmental and social criteria such as ethical treatment of workers and no use of environmentally hazardous chemicals.
The gloves are unmistakably designed in Denmark and feature an attractive grey and off-white dash and stripe woven pattern. We found the incredibly thick wadding kept our palms and fingers safe from heat, but be careful to ensure the backs of your hands avoid any hot parts on the inside of the oven because the padding does not go all the way around, with only a single layer of cotton at the back.
Buy now £38.00, Designvintage.co.uk
Coolskin 375 GTX mid gauntlet
Best: Pro gloves
Outer material: Aramid
Fill material: Cotton
Size: Three sizes available, 31cm in length
These gloves mean business in the battle against burns. Made from heat and flame-resistant Aramid fibre – which does not deteriorate when washed – they can withstand temperatures as high as 250C. So superior is the performance of these gloves that they are considered a piece of personal protective equipment that meets the necessary British and international safety regulations. Yet they are comfortable to wear and as flexible as a pair of standard gloves to provide good dexterity and grip for safely handling hot pots.
We also like the length, measuring 31cm, as it provides brilliant coverage over the wrist and forearm. The cream colour does mean they show dirt – but they are easily cleaned in the washing machine on a 40C cycle and can be tumble dried on cool so you can get back to using them again as quickly as possible.
Buy now £22.75, Coolskin.com
Oven glove FAQ’s
Which material is best for oven gloves?
In recent years, silicone has emerged as the best material for oven gloves, due to its heat protection qualities as well as the strong grip it provides.
Are oven gloves machine washable?
Naturally, oven gloves are going to get a little mucky when using them. Traditional oven gloves, made from fabric blends, are largely machine washable – simply pop in the washing machine and go. Silicone gloves are a little different; they gloves can be just popped straight on the top rack of your dishwasher and will be fresh to go.
Oven gloves vs oven mitts: What’s better?
Both are useful for their own purposes – oven gloves are better used for utensils or frying pans, as they are more nimble and allow you to grip on to smaller objects. Oven mitts are better for handling bigger pots, such as casserole dishes, where you might two hands, straight out of the oven.
The verdict: Oven gloves
We certainly would not compare our work in the kitchen to the admirable role played by firefighters, but it is good to know that our hands can be shielded from heat with the same kind of fabric used to make their life-saving protective clothing. For this reason, the comfortable Lakeland heat shield gloves are our best buy.
Also worthy of a mention are Eleanor Bowmer’s magical eyes oven gloves for the captivating design and thick padding, and the Blake and Bull chickens pot grab for their country kitchen charm and strong grip.
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