Cooking is part of life, but it shouldn't come at the expense of injuring yourself with hot objects and boiling soup. You should be able to prepare your favorite dishes daily while staying safe from the extreme heat that stovetops and ovens produce.

That’s why we recommend you buy a pair of oven mitts. Of course, you don’t have to use them around the oven. But you'll prefer a pair of oven mitts because they provide outstanding protection against heat. They can withstand up to 250 C, which should help keep your hands safe whenever you cook.

In addition to protection against heat, the best oven mitts give you a firm grip of pots, tins, and baking pans. In turn, this keeps your kitchen a safe space, since you don't risk dropping a pot and injuring yourself with a spill of hot food.

Comfort

Before you find out what temperature a pair of oven mitts can withstand, you’ll probably want to know whether they can fit on your hands. More precisely, you want gloves that feel natural and comfortable.

Safety

Safety is the most important factor when looking for the best oven mitts. So, verify that an oven mitt helps you keep safe from heat before you buy it. Also, look at the maximum temperature it can withstand so that you know whether it will be useful in your kitchen.

While we're speaking about safety, choose mitts whose materials can’t give you cancer or damage your skin when exposed to heat. Otherwise, you can have gloves that protect you against heat but introduce you to potentially dangerous substances.

Solid Grip

A solid grip helps you clasp your pots and baking tins firmly. And considering that most of the things you hold with a mitt are hot, you wouldn’t want them to spill on your hands or any other part of your body. Note that you should prefer oven mitts that help you hold even tiny pots safely.

Easy to Clean

Choose mitts you can clean quickly and efficiently, no matter what stains them. You need them clean always, after all. Otherwise, the food residue on the mitt could lead to a fire hazard. But, in some cases, even the manufacturers, such as Arcliber, advise against cleaning oven mitts thoroughly. Instead, you are advised to just clean dirty sports carefully. However, you can clean most mitts without damaging them in a simple process. Here’s how to do it properly.

First, scrape away burnt food stuck on your mitts using a spoon or blunt knife. Then, warm some water and pour it into a bowl large enough to hold your oven mitts. Add dishwashing liquid known to dissolve grease, and then let your mitts soak in the mixture.

After the oven gloves soak, scrub particles stuck on them using a brush or by rubbing the mitts against each other. Use a laundry stain remover to eliminate the most stubborn stains from your mitts. Pour some of the laundry stain remover on the specific parts affected by stain. Continue washing the mitts until you are fully satisfied with their level of cleanliness. Rinse the mitts in fresh water, and dry them.

What are Features of the Best Oven Mitts?

From a distance, you can tell that an oven mitt is made of thick materials. But what precisely are these materials, and what benefit do these gloves offer?

Heat Insulation: Oven mitts consist of thick layers of wool and other good insulators. Wool is a common material because it traps air excellently. For better insulation, mitts feature cotton or silicon fabrics on the exterior.

Stain resistance: Most rubber oven mitts don’t attract grease easily. As a cheaper alternative, developers use silicone, which is also resistant to oil and grease.

Comfort: Mitts are purposefully made big in size to provide comfort to people with hands of all sizes. As a result, don’t shy away from mitts because they look too big for hands.

Decorative Patterns: Manufacturers know better than to produce dull-looking gloves. They instead provide mitts made with multiple designs and patterns that will suit different kitchen users.

Affordable: Oven gloves costs between $6.50 and $38.00. The overly-priced mitts tend to have exclusive features, or the seller is knowingly selling them at an inflated price.

Big Red House Oven Mitts

The makers of Big Red House Oven Mitts don’t exaggerate. Their oven mitts are big and red in color. But more importantly, they provide excellent protection from temperatures as high as 480 F (249 C). They are made of silicone for firm gripping, and big enough (at 12.5") to provide exceptional comfort, regardless of the size of your hands. They are also FDA-approved, meaning they won't cause damage to your skin.

Homwe Extra-Long Professional Silicone Oven Mitt

These oven mitts are not only humongous, at 14.7 inches in size, but they are also gorgeous in their textured silicon designs. Their large size means that you can fit your hands comfortably inside and still have some breathing space.

Because they are designed for the ultimate protection against heat, you can use these silicone oven mitts to remove baking tins from ovens raging with 232 C heat. The gloves are also BPA-free, and FDA-approved.

Arcliber Oven Mitts

Arcliber’s cotton oven mitts can withstand temperatures as high as 218 C. But they require special care. You shouldn't wash them. Instead, Arcliber advises you to clean only the dirty spots. They cost £5, making them some of the most affordable oven gloves for protection against high temperatures.

Homwe Silicone Oven Mitts

If Homwe’s 14.7-inch oven mitts are too big for your comfort, consider buying their slightly smaller gloves. They measure 13.7 inches, which still makes them big enough to fit the hands of the average baker.

The mitts withstand up to 250 C. They are safe and FDA-approved. Similar to their bigger sisters, these oven mitts are also beautiful with their silicone design. What's more, you get two pot holders free of charge when you purchase the gloves.

Bestonzon 4 Pcs Heat Resistant Oven Mitts

For less than $20, you can get your hands on these extremely thick,  heat-resistant oven mitts. They are made of quilted cotton, which explains their soft feel. They are big and comfortable at 13" x 7" and flexible enough so that you can move your fingers without straining. The gloves also come in a variety of colors. And you get two pot holders as a gift when you purchase the gloves!

Final Verdict

Oven mitts are a must-have if you cook regularly. They cost as little as £5, so you have no excuse not to have a pair. But before you make a purchase, review our buying guide to know what to look for in a good pair of mitts.